American League Roundup : Orioles’ Boddicker Corners Seattle for 7-0 Win

For the first time this season, Mike Boddicker brought his brush. He painted the outside corner.

Boddicker pitched a six-hitter, and Larry Sheets drove in four runs Thursday night as the Baltimore Orioles routed the Seattle Mariners, 7-0, at Baltimore.

“It’s the first time all year I could consistently hit corners with my fastball,” Boddicker told United Press International. “That’s what it was, I got ahead of the hitters and threw the fastball on the corner. It means you don’t have to go to the middle.”

Boddicker (12-13) struck out a season-high nine batters en route to his second shutout and ninth complete game.

Sheets, 1 for 13 in the last three games, had 3 of the Orioles’ 10 hits, including a two-run single off Seattle starter Bill Swift (4-8) in the fifth inning. He added a two-run double off Roy Thomas in the seventh.

Both hits came with the bases loaded.

“That’s exciting,” Sheets said of coming to bat with runners at every base. “You can ask any player here . . . that’s the situation they want to be in--one of those situations in which a hit means something.”

The second hit by Sheets came after the Mariners issued an intentional walk to Mike Young, a move that made sense to Sheets.

“I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “What do you do with a guy who’s playing the way Mike has played in the month of August? I’m just glad I could come through with a hit to hurt them in that situation.”

Young, who has hit 11 home runs in his last 22 games, led off the fourth inning with his 22nd homer of the season to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

Young drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to make it 2-0 as he established an Oriole club record for most RBIs in the month of August--32. He broke the previous mark of 31 held by Boog Powell and Doug DeCinces. Sheets followed with his two-run single, scoring Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray, who had both walked.

The Orioles made it 7-0 in the seventh. Ripken and Murray singled, and Young walked to load the bases. Sheets hit a two-run double, and Floyd Rayford added an RBI single.

Detroit 3, Oakland 2--Lance Parrish singled with the bases loaded to drive in Lou Whitaker in the 12th inning, and the Tigers outlasted the A’s at Detroit.

Bill Scherrer (3-1), the fifth Detroit pitcher, got the victory, and Steve Mura (1-1) took the defeat.

Tiger right-hander Dan Petry scattered four hits over the seven innings he worked. He struck out seven and walked three.

Dave Bergman gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a homer in the fifth, but the A’s went ahead on Dave Kingman’s two-run single in the sixth.

Parrish tied it in the bottom of the sixth with his 23rd home run.

Boston 17, Cleveland 2--Tony Armas drove in five runs for the fourth time in his career, and Rich Gedman hit a three-run homer in a seven-run eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox broke a five-game losing streak by pummeling the Indians at Cleveland.

Boston starter Bruce Hurst (9-10) struck out 11, walked 2 and allowed 6 hits to get the victory. Ramon Romero (2-3) took the loss.

Brook Jacoby hit a two-run homer for the Indians.

Chicago 6, Texas 5--Reid Nichols singled home Ozzie Guillen, who had doubled, with one out in the 10th inning, and the White Sox beat the Rangers at Chicago.

Doubles by Chicago’s Jerry Hairston and Greg Walker tied the score at 5-5 in the ninth.

Chicago’s Tom Seaver, making a fourth try for his 301st career victory, left after 6 innings with a three-hitter and a 4-1 lead but was not involved in the decision.

Kansas City at Milwaukee, rain--The Royals were leading, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth inning when the game was called, but the day wasn’t totally lost.

When the Angels lost in New York, Kansas City moved within 1 1/2 games of the West lead and pulled even in the loss column.

The Royals’ George Brett, the American League batting leader at .356, had hits in his first two at-bats, but they were wiped out.