Arrojo Stylishly Stops Streak

All Rolando Arrojo wanted to do was stop Tampa Bay’s six-game losing streak. He wound up with his first complete game and the first ever for the Devil Rays.

“I felt that I was going to be the guy to start the winning again,” Arrojo said after Thursday’s 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Minneapolis.

Arrojo (3-2) threw only 106 pitches in his sixth start, facing three batters over the minimum.

Arrojo, a 29-year-old right-hander who defected from Cuba, struck out five and walked two. He was rarely in trouble, allowing more than one runner on base only once when the Twins had two on with two out in the fourth inning.

When Paul Molitor came to the plate in the ninth inning as the tying run, Arrojo got him to hit into a double play to end the game.

“I’ve never seen anybody who does as many different things that he does on the mound,” catcher John Flaherty said. “He does a good job keeping the hitters off-balance. If Todd Walker hadn’t been playing, things might have gotten interesting.”

The only hits Arrojo gave up were by Walker, who had a double and two singles to raise his average to a team-leading .373.

Oakland 5, Cleveland 2--Rookie Ben Grieve, coming off the first five-hit game of his career, hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning that sent the Athletics over the Indians at Cleveland.

The A’s swept the two-game series and extended their winning streak to five. Cleveland lost for the 10th time in 14 games.

Grieve hit a towering shot to right field off Paul Assenmacher for his second homer.

New York 9, Seattle 8--Tino Martinez singled home the winning run in the 10th inning at New York.

Ken Griffey Jr. homered twice and Alex Rodriguez connected for the Mariners, who have lost four of five. Griffey has 11 homers, tying him for the major league lead.

Chuck Knoblauch, whose costly error helped the Mariners score four runs in the eighth, was hit on the left elbow by Bobby Ayala (0-2) to open the 10th. Derek Jeter attempted to sacrifice and laid down a two-strike bunt that Ayala fielded but then threw in the dirt at first.

Paul O’Neill singled for his fourth hit before Martinez ripped a pitch down the right-field line, giving the Yankees their 16th win in 18 games.

Detroit 7, Texas 2--Brian Moehler pitched a six-hitter and Damion Easley drove in four runs at Detroit as the Tigers ended Texas’ five-game winning streak.

Moehler struck out six and walked two. Five of the hits came in the second when Will Clark hit a solo homer, his fourth.

Kansas City 7, Toronto 4--Hal Morris had two hits and drove in three runs for the Royals at Toronto.

Morris went two for five with a double and single to improve to 14 for 22 (.636) against Toronto this season.