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American League Roundup : Twins Win Their 10th in Row, 7-3

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Kent Hrbek and Roy Smalley hit home runs in a six-run fifth-inning rally that knocked out Jack Morris Wednesday at Detroit and sent the Minnesota Twins on their way to a 7-3 victory, their 10th win in a row.

The Twins went into Tigertown Tuesday just looking for a little respect. They got it and a little more in a two-game sweep of the world champions.

They were trailing, 2-0, Tuesday night when they erupted for 10 runs in the fourth inning. Wednesday, Morris, one of the top pitchers in baseball, was working on a one-hitter and a 1-0 lead when the Twins unloaded.

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Tim Teufel tripled to open the inning, and there were three singles before Hrbek hit his three-run homer to chase Morris. Smalley hit his home run off reliever Aurelio Lopez.

It was the fifth game in a row in which the Twins have had at least a four-run inning. In their winning streak, they have scored 74 runs and hit 13 home runs.

“Right now,” Manager Sparky Anderson of the Tigers said, “they think they can win every game. Every guy wants to start something to get them going.

“But they’re averaging seven to eight runs a game. It’s easy to win 10 in a row when you score seven a game. It’s hard to lose doing that. They’ve got a good hitting club, but I don’t think they’re seven-runs-a-game good.”

The Twins’ pitching hasn’t been too bad, yielding an average of three runs a game. Frank Viola (4-2) gave up the average in just 5 innings Wednesday, and Rick Lysander pitched one-hit ball for the last 3 innings.

Hrbek, who was hitting .084 without a homer before the streak started, has hit safely in all 10 games (13-39), has hit four home runs and has driven in 11 runs.

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New York 5, Texas 1--Billy Martin still has some magic left, and he worked it to end the Yankees’ five-game losing streak.

Martin took Ron Hassey, his backup catcher who was 1 for 6 this season, and made him his designated hitter at Arlington, Tex. Hassey responded by going 4 for 4, driving in four runs and giving Martin a 1-2 record so far in his fourth term as manager of the Yankees.

Ed Whitson, who had lost his three previous decisions with the Yankees, won his first, but Martin had to bring his late-inning bullpen ace, Dave Righetti, into the game in the sixth inning.

Righetti came in with the Yankees leading, 3-1, and the potential tying runs on base. He stopped the Rangers on one hit in four innings.

Baltimore 3, Chicago 1--Cal Ripken hit a two-run home run at Baltimore, and Rich Dauer also homered to give the Orioles their seventh win in the last eight games.

Third-base umpire Tim Welke inadvertently blunted a White Sox rally in the sixth inning. The White Sox had the bases loaded with one out when Carlton Fisk smashed a hit past third. The ball hit Welke and bounced back to third baseman Fritz Connally.

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Greg Walker, the runner on first, thinking the ball had gone down the left-field line, rounded second and was trapped. Scott Fletcher, who had stopped at third after Rudy Law scored from third, broke for home and was out. Oscar Gamble ended the threat by striking out.

“You see that play three or four times a season,” Manager Tony LaRussa of the White Sox said, “but it doesn’t often happen with the bases loaded to ruin a rally.”

Cleveland 6, Kansas City 5--It was billed in Kansas City as major league baseball, but the Indians committed four errors and stranded 18 base runners, and the Royals had three errors, two wild pitches and a passed ball. Brett Butler knocked in two runs for the Indians.

Seattle 7, Boston 0--Jim Beattie pitched a four-hitter at Seattle for his first victory of the season, and Jim Presley drove in three runs with a home run and a double. Beattie had a 13.06 ERA before the shutout.

The Mariners have won three in a row; the Red Sox have lost five in a row and six out of seven.

Milwaukee 7, Oakland 4--Charlie Moore singled home two runs in the eighth inning at Oakland, and Robin Yount hit a two-run home run in the ninth.

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Danny Darwin had a four-hitter going into the ninth, but the A’s scored three times, and Rollie Fingers came on to get the save.

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