American League Roundup : Brewers Find Another Pitching Star in Filer

It isn’t the greatest winning streak, it just took the longest time to compile.

With his second outstanding performance in a row, Tom Filer extended his winning string to 10 games in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 7-2 victory at Cleveland Sunday.

The catch is that the streak began in 1982. Most of the time Filer has been battling injury and indifference until the Brewers, desperate for pitching help, brought him up last week. He was thought of as a relief pitcher and even though he was 7-0 for Toronto in 1985 before an elbow injury, he wasn’t all that impressive.

When he finally recovered from surgery after sitting out the 1986 season, he was met with indifference. He pitched relief for three minor league teams in 1987 and the Brewers’ Denver farm club bought him last October.

The Brewers lost Teddy Higuera, Juan Nieves and Bill Wegman and had to have a starter. They took a chance on the 31-year-old right-hander.

The new one-two pitching punch of the Brewers is Filer and Odell Jones. Before this season both thought their major league careers were long gone.

Jones just missed a no-hitter in a 2-0 victory Saturday in his first start in seven years and Filer has two brilliant complete-game efforts.

Called up last Monday, he shut out the heavy-hitting Detroit Tigers Tuesday night on five hits. He came right back to pitch another five-hitter.

Filer gave up a bases-loaded two-run single to Julio Franco in the second inning, but the rest of the way he was superb. He held the Indians hitless in the last 5 innings and forced them to hit 15 ground balls for outs.

“I’ve been frustrated throughout my career,” Filer said. “I had torn ligaments and a nickel-sized bone spur removed. I would turn the corner, have an injury and have to start all over.”

Filer’s last defeat was with the Chicago Cubs in 1982. He spent the next two seasons in the minors before going to Toronto in 1985.

The Brewers produced all the support he needed with a three-run outburst against Tom Candiotti (6-3), in the third. Robin Yount singled home one run and Glenn Braggs singled home the other two.

Minnesota 6, Detroit 3--Doyle Alexander (4-4) threw a pitch close to Kirby Puckett in the first inning at Minneapolis and it was the worst of several mistakes he made.

Puckett hit two long home runs, including a 444-foot smash with one on in the fourth that put the Twins in front to stay and on the way to their eighth consecutive victory.

Puckett said he didn’t like a pitch near his head and he told Alexander about it.

“I wasn’t trying to hit him,” Alexander said. “I don’t try and hit people in the head. And, if I was trying to hit him I wouldn’t miss. I threw the ball inside and it ran in on him.”

New York 7, Seattle 3--Dave Winfield drove in three runs, two with his 11th homer, and John Candelaria pitched five innings for his sixth straight win as the Yankees defeated Mariners in Seattle.

Winfield’s homer off Mike Campbell (3-6) followed a two-out double by Mike Pagliarulo in the fifth inning after Seattle scored all its runs in the fourth to pull within 4-3.

Candelaria (7-2) yielded four hits, all in the fourth inning before leaving with a sore elbow. Neil Allen allowed 2 hits in 2 innings and Cecilio Guante retired the final four batters for his fifth save.

The Yankees have won seven of their last eight games and lead second-place Cleveland by 2 1/2 games in the American League East.

Kansas City 12, Texas 1--The Raiders must realize that with each success in baseball, running back Bo Jackson moves farther away from them.

Jackson hit a two-run home run to ignite a seven-run second inning at Kansas City that enabled Bret Saberhagen to breeze to his sixth victory. Jackson, who has nine home runs, also had a double and extended his hitting streak to a career-high seven games. The two hits raised Jackson’s average to .303.

The top two men in the lineup, Kurt Stillwell and Willie Wilson, drove in seven of the Royal runs.

Oakland 5, Boston 4--It is no coincidence that Carney Lansford is the runaway leader in the batting race and the Athletics are runaway leaders in the American League West.

Lansford singled and doubled to key two scoring innings at Oakland, and the Athletics, by sweeping the three-game series with the Red Sox, extended their lead to nine games. The Twins, by winning eight in a row, are now second.

Lansford extended his hitting streak to 15 games and raised his average to .396. Gene Nelson gave up just 1 hit in 3 innings to gain the victory.

Each time Lansford hit safely, Jose Canseco drove him home.

Toronto 4, Chicago 2--Rookie Pat Borders hit a home run at Toronto, but the winning run came home on Chicago pitcher Dave LaPoint’s throwing error in the seventh inning.

David Wells got pinch-hitter Harold Baines to hit into a game-ending double play with runners on first and third to save the win for John Cerutti (3-2).