American League Roundup : High-Flying Blue Jays Defeat Brewers, 6-1, as Clancy Is in Form

Jim Clancy has had problems this season. The big right-hander was expected to be a key in the Toronto Blue Jays’ bid for their first division title.

Instead, trouble struck during spring training and has dogged Clancy most of the season. Now, however, as the Blue Jays move toward the playoffs, the 29-year-old pitcher is finally rounding into form.

He held the Brewers to five hits in six innings Saturday at Milwaukee while pitching the Blue Jays to a 6-1 victory that lowered their magic number in the American League East to four.

Gary Lavelle, one of several strong arms in the Blue Jay bullpen, finished for Clancy and pitched three perfect innings, striking out three for his 10th save. The Blue Jays, with eight games remaining, are six games ahead of the New York Yankees, who also won.

It was Clancy’s fifth start since his most recent return from the disabled list and it was the fourth time he has pitched well. He is 9-5 in 1985, after three seasons in which he averaged 15 wins.

“Clancy is just about ready to go nine,” Toronto Manager Bobby Cox told United Press International recently. “But we don’t need him to go the route with the bullpen we have. That’s our strong point. He will be ready for the playoffs, though, and that’s good news.”

During spring training, Clancy had an appendectomy, and he did not make his first appearance until April 30. Each time he seemed about to reach top form, a minor injury slowed him.

He finally appeared to be ready in midseason. On July 5, he pitched his first complete game. Three more good outings followed. Then, on July 26 at Anaheim, he held the Angels to two hits in five innings, before trouble struck again. He had to leave with tendinitis and did not return until Sept. 8.

Four of Clancy’s victories have been over the Brewers. He has made an impression on Milwaukee Manager George Bamberger.

“He’s been tough,” Bamberger said. “He has good stuff, and they only need him to throw hard for about six innings with the ‘pen they have.

“We held them to singles (15 plus a double by Jesse Barfield), so it was a moral victory. They are a real good team.”

George Bell had four of the singles, scored two runs and drove in another.

Minnesota 5, Kansas City 3--Apparently, nobody in the West wants to face Toronto. The West leaders just keep losing.

In this game at Minneapolis, Dave Engle hit a home run and rookie Dennis Burtt held the Royals to three hits in 6 innings. It was Kansas City’s fourth loss in the last five games, but the Royals remained tied with the Angels for first place.

On Sept. 14, the Royals led by three games, but they have won only 5 of their last 14 and are fortunate the Angels aren’t playing well, either.

“When you’re not hitting, you look dead,” Manager Dick Howser of the Royals said. “We’ve had lulls before where we couldn’t hit anything. But slumps are temporary. Good clubs don’t stay in them long. We’re still in good shape.”

The Angels and Royals open a four-game series Monday at Kansas City.

Ray Miller, manager of the Twins still believes the Royals will win it. “I like their speed and pitching,” he said. “They have won many games this season on their pitching.”

New York 6, Milwaukee 5--The Yankees keep battling to stay alive in the East. In this game at New York, Dave Winfield homered in the first inning, and then, in the bottom of the ninth, he singled in Rickey Henderson to cap a two-run rally .

It made a winner of Ron Guidry (21-6), who was allowed to remain in the game because Yankee Manager Billy Martin is trying to get him the Cy Young Award. Guidry went the distance, gave up 11 hits, including five doubles, a triple and Gary Roenicke’s two-run home run.

Oakland 7, Chicago 4--Except for a couple of tape-measure smashes, Jose Canesco, baseball’s newest slugging sensation, spent the first three weeks of his major league career rather quietly.

Canesco, 21, hit 25 homers in the Southern League, then jumped up to the Pacific Coast League and hit 11 more. Now, he’s finding American League pitching easy, too.

The A’s new left fielder hit his fifth home run and third in three days in this game at Oakland, then walked and scored the winning run in the eighth.

In his last five games, Canesco is 12 for 19, has scored 8 runs and driven in 7 runs.

Boston 2, Detroit 0--Glenn Hoffman and Dwight Evans hit home runs off Willie Hernandez in the 10th inning at Detroit to break open a pitching battle.

Dan Petry of the Tigers and Bob Ojeda each pitched nine scoreless innings.