AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : McDowell Not Perfect, but Good Enough

Jack McDowell had a perfect game through six innings and knew he was sharp enough to pitch a no-hitter.

But Gary Thurman led off the seventh with a single and the Chicago White Sox pitcher had to settle for a four-hit, 8-2 victory Sunday at Kansas City.

“Obviously, that late in the game you think about it,” McDowell said. “But I figured it will either happen or it won’t happen. There are about two guys who can control their fate in that situation, and I sure ain’t one of them.”

McDowell, (7-3) who beat Detroit on a two-hitter in April, was philosophical about it.

“It’s one of those things where they’re either going to hit them at somebody or they’re not,” he said. “It’s not like I was just blowing them away all day by any means. I was making good pitches most of the game and keeping them off balance, but I wasn’t striking out a lot of guys.”

Dan Pasqua doubled leading off the fourth against Mike Boddicker (5-5) and gave McDowell a 1-0 lead when Matt Merullo singled him home.

Oakland 8, Boston 0--Bob Welch pitched a five-hitter and Harold Baines drove in three runs with a double and homer at Oakland as the Athletics avoided a series sweep by the Red Sox.

Welch (6-3) gave up four singles, struck out two and walked only one in getting his first shutout of the season. Red Sox starter Tom Bolton (5-4) gave up four runs on seven hits.

Baines doubled home two runs to key a three-run first inning, then hit his eighth homer of the season in the eighth inning.

New York 6, Texas 4--Rookie Pat Kelly hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning at New York as the Yankees swept the three-game series with the Rangers for their 12th victory in their past 16 games.

John Habyan (4-1), the third of four Yankee pitchers, got the victory. Steve Farr pitched a hitless ninth for his sixth save.

Kelly’s homer, the second of his major league career, came off former Yankee Rich Gossage (4-1) after Alvaro Espinoza singled with one out in the eighth. The Rangers blew a 4-1 lead.

Texas has lost 10 of 11 since a club-record 14-game winning streak.

New York tied the score, 4-4, in a three-run seventh with the aid of a two-base error by left fielder Juan Gonzalez, who dropped Steve Sax’s routine fly ball with one out, allowing Sax to reach second.

Roberto Kelly’s sixth homer cut the Rangers’ lead to 4-2 before Gonzalez’s error brought on Mike Jeffcoat in relief of starter Jose Guzman.

Seattle 6, Milwaukee 1--Brian Holman pitched a five-hitter at Seattle as the Mariners swept the three-game series and sent the Brewers to their seventh loss in a row.

Harold Reynolds’ three-run homer broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh and allowed Holman (7-5) to beat Jaime Navarro (5-4). Navarro carried a 1-0 lead and a four-hitter into the inning.

After the Mariners spoiled Navarro’s shutout bid and tied the score on doubles by Alvin Davis and Omar Vizquel, Dave Valle’s infield single moved Vizquel to third.

Reynolds followed with a 349-foot home run into the right-field seats on a 3-and-2 pitch, his first homer since Oct. 1.

Holman struck out seven and walked two en route to his third complete game of the season. Navarro gave up eight hits and four runs in seven innings.

The Mariners got a two-run homer from Jay Buhner against reliever Mark Lee in the eighth.

The Brewers scored their run in the second inning on Greg Brock’s double and Greg Vaughn’s single.

Minnesota 9, Cleveland 2--Jack Morris gave up two runs and five hits in eight innings at Minneapolis as the Twins won their eighth game in a row.

Morris (7-5) won his fourth consecutive game, and has pitched into the eighth inning in his past four starts. He improved his lifetime record against the Indians to 28-9, needing ninth-inning relief help from Steve Bedrosian.

The Twins last won eight in a row in May of 1988 and are four victories shy of tying the club record set Sept 13. to Oct. 3, 1980.

Toronto 3, Baltimore 2--Todd Stottlemyre held the Orioles to three hits in seven innings as the Jays earned a split of their four-game series at Baltimore.

Stottlemyre (6-2) won for the first time since May 13, ending a streak that included three losses and one no-decision. He struck out four, walked three and allowed the leadoff batter to reach base five times in the first six innings.