American League Roundup : A’s Get Healthy Dose of McGwire and Win, 5-4

On a day when they learned that half of the best one-two punch in baseball, Jose Canseco, reinjured his left wrist, the Oakland Athletics could thank their lucky stars for the other half.

Mark McGwire, continuing his hitting rampage at Tiger Stadium, hit his eighth home run of the season Sunday to break a seventh-inning tie and lead the Athletics to a 5-4 victory over the Tigers.

Canseco, injured in spring training, was in the second game of his rehabilitation at Huntsville, Ala. He singled in the third inning, reinjured the wrist and departed.

McGwire has missed 14 games, but the A’s have managed to take a 1 1/2 game lead in the American League West.

McGwire is showing that he can lead an attack on his own. The former USC slugger has batted only 66 times this season. At that pace, with 131 games remaining, he would wind up with a record 70 home runs.

If he played more games in Detroit, it would be a cinch. Although he was 0 for 3 in his first appearance at his home away from home Friday night, McGwire is an amazing hitter in this park.

In 17 games at Detroit during his career, he has 22 hits, 11 of them home runs, and has driven in 20 runs. His first major league home run was at Tiger Stadium Aug. 25, 1986.

“I’ve been taking extra batting practice and just staying with it,” said McGwire, who is batting .288 in 17 games.

“I can’t explain why I do so well here. I like playing here and it just seems I’m in the groove here. This is a park where a man with power can hit it out anywhere. That is all I’m doing.”

Bob Welch (4-2) gave up six hits in six innings and Dennis Eckersley finished up to get his 10th save in 11 opportunities. Eckersley gave up Lou Whitaker’s seventh home run in the ninth.

“All of a sudden things got tough out there,” Eckersley said. “Nothing’s automatic in this park, especially when the wind’s blowing out.”

It was the first home run Eckersley served up since ailing Kirk Gibson hit the dramatic shot that gave the Dodgers the victory in the opener of the World Series last fall.

The Tigers fell to 9-19. Charley Hudson, who failed as a starter, flopped as a reliever and is now 0-3. His home run pitch to McGwire broke a 3-3 tie.

Seattle 5, Baltimore 3--New Manager Jim Lefebvre has the Mariners sailing. Alvin Davis had three hits and drove in three runs at Baltimore and Seattle won its sixth in a row, three of them in less than 24 hours.

The Mariners have improved their record to 17-15. That would put them in contention in the East. Unfortunately, the Mariners are in the West, so they are in fifth place and trail Oakland by 4 1/2 games.

“We’re not concerned about where we stand,” Davis said. “We like the way we’re playing. We know we can score, but pitching and defense have been consistent in this streak. That’s what it takes to win.”

Bill Swift (1-0), Jerry Reed and Dennis Powell combined on a six-hitter.

Saturday night the Mariners swept a doubleheader for the first time since 1981. Their best winning streak is eight in 1985.

Cleveland 5-12, Minnesota 4-1--The Twins are as big a surprise as the Mariners, only in reverse. After the double defeat at Cleveland, they have 13 losses in the last 15 games and are in the cellar in the West.

Cleveland pounded seven pitchers for 25 hits in the doubleheader, two of them off outfielder Dan Gladden, who pitched the eighth inning of the nightcap.

Dave Clark hit a pinch home run in the ninth inning to win the opener, then hit a three-run smash in the fifth inning of the second game that opened up a 6-0 lead.

Following Clark’s second homer, Juan Berenguer’s first pitch to Joel Skinner sailed over the batter’s head. Both benches emptied, but, typically, nobody was hurt.

Kirby Puckett was hitless in nine at-bats for the Twins. He completed his first five full seasons in the majors with 1,062 hits. The record is 1,064, set by St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famer Joe Medwick in 1932-37.

Boston 9, Texas 5--Wade Boggs is hitting for power and the Rangers are hitting the skids.

Boggs had a home run and a triple at Boston, and the Rangers, swept in three by the Red Sox, extended their losing streak to four games.

The Rangers, recently well in front in the West, dropped behind the idle Angels into third place.

John Dopson, 3-11 with Montreal last season, improved his record to 4-1 with six strong innings.

Boggs has five hits in his last two games--his first home run of the season, two triples, a double and a single.

Chicago 6, New York 2--Tommy John, who will be 46 in a couple of weeks, may be gone by then. Harold Baines had three hits and drove in two runs at Chicago as John was chased in the eighth after giving up 11 hits and six runs and the Yankees had their three-game winning streak ended.

John, who won the opener for the Yankees even though new Manager Dallas Green didn’t even want to give him a tryout, has lost five of his last six decisions and his ERA is over 5.00.

Milwaukee 8, Kansas City 3--The Brewers’ bats seem to bust out when it’s Chris Bosio’s turn to pitch. Robin Yount and Glenn Braggs drove in three runs apiece at Milwaukee.

The Brewers have won four of their last five. Bosio, who gave up four singles in five innings before his shoulder tightened, is 5-1.