American League Roundup : Moseby Delivers Another Hit to Help Blue Jays Win, 3-2, Increase Lead to 2 1/2

Early in the season, Lloyd Moseby was missing baseballs by inches. Now, he’s making good contact and making big hits for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Moseby singled home Tony Fernandez from second base to snap a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning at Toronto and give the Blue Jays a 3-2 victory over Detroit for their fourth victory in a row.

With the Yankees’ 11-game winning streak ending at Milwaukee, the Blue Jays take a 2 1/2-game lead in the East into their four-game showdown that begins tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays are now in the enviable position in which they need only win one game in the series to remain in first place.

The hit extended Moseby’s hitting streak to nine games. Overall, Moseby is hitting only .259 with 15 home runs and 63 runs batted in. But in the last 16 games he’s hit 7 home runs, driven in 16 runs and batted .350.

“I always said that when things started counting, my bat would come around,” Moseby told the UPI. “Sooner or later things will happen that are good for you. It’s a matter of patience. I haven’t changed anything. The only thing that’s changed is my numbers. It’s a game of inches and I was missing by inches early in the season.

“I think we’re ready to go to New York. We’ve been playing well. Even if we had lost this game, it wouldn’t hurt our morale. We’re playing at our best.”

In handing the Tigers their seventh consecutive defeat and dropping the defending champions 16 1/2 games back, the Blue Jays again came up with sharp pitching.

Steve Davis gave up three singles for a run in the first inning, but the rookie didn’t give up another hit. He was removed after he walked Alan Trammell with one out in the sixth. Dennis Lamp (9-0) gave up hits to Lance Parrish and then Larry Herndon’s hit tied the score.

But that was the last Tiger hit. Tom Henke pitched the ninth for the Blue Jays and struck out the side to earn his 11th save.

The crowd of 31,269 enabled Toronto to set an attendance record of 2,112,028 and they still have 11 more home games, the last three of the season against the Yankees.

Milwaukee 4, New York 3--Cecil Cooper singled Mike Felder home from third with one out in the ninth at Milwaukee to end two streaks----the Yankees’ 11-game winning streak and the Brewers’ 7-game losing streak.

In the first two games of the series the Yankees battered Milwaukee pitching for 22 runs and 27 hits, but they managed only six hits against rookie Ted Higuera (13-6). Higuera struck out seven. Two Milwaukee errors helped the Yankees get their three runs in the fourth.

Andre Robertson’s double drove in Billy Sample with the run that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. But, in the fifth, Cooper hit his 15th home run to tie the game.

In the ninth with Rich Bordi on the mound, Felder led off with a pinch single and stopped at second on Paul Molitor’s single. Randy Ready sacrificed.

Left-hander Dave Righetti, the Yankees’ bullpen ace, came in to pitch to the left-handed hitting Cooper. Cooper hit an 0-1 pitch just inside the left-field line. The Yankees argued it was foul, but third base umpire Vic Voltaggio ruled left fielder Sample touched the ball when it was fair.

Yankee Manager Billy Martin, who complained about the condition of the playing field Tuesday night, was livid after Voltaggio ruled Cooper’s ball fair.

“He blew the play,” Martin said. “Sample touched the ball in foul territory. Whether he touched it or it hit him in the head, it’s still a foul ball.”

Chicago 5, Minnesota 0--Left-hander Britt Burns, who won only four games last season, held the Twins to four hits at Chicago and struck out 10 to improve his record to 17-8. He has won 10 of his last 12 decisions.

The White Sox jumped on Frank Viola (13-14) for five straight hits in the first inning.

Boston 4, Baltimore 1--It was only Bob Ojeda’s third win in his last 14 starts, but his three-hitter at Boston impressed Baltimore Manager Earl Weaver.

“I don’t believe it, but he did it. Ojeda pitched some game in this park,” Weaver said.

Texas 6, Oakland 3--Ellis Valentine had two singles, scored three runs and drove in another at Oakland to help Mike Mason improve his record to 7-13. Mason held the A’s to three hits and a run in six innings.