Davis Extends Hitting Streak, Bullpen Gives Orioles a Lift

Juan Guzman was tough on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Baltimore’s improved bullpen was even better.

Guzman gave up three hits in 5 2/3 innings and three Orioles relievers pitched hitless ball the rest of the way to hold off the Devil Rays, 2-1, Monday night at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Eric Davis had two hits and an RBI to extend his club-record hitting streak to 26 games as the surging Orioles won for the sixth time in seven games.

Guzman (8-12) improved to 2-0 since Baltimore, a major league-best 23-6 since the all-star break, obtained him in a trade with Toronto.

“I think that was a good game for us tonight, just to remind everybody, ‘Hey, we pitch pretty good and we field real good,” Orioles Manager Ray Miller said.

“Guzman was very solid. I liked the fact he wasn’t real happy about coming out,” Miller added. “I liked that because I know he’s a great competitor, but I thought it was the right situation.”

Reliever Jessie Orosco turned away an eighth-inning threat by retiring Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff with the tying run at second base, and Armando Benitez worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 17 opportunities.

Cal Ripken had the defensive play of the game, making a diving backhand grab of McGriff’s grounder before scrambling to his feet and throwing the Tampa Bay slugger out to end the eighth.

“There’s a reason you play all those games in a row for that many years--because you’re a great athlete,” Miller said. “You adjust and you can do things. He’s just got great positioning. And when Cal gets a hold of something, you’re out.”

Davis, who has hit in 28 of 29 games since the break, went two for four and gave Baltimore a 1-0 lead with an RBI double off Tony Saunders (3-11) in the first inning.

Chicago 5, Oakland 3--Robin Ventura hit a two-run homer and Jim Parque won for the first time since June 15 as the White Sox won at Chicago.

Ventura, who entered the game in a four-for-26 slump, hit his 13th homer of the season in the sixth to give Chicago a 4-3 lead and help the White Sox win for the fifth time in seven games.

Parque (3-4), winless in his six previous starts, gave up three runs and four hits in six innings. Bill Simas pitched the ninth for his 13th save.

New York 7, Minnesota 3--Hideki Irabu gave up only two hits in seven innings and the Yankees moved 56 games above .500 for the first time in 37 years with a victory over the Twins.

The Yankees are 85-29 and remain on pace to break the single-season record of 116 wins by the 1906 Chicago Cubs. New York has won five straight and improved to 43-8 at home.

The Twins were making their first visit back to Yankee Stadium since David Wells pitched a perfect game against them on May 17. Irabu hit Otis Nixon leading off, but didn’t give up a hit until Marty Cordova’s leadoff single in the fifth.

Wells is scheduled to start today against Eric Milton, who was part of the trade that brought Chuck Knoblauch to the Yankees.

The last Yankees team to go 56 games over .500 were the 1961 world champions, who finished 109-53.