Thompson Helps Tigers Turn Tables on Yankees

One week later, the New York Yankees don’t look so invincible against the Detroit Tigers.

Justin Thompson, who had the shortest outing of his career against New York last weekend, shut down the World Series champions as Detroit beat the Yankees, 8-1, Friday night at Detroit.

Thompson (1-2) allowed seven hits and one run with no walks in seven innings. “It’s good to go out and do this against a team like this,” Thompson said. “It tells you where you’re at.”

Gregg Jefferies hit a two-run homer for Detroit, swept by the Yankees in a three-game series at New York last weekend.

The Yankees have lost two in a row following a seven-game winning streak and Darryl Strawberry’s arrest on charges of cocaine possession.

A night after Roger Clemens was pounded by Baltimore, Orlando Hernandez (2-1) was hit hard, giving up eight runs, five hits, three walks and a hit batter in five innings.

It was the worst outing for Hernandez since last July, when he gave up 10 runs against the Angels.

Tampa Bay 6, Boston 2--In his first major league start of the season, Bryan Rekar made the Red Sox look like a bunch of minor leaguers at Boston.

Rekar gave up four hits in six shutout innings for the Devil Rays at Boston. Rekar retired all 21 batters he faced in his last Triple-A start, a 5-2 win for Durham on April 9.

“It’s a great feeling to get back to the majors,” said Rekar (1-0), who was recalled Thursday when Wilson Alvarez was placed on the disabled list with an inflamed left shoulder. “Being a young pitcher and not having many starts, in each start you have to go out and prove yourself.”

The Red Sox have struggled since opening the season at 6-1. They managed six hits in a 4-0 loss Thursday night to the Chicago White Sox, then avoided another shutout when Troy O’Leary hit a two-run homer off Rick White in the eighth.

Jose Canseco went two for five with three RBIs, including his 401st career homer.

Kansas City 7, Chicago 2--Jermaine Dye hit a three-run, tiebreaking homer, then made a spectacular running catch in the outfield that saved three runs for the Royals at Kansas City, Mo.

Dye hit a 3-2 pitch from Mike Sirotka (0-2) over the left-field fence for a 5-2 lead in the sixth.

In the seventh, the White Sox loaded the bases with two out and Magglio Ordonez hit a liner into the gap in right-center. Dye, on a dead run from his position in right, made a diving catch just before the ball hit the ground. Had the ball gotten past him, all three runners would have scored easily.

The temperature was 37 degrees at game time with the wind chill in the teens. While the attendance was announced at 11,326, only about 1,000 stayed until the end following a 28-minute rain delay in the fifth.

Oakland 8, Texas 2--John Jaha went four for four with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs for the Athletics at Texas.

Jason Giambi was four for five in his first multihit game of the season, driving in a run and scoring three times as part a 17-hit attack.

Tom Candiotti (1-2) made his 400th career start and gave up two runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings against a team that scored 28 runs a three-game sweep at Seattle earlier this week.

Aaron Sele (2-1), who allowed one earned run in winning his first two starts, was tagged for six runs and nine hits in four innings.

Jaha, who matched a career high for hits, doubled in Oakland’s first run in the first and then started a four-run third with his third homer of the season. Scott Spiezio’s first homer of the year made it 5-1.

Giambi had an RBI single in the fourth, and Jaha had a run-scoring single in the seventh.

Ken Macha managed the game for Oakland in place of Art Howe, who left the club to attend his father’s funeral in Pittsburgh.

Minnesota at Cleveland, ppd., rain--The Indians were rained out for the second consecutive night. The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader today.