American League Roundup : Toronto Snaps Six-Game Losing Streak With 5-1 Win Over Milwaukee

Losing streaks don’t last forever. It just seems that way.

Toronto finally ended its six-game skid Wednesday, defeating the Brewers, 5-1, at Milwaukee.

“It feels good to win again,” Manager Bobby Cox said of the victory that kept his team 2 1/2 games ahead in the American League East. “I hope it’ll start another streak. This one had to end sometime.”

Toronto used George Bell’s two-run triple, starter Jim Clancy’s seven steady innings and good relief work from Gary Lavelle and Bill Caudill to beat the Brewers.

Clancy (3-4) gave up one run on seven hits, four walks and had five strikeouts over seven innings. Caudill earned his 10th save.

Milwaukee starter Pete Vuckovich, making a comeback from a shoulder injury that sidelined him last season, lasted only three innings in falling to 2-5. He gave up four runs on seven hits, two walks and had two strikeouts.

“I’ve never been a quitter, and I’m not going to quit now,” said Vuckovich, the 1982 Cy Young Award winner. “One game does not determine my life.”

Detroit 9, Boston 3--Lou Whitaker had a home run and two singles and knocked in three runs and Kirk Gibson drove in three runs with a home run and two doubles to lead the Tigers past the Red Sox at Detroit.

The loser was Boston’s Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd, who saw his four-game streak of complete game victories end. “I don’t like to be hit around like that,” said Boyd, touched for 11 hits in 7 innings. “I tip my hat to them. But they know I’m better than that.”

Walt Terrell raised his record to 8-2 with an eight-hitter over 7 innings before Aurelio Lopez was summoned to shut down Boston for the second night in a row. He earned his fifth save.

Texas 5, Seattle 4--Wayne Tolleson drove in Larry Parrish with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly to lift the Rangers to the win at Arlington, Tex.

The Rangers entered the sixth inning trailing, 4-3, and had not had a hit since the first. But Pete O’Brien broke the streak with a leadoff single, Gary Ward grounded into a fielder’s choice and Parrish walked, chasing Frank Wills (2-1).

Tommy Dunbar then hit a run-scoring single off Ed Nunez and Glenn Brummer followed with an infield single that loaded the bases and set up Tolleson’s game-winning RBI.

Kansas City 3, Minnesota 2--Hal McRae belted a solo homer in the eighth inning to give Danny Jackson and the Royals the win over the Twins at Kansas City.

McRae jumped on a 2-0 pitch from starter Pete Filson to snap a 2-2 tie and give the Royals their third victory over the Minnesota in as many nights. It was McRae’s second homer of the season and dropped Filson to 3-4.

Jackson (5-4) scattered six hits, walked two and struck out one over eight innings. Dan Quisenberry pitched the ninth for his 13th save.

New York 10, Baltimore 0--Ron Hassey hit two solo homers and Dave Winfield hit a two-run shot among his four hits as the Yankees trounced the Orioles at Baltimore to complete a three-game sweep.

The victory was the fourth straight for New York. The Orioles have lost three in a row after winning their first three under rehired Manager Earl Weaver.

Ed Whitson (2-6) allowed six hits while pitching New York’s second shutout of a series in which the Yankees pounded out 44 hits and outscored Baltimore, 26-4.

Rickey Henderson had two walks and two singles, and finished the series with 10 hits in 12 trips, four walks, five stolen bases, six runs scored, and three RBIs.

Chicago 8, Oakland 7--Rookie speedster Ozzie Guillen scored from second base on a wild pitch in the 12th inning to give the White Sox their second extra-inning victory in as many nights at Chicago despite a pair of three-run home runs by the A’s Dave Kingman.

Chicago tied the game, 7-7, in the ninth on a solo home run by Carlton Fisk and a two-run homer by Greg Walker after two were out.

In the 12th, Guillen led off with a single and was moved to second on Marc Hill’s sacrifice. Loser Rick Langford (0-1) then let loose with a wild pitch and Guillen raced around to score before catcher Mickey Tettleton could get to the ball and make a play.

Kingman hit his 15th and 16th home runs, both into the upper deck of the left-field stands, to help the A’s take a 7-4 lead into the ninth.