AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Hoiles’ All-Star Night Leads Orioles, 15-6

He was too late to influence the voting, but Chris Hoiles punctuated the legitimacy of his All-Star credentials Friday night. In the process, he sparked long overdue support for Ben McDonald.

A three-run home run by Hoiles started a seven-run rally in the sixth inning that led the Orioles to a 15-6 victory over the White Sox at Baltimore. The home run was the 17th of the year for Hoiles, the most among American League catchers.

McDonald (5-8) gave up three runs in six-plus innings. He had a 2.38 earned-run average over his previous 10 starts, but was 2-4 in that span mainly because of poor offensive support.

“I kept saying that it was going to turn around, and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come,” he said. “But I told them that just because they did it one time, it doesn’t make us even.”

It appeared as if McDonald’s troubles would continue until the sixth inning, when Baltimore used five hits, three walks and a Chicago error to pull out of a 3-1 hole.

The victory, their 24th in 35 games, enabled the Orioles to gain another game on the Toronto Blue Jays and move within 2 1/2 games of the Eastern Division leaders.

Texas 4, Toronto 2--Rafael Palmeiro drove in four runs with a two-run homer and a single as the Rangers beat the slumping Blue Jays at Toronto for their sixth victory in seven games.

Roger Pavlik (5-4) gave up one run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings for the victory. Former Toronto stopper Tom Henke, the fourth Texas reliever, entered to a standing ovation and struck out Ed Sprague to end the eighth en route to his 16th save.

Minnesota 10, Milwaukee 6--Dave Winfield continued to pound pitching with two singles, a double, a homer and three runs batted in as the Twins had 15 hits at Milwaukee.

Kirby Puckett also drove in three runs, and the Twins had four-run innings in the second and fourth against Jaime Navarro (5-6), who gave up nine hits and nine runs in three innings plus.

Detroit 10, Kansas City 5--Eight of the first nine Detroit batters scored in the first inning, and the Tigers held on to beat the Royals at Kansas City.

Detroit had six hits--all singles--and two walks in the first as Royal starter Chris Haney recorded only one out. The Tigers scored seven runs against Haney, six of them earned, on five hits and two walks. Haney (5-2) has given up 21 earned runs in his last 13 innings.

Oakland 4, Boston 2--Mike Aldrete’s two-out, two-run homer broke a sixth-inning tie and Troy Neel added his second consecutive two-homer game to lead the Athletics at Oakland.

Ron Darling (2-4) won for the first time in six starts by giving up five hits in six innings. Darling gave up two runs, with three walks and two strikeouts.

Edwin Nunez pitched two scoreless innings and Dennis Eckersley got the final three outs for his 21st save, striking out the side.

After hitting homers in his first two at-bats, Neel lined a one-out single to right in the sixth off Paul Quantrill (4-6). He scored one out later when Aldrete sliced an opposite-field homer, his third, into the left-field seats.

“The ball hasn’t gotten any bigger, but it seems like it has,” Neel said. “You hope it lasts, but there’s always something to humble you in this game. You can’t go out there and hit a home run every time.”

Seattle 6, Cleveland 4--Mike Blowers hit a two-run homer and Ken Griffey Jr. doubled in two runs in the third inning to lift the Mariners at Seattle.

The Mariners won their third in a row and defeated the Indians for the fifth time in six games this season.

Left-hander Dave Fleming (4-1), a 17-game winner as a rookie last season, recorded his fourth consecutive victory.

In seven-plus innings, he gave up three runs and nine hits. Chris Bosio pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.