AL Day 14: Blyleven Wins Third

Bert Blyleven

Indians 3, Red Sox 2
Bert Blyleven allowed a run for the first time this season, but went the distance to make himself a perfect 3-for-3 in finishing his starts. Blyleven also picked up the win, improving to 3-0 on the season with a 0.67 ERA. Spotted an early 3-0 lead, Blyleven and the Indians ran into trouble at several points but managed to escape every time. The Red Sox loaded the bases in the 2nd with none out only to line out and then ground into a double play. 4 straight 2-out singles in the 6th yielded two runs, but Rich Gedman flew out to right to end the rally. In the 8th, Jim Rice led off with a double but Tony Armas flew out to center and Bly then fanned Mike Easler and Bill Buckner.

Angels 7, Twins 1
California closed to within a half game of Oakland in the West behind a 4-homer game in Minnesota. Bobby Grich homered twice (2), Reggie Jackson went deep (2) and Fred Lynn did as well (3). In bad news for the Angels, Lynn went down with a 3-game injury. He’s leading the team right now with a .268 – 3 HR – 8 RBI season over 10 games. On the mound, Ron Romanick (W 2-1) went the distance, allowing just a solo homer to Tom Brunansky (4).

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 5
Dave Stieb picked up his first win, though not with his best effort. Stieb went 6 innings, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits. Lloyd Moseby’s 2-run homer in the top of the 7th inning gave Toronto a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the O’s loaded the bases against Stieb with one out. Toronto turned to Roy Lee Jackson who struck out the next two men he faced. He then tossed a perfect 8th and Jimmy Key a perfect 9th for the save.

Royals 5, Yankees 2 (10 innings)
George Brett was the man of the day for Kansas City, leading the team in an extra-inning win in New York. Trailing 2-0 in the 6th inning, Hal McRae singled and Brett homered to tie it up. In the 10th, Willie Wilson led off with a single, McRae singled and Brett homered again. 2 HR, 5 RBI. Nice day!

Rangers 3, Mariners 0
Frank Tanana tossed a 3-hitter, improving to 2-1 for Texas. Mark Langston had 7 strikeouts in the loss. The Rangers got all their runs in the 6th inning, sending 8 men to the plate. Wright had a 2-RBI single with the bases loaded to break a scoreless tie.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Toronto Blue Jays         7    3  .700   -    W 2
Cleveland Indians         7    5  .583   1    W 1
Detroit Tigers            5    5  .500   2    W 2
Boston Red Sox            5    5  .500   2    L 1
Milwaukee Brewers         4    5  .444   2.5  W 1
Baltimore Orioles         4    6  .400   3    L 1
New York Yankees          4    6  .400   3    L 1

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Oakland Athletics         7    4  .636   -    L 1
California Angels         6    4  .600   0.5  W 2
Kansas City Royals        5    5  .500   1.5  W 1
Texas Rangers             5    5  .500   1.5  W 1
Chicago White Sox         4    5  .444   2    L 4
Minnesota Twins           5    7  .417   2.5  L 2
Seattle Mariners          3    6  .333   3    L 3

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Eddie Murray                  Scott McGregor           
     .333, 5 RBI                   1-0, 0.60               
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bruce Hurst              
     .359, 5 HR, 10 RBI            2-1, 4.87, 8 K          
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Mike Witt                
     .268, 3 HR, 8 RBI             2-0, 2.88, 17 K         
CHW  Greg Walker                   LaMarr Hoyt              
     .286, 1 HR                    2-1, 0.67, 15 K         
CLE  Julio Franco                  Bert Blyleven            
     .358, 10 RBI, 3 SB            3-0, 0.67               
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .463, 7 RBI, 4 SB             3-0, 1.21, 10 K         
KCR  Steve Balboni                 Joe Beckwith             
     .286, 4 HR, 7 RBI             1-0, 0.90               
MIL  Robin Yount                   Bob McClure              
     .259, 1 HR, 1 SB              1-0, 3.00               
MIN  Tom Brunansky                 John Butcher             
     .396, 4 HR, 9 RBI             2-1, 1.93               
NYY  Willie Randolph               Phil Niekro              
     .342                          2-1, 3.57, 11 K         
OAK  Rickey Henderson              Keith Atherton           
     .341, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 7 SB      2-0, 1.80               
SEA  Spike Owen                    Jim Beattie              
     .333, 1 SB                    1-1, 1.04, 9 K          
TEX  Larry Parrish                 Frank Tanana             
     .324, 4 HR, 9 RBI             2-1, 2.88, 23 K         
TOR  George Bell                   Doyle Alexander          
     .300, 3 HR, 6 RBI             2-0, 1.50, 8 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Trammell, Alan (DET)           .463
 2. Bergman, Dave (DET)            .414
 3. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)           .396
 4. Easler, Mike (BOS)             .359
 5. Franco, Julio (CLE)            .358
 6. O'Brien, Pete (TEX)            .355
 7. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)           .349
 8. Lansford, Carney (OAK)         .348
 9. Randolph, Willie (NYY)         .342
10. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)        .341
    Phillips, Tony (OAK)           .341

HOME RUNS
 1. Easler, Mike (BOS)                5
 2. Balboni, Steve (KCR)              4
    Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              4
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)              4
    Upshaw, Willie (TOR)              4

RUNS BATTED IN
 1. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)          11
 2. Easler, Mike (BOS)               10
    Franco, Julio (CLE)              10
 4. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 9
    Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              9
    Evans, Dwight (BOS)               9
    Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              9
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)              9

STOLEN BASES
 1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)             11
 2. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           7
 3. Pettis, Gary (CAL)                5

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.60
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.60
 3. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.67
    Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             0.67
 5. Beckwith, Joe (KCR)            0.90
 6. Beattie, Jim (SEA)             1.04
 7. Petry, Dan (DET)               1.21
 8. Gubicza, Mark (KCR)            1.38
 9. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)         1.50
    Burris, Ray (OAK)              1.50

WINS-LOSSES
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            3-0
    Petry, Dan (DET)                3-0
 3. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          2-0
    Atherton, Keith (OAK)           2-0
    Huismann, Mark (KCR)            2-0
    Schrom, Ken (MIN)               2-0
    Witt, Mike (CAL)                2-0

STRIKEOUTS
 1. Langston, Mark (SEA)             24
 2. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              23
 3. Stieb, Dave (TOR)                19
 4. Ojeda, Bob (BOS)                 18
 5. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                17
    Witt, Mike (CAL)                 17

SAVES
 1. Caudill, Bill (OAK)               3
 2. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              2
    Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2
    Martinez, Tippy (BAL)             2
    Quisenberry, Dan (KCR)            2


SCHEDULE
========

CLE   7-5   Comer, S             (1-1, 5.40)
BOS   5-5   Nipper, A            (1-0, 2.25)

CAL   6-4   Zahn, G              (1-0, 0.00)
MIN   5-7   Smithson, M          (1-1, 3.57)

TOR   7-3   Alexander, D         (2-0, 1.50)
BAL   4-6   Davis, S             (1-0, 3.09)

MIL   4-5   Caldwell, M          (1-0, 4.50)
OAK   7-4   Burris, R            (1-0, 1.50)

KCR   5-5   Saberhagen, B        (0-0, 3.86)
NYY   4-6   Bystrom, M           (0-1, 3.86)

CHW   4-5   Seaver, T            (1-1, 4.86)
DET   5-5   Berenguer, J         (0-1, 1.69)

TEX   5-5   Darwin, D            (0-1, 6.75)
SEA   3-6   Moore, M             (1-1, 5.40)

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AL Day 13: Angels Avoid Sweep in Oakland

Gary Pettis

Angels 9, Athletics 8 (10 innings)
With a 7-3 lead headed into the bottom of the 8th inning and Mike Witt on the mound, things looked like a sure thing for California. But things didn’t turn out as expected. Witt loaded the bases to start the inning and the Halos went to Luis Sanchez to try and close it out. Sanchez had blown a save in the first game of the series and the hope was that he could turn things around. It didn’t go well. Sanchez allowed a 2-run double to Tony Phillips and then a 2-run homer to Rickey Henderson. Game tied. Thankfully for the Angels, in the 10th inning Bob Boone led off with a walk, moved up a base on a Rob Picciolo sacrifice, and then scored on a Gary Pettis base hit. Bruce Kison made his first appearance of the season for California, throwing a perfect inning for the save. Pettis, who had been off to a rough start, reached base four times and had a pair of stolen bases, improving to a .172 batting average with a .314 on base percentage. The Athletics’ Dwayne Murphy came up with an injury for the second time already this season and will miss a pair of games. He’s hitting .308 with a pair of homers and 9 RBI this year. Jeff Burroughs replaced him in the outfield, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts; he’s now 0-for-10 with 5 whiffs.

Tigers 15, Indians 0
Well that was impressive. Dan Petry becomes the first American League pitcher to rack up three wins, improving to 3-0 behind a 8-hit shutout of Cleveland. Detroit amassed 18 hits, including the first homers of the year for Alan Trammell, Dave Bergman and Ruppert Jones. Trammell finished 4-for-5 and is hitting .463 on the season. For Cleveland, Neal Heaton (L 1-1) took the loss and has a 9.39 ERA across three starts. Starting catcher Jerry Willard was to have the day off but instead threw 1.1 innings of relief, allowing a solo homer to Trammell. With 5.5 runs per game, Detroit has the top offense in the AL. Their 3.5 runs allowed per game are 3rd best in the AL. Yet even with those numbers together, they are now just 5-5, 4th place in the AL East and 1.5 games behind the Jays. It’s still fairly early in the project here, so it will be interesting to see if these run totals continue and their record starts to improve. Meanwhile, the Tribe is 6-5 but has a negative run differential. Go figure.

Red Sox 4, White Sox 3
Boston and Chicago engage in another close battle, with LaMarr Hoyt continuing to throw unpredictable great games. Hoyt led the AL in 1984 with 18 losses and had a bloated 4.47 ERA. But in this project, after 3 starts, he has a 0.67 ERA, completing all 3 of those games. He takes his first loss in this one, with Bruce Hurst also going the distance to pick up the Boston win. Carlton Fisk homered in his first two at bats for Chicago, having entered the game 1-for-17. Boston scored 3 unearned runs in the 3rd inning to move ahead 3-1. In the 9th, tied up 3-3, Mike Easler tripled to lead off, then scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Bill Buckner. Scott Fletcher led off the Chicago 9th with a base hit, moving up to 2nd on a sacrifice. But Rudy Law and Fisk each flew out to Rice in left, ending the game. Boston improved to 5-4, moving into 2nd place in the East and 1 back of the Jays. Chicago drops their 4th straight and falls below .500 to 4-5.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Toronto Blue Jays         6    3  .667   -    W 1
Boston Red Sox            5    4  .556   1    W 2
Cleveland Indians         6    5  .545   1    L 2
Detroit Tigers            5    5  .500   1.5  W 2
Milwaukee Brewers         4    5  .444   2    W 1
Baltimore Orioles         4    5  .444   2    W 1
New York Yankees          4    5  .444   2    W 3

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Oakland Athletics         7    4  .636   -    L 1
California Angels         5    4  .556   1    W 1
Minnesota Twins           5    6  .455   2    L 1
Chicago White Sox         4    5  .444   2    L 4
Kansas City Royals        4    5  .444   2    L 1
Texas Rangers             4    5  .444   2    L 1
Seattle Mariners          3    5  .375   2.5  L 2

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Eddie Murray                  Scott McGregor           
     .324, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 0.60               
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bob Ojeda                
     .343, 5 HR, 9 RBI             1-1, 1.80, 13 K         
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Mike Witt                
     .250, 2 HR, 6 RBI             2-0, 2.88, 17 K         
CHW  Vance Law                     LaMarr Hoyt              
     .267, 2 HR, 7 RBI             2-1, 0.67, 15 K         
CLE  Brett Butler                  Bert Blyleven            
     .292, 3 SB                    2-0, 0.00               
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .463, 7 RBI, 4 SB             3-0, 1.21, 10 K         
KCR  Steve Balboni                 Mark Gubicza             
     .286, 4 HR, 7 RBI             1-0, 1.38               
MIL  Mark Brouhard                 Rollie Fingers           
     .600, 1 HR                    2 Sv, 0.00, 7 K         
MIN  Tom Brunansky                 John Butcher             
     .386, 3 HR, 8 RBI             2-1, 1.93, 9 K          
NYY  Willie Randolph               Phil Niekro              
     .303                          2-1, 3.57, 11 K         
OAK  Carney Lansford               Keith Atherton           
     .348, 5 RBI                   2-0, 1.80               
SEA  Ken Phelps                    Jim Beattie              
     .211, 3 HR, 5 RBI             1-1, 1.04, 9 K          
TEX  Pete O'Brien                  Mike Mason               
     .345, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 2.00               
TOR  Damaso Garcia                 Doyle Alexander          
     .342, 1 HR, 9 SB              2-0, 1.50, 8 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Trammell, Alan (DET)           .463
 2. Bergman, Dave (DET)            .414
 3. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)           .386
 4. Parrish, Larry (TEX)           .353
 5. Lansford, Carney (OAK)         .348
 6. O'Brien, Pete (TEX)            .345
 7. Owen, Spike (SEA)              .344
 8. Easler, Mike (BOS)             .343
 9. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)           .342
10. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)        .341
    Phillips, Tony (OAK)           .341

HOME RUNS
 1. Easler, Mike (BOS)                5
 2. Balboni, Steve (KCR)              4
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)              4
    Upshaw, Willie (TOR)              4
 5. Bell, George (TOR)                3
    Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              3
    Evans, Dwight (BOS)               3
    Hrbek, Kent (MIN)                 3
    Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 3

RUNS BATTED IN
 1. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)          11
 2. Franco, Julio (CLE)              10
 3. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 9
    Easler, Mike (BOS)                9
    Evans, Dwight (BOS)               9
    Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              9
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)              9

STOLEN BASES
 1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)              9
 2. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           7
 3. Pettis, Gary (CAL)                5

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.00
    Zahn, Geoff (CAL)              0.00
 3. Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.60
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.60
 5. Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             0.67
 6. Beattie, Jim (SEA)             1.04
 7. Petry, Dan (DET)               1.21
 8. Gubicza, Mark (KCR)            1.38
 9. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)         1.50
    Burris, Ray (OAK)              1.50

WINS-LOSSES
 1. Petry, Dan (DET)                3-0
 2. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          2-0
    Atherton, Keith (OAK)           2-0
    Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            2-0
    Huismann, Mark (KCR)            2-0
    Schrom, Ken (MIN)               2-0
    Witt, Mike (CAL)                2-0

STRIKEOUTS
 1. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              19
 2. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                17
    Langston, Mark (SEA)             17
    Witt, Mike (CAL)                 17
 5. Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)               15
    Stieb, Dave (TOR)                15

SAVES
 1. Caudill, Bill (OAK)               3
 2. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              2
    Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2
    Martinez, Tippy (BAL)             2
    Quisenberry, Dan (KCR)            2


SCHEDULE
========

CLE   6-5   Blyleven, B          (2-0, 0.00)
BOS   5-4   Ojeda, B             (1-1, 1.80)

CAL   5-4   Romanick, R          (1-1, 2.25)
MIN   5-6   Viola, F             (0-0, 4.82)

TOR   6-3   Stieb, D             (0-1, 3.21)
BAL   4-5   Flanagan, M          (0-2, 6.00)

KCR   4-5   Leibrandt, C         (0-1, 3.18)
NYY   4-5   Rasmussen, D         (0-0, 4.50)

TEX   4-5   Tanana, F            (1-1, 4.50)
SEA   3-5   Langston, M          (0-2, 6.75)

AL Day 12: A’s Win Streak Continues

Curt Young

Athletics 3, Angels 2
Oakland won its 5th straight game with Curt Young going the distance for the win. Young allowed 6 runs in 2.1 innings of work in his first start of the year, but facing an anemic California lineup helped things out quite a bit. Both Angels runs scored on a Reggie Jackson double and both were unearned. Young retired 10 straight to end the game. Rickey Henderson, back from injury, led off the Oakland 1st with a base hit, stole second (naturally) and then scored on an RBI double by Dwayne Murphy. In the 2nd, Henderson doubled in a run to give Oakland a 3-0 lead.  The Halos, dead last with just 2.9 runs scored per game, turn to Mike Witt (2-0, 1.00) to try and pick up a win in Oakland and stop the streak.

Blue Jays 6, Rangers 5
Toronto’s scratched-out win put them back atop the AL East at 6-3. The Jays took a 6-3 lead into the 9th inning with Roy Lee Jackson attempting to notch the 1st Toronto save of the season. But Ward tripled and Buddy Bell connected for his 1st homer of the year to make it a 1-run game. After Larry Parrish doubled to put the tying run into scoring position, Toronto turned to Dennis Lamp who got O’Brien on a liner to Damaso Garcia at second, Ned Yost on a pop out to Alfredo Griffin to short, and Scott on a fly out to Lloyd Moseby in center. Garcia had two more stolen bases to give him a league-best 9 on the year while Larry Parrish hit his 4th homer for Texas.

Tigers 3, Indians 2
It looked as though the Bengals would cough another one up, but they managed to eke out a 9th inning victory against Cleveland. Jack Morris took a 2-0 lead into the 6th inning, only to allow an RBI single to Mel Hall in the 6th and another to Julio Franco in the 8th, tying the game. In the bottom of the 9th with the Tribe having only one rested reliever and needing to use Leroy Smith, Lance Parrish led off with a walk, Dave Bergman singled, Larry Herndon walked to load the bases, and Howard Johnson pushed Parrish across with a walk-off single into the gap in right-center. It’s been a rough start for Detroit, who are just 4-5 now. Meanwhile, the Tribe is 6-4, falling a half game back of Toronto in the East.

Orioles 4, Twins 2
Scott McGregor went 6 innings, allowing one run to witness his ERA rise to 0.60 for the O’s, leaving the trailing 1-0 to Minnesota and starting pitcher John Butcher, who entered the game with a 2-0 mark on the season. Baltimore trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th before staging a rally. Todd Cruz led off reaching on a two-base error by Butcher. With one out, Mike Young doubled to tie the game and then scored on an RBI single by Cal Ripken. Tippy Martinez tossed a 1-2-3 9th inning against the bottom of the Minnesota order for his 2nd save.

Red Sox 6, White Sox 5 (10 innings)
Rich Gedman hit a solo homer in the 10th inning to give Boston an extra inning win over Chicago. Richard Dotson went all 10 innings for Chicago, allowing four Boston homers, including Mike Easler’s 5th. Easler is hitting .290 with 9 RBI in 8 games for Boston.

Brewers 4, Royals 2
Milwaukee ended the Kansas City winning streak behind Jamie Cocanower (W 1-1) and his 7.2 innings of work. Bud Black fell to 0-3 for the Royals, with a 5.14 ERA that doesn’t look really good. Black went 7 innings and allowed 7 hits. Unfortunately, he allowed 7 base runners in the span of two innings, allowing the Brew Crew to put a few runs on the board. In the bottom of the 4th, trailing 1-0, Milwaukee’s Ben Oglivie singled and moved to second on a Pat Sheridan error in right. Ted Simmons doubled Oglivie in, and then scored on a Jim Sundberg triple to put Milwaukee ahead 2-1. The lead became 3-1 when Sundberg scored on a sac fly to center. After Rollie Fingers was pushed for multiple innings out of the pen in the last game, Milwaukee turned to Tom Tellmann for the save in this one, and he came through by retiring all 4 batters he faced. Tellmann has a 1.08 ERA in 5 appearances out of the pen thus far.

Yankees 8, Mariners 5
Another win for the Yankees – their 3rd in a row. Dave Winfield clubbed his first tater for the Bronx Bombers, while Steve Kemp (.538) kept hitting in his limited playing time, going 5-for-5 with his first homer of the season. Phil Niekro improved to 2-1 on the season, going 6.2 innings for the win. Dave Righetti threw a perfect 9th for his first save. New York started off ice cold, but is now a win away from improving to .500 on the season.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Toronto Blue Jays         6    3  .667   -    W 1
Cleveland Indians         6    4  .600   0.5  L 1
Boston Red Sox            4    4  .500   1.5  W 1
Milwaukee Brewers         4    5  .444   2    W 1
Baltimore Orioles         4    5  .444   2    W 1
Detroit Tigers            4    5  .444   2    W 1
New York Yankees          4    5  .444   2    W 3

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Oakland Athletics         7    3  .700   -    W 5
Chicago White Sox         4    4  .500   2    L 3
California Angels         4    4  .500   2    L 2
Minnesota Twins           5    6  .455   2.5  L 1
Kansas City Royals        4    5  .444   2.5  L 1
Texas Rangers             4    5  .444   2.5  L 1
Seattle Mariners          3    5  .375   3    L 2

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Eddie Murray                  Scott McGregor           
     .324, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 0.60               
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bob Ojeda                
     .290, 5 HR, 9 RBI             1-1, 1.80, 13 K         
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Mike Witt                
     .300, 2 HR, 6 RBI             2-0, 1.00, 10 K         
CHW  Vance Law                     LaMarr Hoyt              
     .296, 2 HR, 7 RBI             2-0, 0.50, 10 K         
CLE  Julio Franco                  Bert Blyleven            
     .348, 10 RBI, 3 SB            2-0, 0.00               
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .417, 6 RBI, 4 SB             2-0, 2.03               
KCR  Steve Balboni                 Mark Gubicza             
     .286, 4 HR, 7 RBI             1-0, 1.38               
MIL  Rick Manning                  Rollie Fingers           
     .280, 1 HR                    2 Sv, 0.00, 7 K         
MIN  Kent Hrbek                    John Butcher             
     .250, 3 HR, 5 RBI             2-1, 1.93, 9 K          
NYY  Willie Randolph               Phil Niekro              
     .303                          2-1, 3.57, 11 K         
OAK  Rickey Henderson              Bill Caudill             
     .342, 9 RBI, 7 SB             1-0, 3 Sv, 2.35, 8 K    
SEA  Ken Phelps                    Jim Beattie              
     .211, 3 HR, 5 RBI             1-1, 1.04, 9 K          
TEX  Larry Parrish                 Mike Mason               
     .353, 4 HR, 9 RBI             1-0, 2.00               
TOR  Damaso Garcia                 Doyle Alexander          
     .342, 1 HR, 9 SB              2-0, 1.50, 8 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Trammell, Alan (DET)           .417
 2. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)           .386
 3. Parrish, Larry (TEX)           .353
 4. Franco, Julio (CLE)            .348
 5. O'Brien, Pete (TEX)            .345
 6. Owen, Spike (SEA)              .344
 7. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)           .342
    Henderson, Rickey (OAK)        .342
 9. Lansford, Carney (OAK)         .341
10. Bell, Buddy (TEX)              .333
    Walker, Greg (CHW)             .333
    Young, Mike (BAL)              .333

HOME RUNS
 1. Easler, Mike (BOS)                5
 2. Balboni, Steve (KCR)              4
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)              4
    Upshaw, Willie (TOR)              4
 5. Bell, George (TOR)                3
    Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              3
    Evans, Dwight (BOS)               3
    Hrbek, Kent (MIN)                 3
    Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 3

RUNS BATTED IN
 1. Franco, Julio (CLE)              10
 2. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 9
    Easler, Mike (BOS)                9
    Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           9
    Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              9
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)              9

STOLEN BASES
 1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)              9
 2. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           7
 3. Trammell, Alan (DET)              4

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.00
    Zahn, Geoff (CAL)              0.00
 3. Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             0.50
 4. Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.60
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.60
 6. Witt, Mike (CAL)               1.00
 7. Beattie, Jim (SEA)             1.04
 8. Gubicza, Mark (KCR)            1.38
 9. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)         1.50
    Burris, Ray (OAK)              1.50

WINS-LOSSES
 1. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          2-0
    Atherton, Keith (OAK)           2-0
    Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            2-0
    Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)              2-0
    Huismann, Mark (KCR)            2-0
    Petry, Dan (DET)                2-0
    Schrom, Ken (MIN)               2-0
    Witt, Mike (CAL)                2-0

STRIKEOUTS
 1. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              19
 2. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                17
    Langston, Mark (SEA)             17
 4. Stieb, Dave (TOR)                15
 5. Morris, Jack (DET)               14

SAVES
 1. Caudill, Bill (OAK)               3
 2. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              2
    Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2
    Martinez, Tippy (BAL)             2
    Quisenberry, Dan (KCR)            2


SCHEDULE
========

CAL   4-4   Witt, M              (2-0, 1.00)
OAK   7-3   McCatty, S           (0-1, 10.80)

CLE   6-4   Heaton, N            (1-0, 3.75)
DET   4-5   Petry, D             (2-0, 2.03)

BOS   4-4   Hurst, B             (1-1, 6.35)
CHW   4-4   Hoyt, L              (2-0, 0.50)

AL Day 11: A’s, Indians Comebacks

Luis Sanchez

Athletics 7, Angels 6
The Oakland Athletics won their 4th straight game, coming back to defeat the California Angels in the bottom of the 9th inning and take 1st place away from them in the AL West. Angels closer Luis Sanchez had his first save opportunity of the season, bringing a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 9th to face the top of the Oakland order. But Tony Phillips led off with a triple and scored on a Dwayne Murphy double to tie the game up. With two outs, Bruce Bochte singled and Murphy was safe by a mile on a throw home. Oakland is off to a 6-3 start, leading the AL West.

Indians 4, Tigers 3 (12 innings)
Also coming back to move into 1st place were the Cleveland Indians, who were winners in 12 innings in Detroit as things continue to start poorly for the much-ballyhooed Tigers. Detroit took a 3-1 lead into the 9th with closer Willie Hernandez on the mound. With one out, however, Brooks Jacoby singled and backup catcher Jerry Willard homered, tying the game up. In the top of the 12th, with two outs and the bases loaded, Pat Tabler drew a bases-loaded walk, pushing Brett Butler across the plate. Ernie Camacho then tossed a perfect inning to finish the game off, giving him 5 shutout innings out of the pen. In 9 innings of work this season, Camacho is still sporting a 0.00 ERA.

Rangers 3, Blue Jays 2
Mike Mason made his first start of the year and almost picked up a shutout for the Rangers, who carried a 3-0 lead into the 9th only to have Willie Upshaw’s two-run homer spoil things. No matter. Mason retired the next three in order to finish the game off. Luis Leal (L 1-1) went 6 innings for Toronto, allowing a solo homer to Larry Parrish.

Twins 6, Orioles 3
Ken Schrom improved to 2-0 for Minnesota, going 8 innings for the win and setting up hard-throwing Ron Davis for his first save of the year for the 5-5 Twins. Tim Teufel had three hits for Minnesota, while Ken Hrbek (3rd) and Randy Bush (2nd) each homered.

Royals 7, Brewers 6
The A’s aren’t the only hot team in the West. Check out Kansas City winning their 3rd straight game. It wasn’t easy, as the Royals took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the 9th, minus star second baseman Frank White who was injured early in the contest. Dan Quisenberry came on, putting two men on with one out before Jim Ganter singled in a pair of runs to make it a 1-run game. Quiz kept the ball down to the next man up, however, getting Robin Yount to ground into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play around the horn. 2nd save on the season for Quiz. And 4th time Yount has grounded into a twin killing – tied for tops in the league.

Yankees 2, Mariners 1
A tidy game that was put on between a pair of last-place teams. Ray Fontenot (W 1-1) went all 9 for New York, allowing 1 run on 3 hits to pick up the win. Jim Beattie (L 1-1) took the loss for Seattle, going 8.1 innings and allowing one earned run when his one-out walk to Dave Winfield turned into a game-ending score.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Cleveland Indians         6    3  .667   -    W 1
Toronto Blue Jays         5    3  .625   0.5  L 1
Boston Red Sox            3    4  .429   2    L 2
Baltimore Orioles         3    5  .375   2.5  L 1
Detroit Tigers            3    5  .375   2.5  L 2
Milwaukee Brewers         3    5  .375   2.5  L 3
New York Yankees          3    5  .375   2.5  W 2

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Oakland Athletics         6    3  .667   -    W 4
California Angels         4    3  .571   1    L 1
Chicago White Sox         4    3  .571   1    L 2
Minnesota Twins           5    5  .500   1.5  W 1
Kansas City Royals        4    4  .500   1.5  W 3
Texas Rangers             4    4  .500   1.5  W 1
Seattle Mariners          3    4  .429   2    L 1

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Cal Ripken                    Scott McGregor           
     .241, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 0.00               
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bob Ojeda                
     .296, 4 HR, 6 RBI             1-1, 1.80, 13 K         
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Mike Witt                
     .296, 2 HR, 6 RBI             2-0, 1.00, 10 K         
CHW  Greg Walker                   LaMarr Hoyt              
     .421, 1 HR, 3 RBI             2-0, 0.50, 10 K         
CLE  Brett Butler                  Bert Blyleven            
     .300, 4 RBI, 3 SB             2-0, 0.00               
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .455, 6 RBI, 4 SB             2-0, 2.03               
KCR  Steve Balboni                 Joe Beckwith             
     .250, 3 HR, 6 RBI             1-0, 1.17, 7 K          
MIL  Mark Brouhard                 Rollie Fingers           
     .600, 1 HR                    2 Sv, 0.00, 7 K         
MIN  Tom Brunansky                 John Butcher             
     .350, 3 HR, 7 RBI             2-0, 1.69               
NYY  Don Baylor                    Ray Fontenot             
     .281, 2 HR                    1-1, 2.51, 7 K          
OAK  Dwayne Murphy                 Bill Caudill             
     .278, 2 HR, 8 RBI             1-0, 3 Sv, 2.35, 8 K    
SEA  Ken Phelps                    Jim Beattie              
     .211, 3 HR, 5 RBI             1-1, 1.04, 9 K          
TEX  Pete O'Brien                  Mike Mason               
     .320, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 2.00               
TOR  George Bell                   Doyle Alexander          
     .364, 3 HR, 6 RBI             2-0, 1.50, 8 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Trammell, Alan (DET)           .455
 2. James, Dion (MIL)              .409
 3. Bell, George (TOR)             .364
 4. Davis, Mike (OAK)              .360
 5. Franco, Julio (CLE)            .357
 6. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)           .350
 7. Armas, Tony (BOS)              .346
 8. Owen, Spike (SEA)              .345
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)           .345
10. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)        .333
    Randolph, Willie (NYY)         .333

HOME RUNS
1. Easler, Mike (BOS)                4
2. Balboni, Steve (KCR)              3
   Bell, George (TOR)                3
   Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              3
   Hrbek, Kent (MIN)                 3
   Parrish, Larry (TEX)              3
   Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 3
   Upshaw, Willie (TOR)              3

RUNS BATTED IN
1. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 9
   Franco, Julio (CLE)               9
3. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           8
   Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              8
   Parrish, Larry (TEX)              8

STOLEN BASES
1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)              7
2. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           6
3. Trammell, Alan (DET)              4

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.00
    Boddicker, Mike (BAL)          0.00
    Camacho, Ernie (CLE)           0.00
    Clemens, Roger (BOS)           0.00
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.00
    Zahn, Geoff (CAL)              0.00
 7. Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             0.50
 8. Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.60
 9. Witt, Mike (CAL)               1.00
10. Beattie, Jim (SEA)             1.04

WINS-LOSSES
1. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          2-0
   Atherton, Keith (OAK)           2-0
   Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            2-0
   Butcher, John (MIN)             2-0
   Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)              2-0
   Huismann, Mark (KCR)            2-0
   Petry, Dan (DET)                2-0
   Schrom, Ken (MIN)               2-0
   Witt, Mike (CAL)                2-0

STRIKEOUTS
1. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              19
2. Langston, Mark (SEA)             17
3. Stieb, Dave (TOR)                15
4. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                13
   Ojeda, Bob (BOS)                 13
   Seaver, Tom (CHW)                13

SAVES
1. Caudill, Bill (OAK)               3
2. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              2
   Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2
   Quisenberry, Dan (KCR)            2


SCHEDULE
========

CAL   4-3   John, T              (0-1, 1.50)
OAK   6-3   Young, C             (0-1, 23.14)

CLE   6-3   Schulze, D           (0-0, 5.40)
DET   3-5   Morris, J            (1-1, 5.79)

TEX   4-4   Hough, C             (1-1, 6.60)
TOR   5-3   Clancy, J            (1-1, 5.87)

MIN   5-5   Butcher, J           (2-0, 1.69)
BAL   3-5   McGregor, S          (1-0, 0.00)

KCR   4-4   Black, B             (0-2, 5.14)
MIL   3-5   Cocanower, J         (0-1, 6.00)

BOS   3-4   Boyd, O              (0-1, 4.26)
CHW   4-3   Dotson, R            (0-0, 5.87)

SEA   3-4   Vande Berg, E        (NR)
NYY   3-5   Niekro, P            (1-1, 3.38)

AL Day 10: Clemens Debuts

Roger Clemens

Angels 3, Red Sox 2
Roger Clemens made his debut for the Boston Red Sox, engaging in a pitcher’s duel with the Halos’ Ron Romanick. Clemens (L 0-1) took the loss, but went 7 innings, allowing a pair of unearned runs while striking out 6. Romanick (W 1-1) took a shutout into the 9th but that was erased when Mike Easler hit his league-best 4th homer of the season for Boston. Romanick closed the game out, striking out Bill Buckner and getting Rich Gedman on a deep fly ball to right. In 6 games, California’s starting pitcher has gone the distance 4 times. They have a team ERA of 1.17 thus far.

Athletics 6, Brewers 4
Oakland won its third straight game to keep pace with California in the West.  Bill Krueger (W 1-0) went 5+ innings for the win, with Keith Atherton and Bill Caudill  (S 3) each going two innings to close it out.  Bill Almon had three singles filling in at catcher for Oakland while Jim Gantner did the same for Milwaukee.  The A’s lost Rickey Henderson to an injury in the 8th inning; he’ll miss their next game.

Royals 5, Twins 1
K.C. won their second straight game to move within a game of .500 on the season. Mark Gubicza threw 6 solid innings, but left trailing 1-0. The Royals scored all 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th, tying it on Steve Balboni’s 3rd homer of the season and then moving ahead on a Don Slaught double.  Frank White poked his 2nd tater of the year, capping off the big inning. Dan Quisenberry threw 2 solid innings to finish the game in a non-save situation.

Yankees 8, Indians 2
New York snapped a five-game losing streak and also kicked the Tribe out of the top spot in the East. Don Baylor reached base three times and connected for this second homer of the season while Toby Harrah had a double and two singles. Ron Guidry (W 1-1) went the distance for the Bronx Bombers, dropping his ERA to 2.70 while striking out eight Indians.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Toronto Blue Jays         5    2  .714   -    W 2
Cleveland Indians         5    3  .625   0.5  L 1
Baltimore Orioles         3    4  .429   2    W 1
Boston Red Sox            3    4  .429   2    L 2
Detroit Tigers            3    4  .429   2    L 1
Milwaukee Brewers         3    4  .429   2    L 2
New York Yankees          2    5  .286   3    W 1

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
California Angels         4    2  .667   -    W 3
Oakland Athletics         5    3  .625   -    W 3
Chicago White Sox         4    3  .571   0.5  L 2
Seattle Mariners          3    3  .500   1    W 1
Minnesota Twins           4    5  .444   1.5  L 2
Kansas City Royals        3    4  .429   1.5  W 2
Texas Rangers             3    4  .429   1.5  L 1

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Cal Ripken                    Scott McGregor           
     .208, 1 HR, 4 RBI             1-0, 0.00               
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bob Ojeda                
     .296, 4 HR, 6 RBI             1-1, 1.80, 13 K         
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Mike Witt                
     .227, 1 HR, 5 RBI             2-0, 1.00, 10 K         
CHW  Greg Walker                   LaMarr Hoyt              
     .421, 1 HR, 3 RBI             2-0, 0.50, 10 K         
CLE  Julio Franco                  Bert Blyleven            
     .378, 8 RBI, 3 SB             2-0, 0.00               
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .556, 6 RBI, 4 SB             2-0, 2.03, 6 K          
KCR  Steve Balboni                 Mark Huismann            
     .250, 3 HR, 6 RBI             2-0, 8.53               
MIL  Dion James                    Rollie Fingers           
     .409                          2 Sv, 0.00, 7 K         
MIN  Tom Brunansky                 John Butcher             
     .324, 3 HR, 7 RBI             2-0, 1.69, 7 K          
NYY  Don Baylor                    Phil Niekro              
     .286, 2 HR, 3 RBI             1-1, 3.38, 8 K          
OAK  Rickey Henderson              Ray Burris               
     .333, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 6 SB       1-0, 1.50               
SEA  Spike Owen                    Jim Beattie              
     .360, 3 RBI, 1 SB             1-0, 1.00               
TEX  Larry Parrish                 Dave Stewart             
     .360, 2 HR, 7 RBI             1-0, 3.86               
TOR  Jesse Barfield                Doyle Alexander          
     .417, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB       2-0, 1.50, 8 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Trammell, Alan (DET)           .556
 2. Bergman, Dave (DET)            .429
 3. James, Dion (MIL)              .409
 4. Franco, Julio (CLE)            .378
 5. Johnson, Cliff (TOR)           .368
 6. Davis, Mike (OAK)              .360
    Owen, Spike (SEA)              .360
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)           .360
 9. Armas, Tony (BOS)              .346
    Randolph, Willie (NYY)         .346

HOME RUNS
1. Easler, Mike (BOS)                4
2. Balboni, Steve (KCR)              3
   Bell, George (TOR)                3
   Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              3
   Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 3

RUNS BATTED IN
1. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 9
2. Franco, Julio (CLE)               8
   Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           8
4. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              7
   Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              7
   Parrish, Larry (TEX)              7

STOLEN BASES
1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)              6
   Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           6
3. Trammell, Alan (DET)              4

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.00
    Boddicker, Mike (BAL)          0.00
    Clemens, Roger (BOS)           0.00
    Fingers, Rollie (MIL)          0.00
    Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.00
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.00
    Quisenberry, Dan (KCR)         0.00
    Schrom, Ken (MIN)              0.00
    Zahn, Geoff (CAL)              0.00
10. Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             0.50

WINS-LOSSES
1. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          2-0
   Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            2-0
   Butcher, John (MIN)             2-0
   Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)              2-0
   Huismann, Mark (KCR)            2-0
   Petry, Dan (DET)                2-0
   Witt, Mike (CAL)                2-0

STRIKEOUTS
1. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              19
2. Langston, Mark (SEA)             17
3. Stieb, Dave (TOR)                15
4. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                13
   Ojeda, Bob (BOS)                 13
   Seaver, Tom (CHW)                13

SAVES
1. Caudill, Bill (OAK)               3
2. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              2
   Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2


SCHEDULE
========

CAL   4-2   Slaton, J            (NR)
OAK   5-3   Sorensen, L          (1-0, 5.63)

CLE   5-3   Farr, S              (0-0, 6.23)
DET   3-4   Wilcox, M            (0-1, 11.81)

TEX   3-4   Mason, M             (NR)
TOR   5-2   Leal, L              (1-0, 0.00)

MIN   4-5   Schrom, K            (1-0, 0.00)
BAL   3-4   Swaggerty, B         (NR)

KCR   3-4   Gura, L              (0-1, 24.30)
MIL   3-4   Sutton, D            (0-0, 0.00)

SEA   3-3   Beattie, J           (1-0, 1.00)
NYY   2-5   Fontenot, R          (0-1, 5.06)

AL Day 9: Pitching Dominates

Ray Burris

All 14 teams in the American League saw action on day 9.  The recurring theme was dominant pitching.  Today’s update will go from the worst to best.

Orioles 7, Rangers 5
Texas had Baltimore on the ropes early, with the Rangers taking a 4-2 lead through 7 innings against Storm Davis and the O’s.  But in the 8th, the Birds started the inning off with 6 straight men reaching base en route to a 4-run inning that handed them the lead.  The big hit with a two-RBI, go-ahead triple by Ken Singleton.  Tippy Martinez pitched the final two innings, striking out 4 and picking up his 1st save on the season.

Royals 6, Twins 5
KC gets their first game in a long while with all their starting position players available and they make a good showing of it. Frank Viola went 8 innings for Minnesota, pitching poorly (5 ER) and letting his team fall behind 5-2 after 8 innings.  But things changed in the 9th.  Down 5-2 with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th, Gary Gaetti doubled a pair in to make it a 1-run game.  Ron Washington then pinch-hit and picked up a game-tying double.  KC got the win in the bottom of the inning with Pat Sheridan leading off with a single, stealing second, moving up to 3rd after Len Whitehouse walked two men to load the bases, and then scored on a pinch-hit single by backup catcher John Wathan.  Whitehouse (L 0-3) had a 16.88 ERA in 3 miserable appearances for Minnesota. Bret Saberhagen went 4.2 innings, allowing 2 runs and striking out 3 in his Royals’ debut.

Mariners 7, Tigers 3
The Bengals continue to disappoint.  Dave Rozema (L 0-1) allows 5 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings of work, taking the loss.  Meanwhile, the M’s get 3.1 shutout innings of work from the bullpen while Jack Perconte (.310) gets on base 4 times at the top of the order to pace the offense.

Blue Jays 4, White Sox 1
Toronto and Chicago are each tied for their division leads after Doyle Alexander (W 2-0) tosses a gem for the Jays.  Alexander allows 1 run and 5 hits in a complete game effort, striking out 6 ChiSox.  Ron Kittle was the victim of fully half of those.  On offense, Cliff Johnson had a pair of doubles, Willie Upshaw hit his 2nd homer of the season, and Buck Martinez reached base in 3 of 4 plate appearances.

Angels 3, Red Sox 0
Mike Witt (W 2-0) struck out seven BoSox, firing a 4-hit shutout at home and pushing the Halos into 1st place (by percentage points) in the AL West.  Derrel Thomas singled and scored in the 1st inning and then drove in the other two California runs with a 2nd inning single.  Witt has a 1.00 ERA with 10 K in 2 starts, having gone the distance in each.

Indians 3, Yankees 0
Bert Blyleven (W 2-0) racked up outs left and right, keeping the Yankees from getting wood on the ball and got a 3-hit shutout for his work.  Bly struck out just 1 man and had allowed only a 4th inning base hit to Dave Winfield through 7 innings of work.  Winfield got another hit in the 8th and Willie Randolph added a 3rd in the 9th before Bobby Meacham grounded into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.  Blyleven has 2 shutout starts to begin the season, making him a clear front-runner for Pitcher of the Year so far.  Lots of games left to play, of course, but it’s a solid start.  The Yanks have now dropped five straight games while Cleveland is tied with Toronto at 5-2 atop the AL East.

Athletics 4, Brewers 1
Ray Burris nearly made history.  He threw a no-hitter for 7.2 innings before the Brew Crew’s Dion James broke it up with a base hit.  James is hitting .409 this season.  Oakland had a 4-0 lead at the time, with Joe Morgan’s 2-RBI single in the 7th inning having doubled their lead.  Burris ended up not even getting a shut out, though his pitching line was perhaps the most impressive of the day.  With 2 out in the 9th, Ben Oglivie took Burris deep.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Cleveland Indians         5    2  .714   -    W 2
Toronto Blue Jays         5    2  .714   -    W 2
Boston Red Sox            3    3  .500   1.5  L 1
Milwaukee Brewers         3    3  .500   1.5  L 1
Baltimore Orioles         3    4  .429   2    W 1
Detroit Tigers            3    4  .429   2    L 1
New York Yankees          1    5  .167   3.5  L 5

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Chicago White Sox         4    3  .571   -    L 2
Oakland Athletics         4    3  .571   -    W 2
California Angels         3    2  .600   -    W 2
Minnesota Twins           4    4  .500   0.5  L 1
Seattle Mariners          3    3  .500   0.5  W 1
Texas Rangers             3    4  .429   1    L 1
Kansas City Royals        2    4  .333   1.5  W 1

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Cal Ripken                    Scott McGregor           
     .208, 1 HR, 4 RBI             1-0, 0.00               
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bob Ojeda                
     .292, 3 HR, 4 RBI             1-1, 1.80, 13 K         
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Mike Witt                
     .263, 1 HR, 5 RBI             2-0, 1.00, 10 K         
CHW  Greg Walker                   LaMarr Hoyt              
     .421, 1 HR, 3 RBI             2-0, 0.50, 10 K         
CLE  Julio Franco                  Bert Blyleven            
     .375, 8 RBI, 3 SB             2-0, 0.00               
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .556, 6 RBI, 4 SB             2-0, 2.03, 6 K          
KCR  Steve Balboni                 Mark Gubicza             
     .238, 2 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 1.29               
MIL  Dion James                    Moose Haas               
     .409                          1-0, 0.00               
MIN  Tom Brunansky                 John Butcher             
     .364, 3 HR, 7 RBI             2-0, 1.69, 7 K          
NYY  Willie Randolph               Phil Niekro              
     .391                          1-1, 3.38, 8 K          
OAK  Rickey Henderson              Ray Burris               
     .286, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 SB       1-0, 1.50               
SEA  Spike Owen                    Jim Beattie              
     .360, 3 RBI, 1 SB             1-0, 1.00               
TEX  Pete O'Brien                  Dave Stewart             
     .318, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 3.86               
TOR  Buck Martinez                 Doyle Alexander          
     .462, 1 HR, 3 RBI             2-0, 1.50, 8 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Trammell, Alan (DET)           .556
 2. Bergman, Dave (DET)            .429
 3. James, Dion (MIL)              .409
 4. Randolph, Willie (NYY)         .391
 5. Franco, Julio (CLE)            .375
 6. Buckner, Bill (BOS)            .368
    Johnson, Cliff (TOR)           .368
 8. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)           .364
 9. Owen, Spike (SEA)              .360
    Parrish, Larry (TEX)           .360

HOME RUNS
1. Bell, George (TOR)                3
   Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              3
   Easler, Mike (BOS)                3
   Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 3
5. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 2
   Balboni, Steve (KCR)              2
   Barfield, Jesse (TOR)             2
   Evans, Dwight (BOS)               2
   Hrbek, Kent (MIN)                 2
   Kittle, Ron (CHW)                 2
   Lemon, Chet (DET)                 2
   Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              2
   Parrish, Larry (TEX)              2
   Thornton, Andre (CLE)             2
   Upshaw, Willie (TOR)              2

RUNS BATTED IN
1. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 9
2. Franco, Julio (CLE)               8
3. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              7
   Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              7
   Parrish, Larry (TEX)              7

STOLEN BASES
1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)              6
   Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           6
3. Trammell, Alan (DET)              4

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.00
    Boddicker, Mike (BAL)          0.00
    Haas, Moose (MIL)              0.00
    Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.00
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.00
    Schrom, Ken (MIN)              0.00
    Zahn, Geoff (CAL)              0.00
 8. Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             0.50
 9. Filson, Pete (MIN)             0.96
10. Beattie, Jim (SEA)             1.00
    Witt, Mike (CAL)               1.00

WINS-LOSSES
1. Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          2-0
   Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            2-0
   Butcher, John (MIN)             2-0
   Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)              2-0
   Petry, Dan (DET)                2-0
   Witt, Mike (CAL)                2-0

STRIKEOUTS
1. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              19
2. Langston, Mark (SEA)             17
3. Stieb, Dave (TOR)                15
4. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                13
   Ojeda, Bob (BOS)                 13
   Seaver, Tom (CHW)                13

SAVES
1. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              2
   Caudill, Bill (OAK)               2
   Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2


SCHEDULE
========

OAK   4-3   Krueger, B           (0-1, 7.50)
MIL   3-3   Haas, M              (1-0, 0.00)

MIN   4-4   Smithson, M          (1-0, 3.38)
KCR   2-4   Gubicza, M           (1-0, 1.29)

BOS   3-3   Clemens, R           (NR)
CAL   3-2   Romanick, R          (0-1, 2.57)

CLE   5-2   Comer, S             (1-0, 1.08)
NYY   1-5   Guidry, R            (0-1, 3.52)

AL Day 5: Zahn Zeroes Jays

Geoff Zahn

Angels 6, Blue Jays 0
Geoff Zahn threw a 4-hit shutout in Toronto, leading the California Angels in a 6-0 win. I rolled this game on his birthday and Fred Lynn just happened to hit a 3-run homer that put the game out of reach in the top of the 7th. Reggie Jackson also homered (and struck out twice).

White Sox 7, Twins 5 (10 innings)
Too early for watching standings, I know, but Chicago moved back ahead of Minnesota with an extra-inning victory. Vance Law poked a 2-run single with the bases loaded, giving Chicago the go-ahead runs. Tom Brunansky hit his 2nd homer of the season for Minny in defeat.

Brewers 4, Indians 3
We didn’t expect this to last, but Cleveland took their first loss on the season. Julio Franco came back to earth, going just 1-for-5. Mike Caldwell picked up the win for the Brew Crew, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings of work. Rollie Fingers (S 2) had the era-specific 2-inning save, punching out 3 in the process.

Rangers 10, Athletics 6
Dave Stewart went up against the team he would pitch for two seasons after this one, going 7 string innings, allowing 3 runs to pick up the win. The big Texas sluggers on the day were Pete O’Brien (HR, 2B, 1B) and #9 hitter Bobby Jones (3-run HR, 2 singles) while Larry Parrish also clubbed his 2nd homer of the season.

Red Sox 15, Royals 3
Boston’s run scoring so far has gone 8, 1, 2 and 15. Some consistency would be nice. Tony Armas reached base all 5 times at plate (including a pair of triples and a double) and Wadge Boggs was on base 4 times. Weird things in a 10-run, 10-hit 4th inning for Boston. Armas, Rich Gedman and Marty Barrett had back-to-back-to-back triples. Three straight homers is a big deal, but triples are an even rarer occurrence, so that was just nuts. Both Armas triples came in that innings. Tough go for K.C., who are still waiting for Willie Wilson to get back so they don’t have to field a “5” in center field. He’ll miss one more game. His absence wasn’t the sole reason they lost, but there were a few runs that were directly attributed to it.

Orioles 2, Tigers 0
Detroit continues to get off to a rough start as the offense failed to get anything going against Scott McGregor, who had one of many shutouts thrown on this day in the league. McGregor allowed 5 hits. Floyd Rayford went 3-for-5 with a run and RBI in the win, filling in at catcher while Rick Dempsey took a night off.

Mariners 9, Yankees 6 (13 innings)
A wild one in Seattle. Yanks go up 1-0, M’s tie it. Yankes go up 4-1, M’s go up 5-4. Top of the 9th, Yankees down one, men on the corners with two out and the tying run crosses the plate when Seattle catcher Orlando Mercado drops a pop up. In the 13th, Oscar Gamble leads off with a walk. Willie Randolph singles into left and Barry Bonnell flubs it.  Gamble tries to score and is thrown out at the plate. Bobby Meacham singles in Randolph, though, and New York takes a 6-5 lead in to the bottom of the 13th. With two out, Spike Owen singles in Mercado to tie it. Joe Cowley comes on to face Ken Phelps with the score tied and two men on. Phelps has already homered once in the game and he does it again – a 3-run shot that gives Seattle back-to-back wins against the Yankees.

STANDINGS
=========

AL EAST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Cleveland Indians         3    1  .750   -    L 1
Toronto Blue Jays         3    2  .600   0.5  L 1
Baltimore Orioles         2    2  .500   1    W 2
Boston Red Sox            2    2  .500   1    W 1
Milwaukee Brewers         2    2  .500   1    W 1
Detroit Tigers            1    3  .250   2    L 2
New York Yankees          1    3  .250   2    L 3

AL WEST                   W    L   PCT  GB    STR
Chicago White Sox         3    1  .750   -    W 1
Minnesota Twins           3    2  .600   0.5  L 1
California Angels         2    2  .500   1    W 1
Seattle Mariners          2    2  .500   1    W 2
Texas Rangers             2    2  .500   1    W 1
Oakland Athletics         2    3  .400   1.5  L 1
Kansas City Royals        1    2  .333   1.5  L 1

TEAM STARS
==========

     BATTER                        PITCHER                  
BAL  Eddie Murray                  Scott McGregor           
     .333, 3 RBI                   1-0, 0.00, 4 K          
BOS  Mike Easler                   Bob Ojeda                
     .412, 3 HR, 4 RBI             1-0, 0.00, 7 K          
CAL  Fred Lynn                     Geoff Zahn               
     .313, 1 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 0.00               
CHW  Greg Walker                   LaMarr Hoyt              
     .333, 1 HR, 2 RBI             1-0, 1.00, 5 K          
CLE  Julio Franco                  Bert Blyleven            
     .500, 7 RBI, 3 SB             1-0, 0.00, 4 K          
DET  Alan Trammell                 Dan Petry                
     .500, 4 RBI, 2 SB             1-0, 1.42               
KCR  Pat Sheridan                  Mark Gubicza             
     .500, 1 SB                    1-0, 1.29, 3 K          
MIL  Dion James                    Mike Caldwell            
     .429                          1-0, 4.50               
MIN  Tom Brunansky                 Ken Schrom               
     .381, 2 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 0.00, 7 K          
NYY  Don Baylor                    Phil Niekro              
     .389, 1 HR, 2 RBI             1-0, 1.00, 6 K          
OAK  Mike Davis                    Bill Caudill             
     .500, 1 HR, 4 RBI             1-0, 1 Sv, 4.91         
SEA  Ken Phelps                    Jim Beattie              
     .250, 3 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 1.00, 4 K          
TEX  Larry Parrish                 Charlie Hough            
     .333, 2 HR, 4 RBI             1-0, 3.86               
TOR  George Bell                   Luis Leal                
     .333, 3 HR, 5 RBI             1-0, 0.00, 5 K          

LEADERS
=======

BATTING AVERAGE
 1. Wright, George (TEX)           .538
 2. Davis, Mike (OAK)              .500
    Franco, Julio (CLE)            .500
    Trammell, Alan (DET)           .500
 5. Collins, Dave (TOR)            .471
 6. James, Dion (MIL)              .429
 7. Easler, Mike (BOS)             .412
 8. O'Brien, Pete (TEX)            .400
 9. Baylor, Don (NYY)              .389
    Randolph, Willie (NYY)         .389

HOME RUNS
1. Bell, George (TOR)                3
   Easler, Mike (BOS)                3
   Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 3
4. Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              2
   Evans, Dwight (BOS)               2
   Hrbek, Kent (MIN)                 2
   Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              2
   Parrish, Larry (TEX)              2

RUNS BATTED IN
1. Franco, Julio (CLE)               7
2. Evans, Dwight (BOS)               6
   Murphy, Dwayne (OAK)              6
4. Armas, Tony (BOS)                 5
   Bell, George (TOR)                5
   Brunansky, Tom (MIN)              5
   Lynn, Fred (CAL)                  5
   Phelps, Ken (SEA)                 5

STOLEN BASES
1. Garcia, Damaso (TOR)              6
2. Henderson, Rickey (OAK)           4
3. Franco, Julio (CLE)               3

EARNED RUN AVERAGE
 1. Blyleven, Bert (CLE)           0.00
    Boddicker, Mike (BAL)          0.00
    Haas, Moose (MIL)              0.00
    Leal, Luis (TOR)               0.00
    McGregor, Scott (BAL)          0.00
    Ojeda, Bob (BOS)               0.00
    Schrom, Ken (MIN)              0.00
    Zahn, Geoff (CAL)              0.00
 9. Beattie, Jim (SEA)             1.00
    Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)             1.00
    Niekro, Phil (NYY)             1.00

WINS-LOSSES
1. Agosto, Juan (CHW)              1-0
   Alexander, Doyle (TOR)          1-0
   Beard, Dave (SEA)               1-0
   Beattie, Jim (SEA)              1-0
   Blyleven, Bert (CLE)            1-0
   Butcher, John (MIN)             1-0
   Caldwell, Mike (MIL)            1-0
   Caudill, Bill (OAK)             1-0
   Comer, Steve (CLE)              1-0
   Davis, Storm (BAL)              1-0
   Gubicza, Mark (KCR)             1-0
   Haas, Moose (MIL)               1-0
   Hough, Charlie (TEX)            1-0
   Hoyt, LaMarr (CHW)              1-0
   Leal, Luis (TOR)                1-0
   McGregor, Scott (BAL)           1-0
   Niekro, Phil (NYY)              1-0
   Nipper, Al (BOS)                1-0
   Ojeda, Bob (BOS)                1-0
   Petry, Dan (DET)                1-0
   Schrom, Ken (MIN)               1-0
   Seaver, Tom (CHW)               1-0
   Smithson, Mike (MIN)            1-0
   Sorensen, Lary (OAK)            1-0
   Stewart, Dave (TEX)             1-0
   Witt, Mike (CAL)                1-0
   Zahn, Geoff (CAL)               1-0

STRIKEOUTS
1. Clancy, Jim (TOR)                13
2. Tanana, Frank (TEX)              10
3. Langston, Mark (SEA)              9
   Smithson, Mike (MIN)              9
5. Berenguer, Juan (DET)             7
   Ojeda, Bob (BOS)                  7
   Schrom, Ken (MIN)                 7
   Seaver, Tom (CHW)                 7
   Stieb, Dave (TOR)                 7

SAVES
1. Fingers, Rollie (MIL)             2
2. Camacho, Ernie (CLE)              1
   Caudill, Bill (OAK)               1
   Quisenberry, Dan (KCR)            1
   Reed, Ron (CHW)                   1
   Schmidt, Dave (TEX)               1
   Warren, Mike (OAK)                1
   Williams, Al (MIN)                1


SCHEDULE
========

CHW   3-1   Hoyt, L              (1-0, 1.00)
MIN   3-2   Hodge, E             (NR)

CLE   3-1   Schulze, D           (NR)
MIL   2-2   McClure, B           (NR)

TEX   2-2   Hough, C             (1-0, 3.86)
OAK   2-3   McCatty, S           (0-1, 27.00)

BOS   2-2   Hurst, B             (0-1, 7.94)
KCR   1-2   Leibrandt, C         (NR)

BAL   2-2   Martinez, D          (NR)
DET   1-3   Morris, J            (0-1, 6.43)