American League Roundup : Leonard Loses to Yankees, and to Himself, 2-1

Dennis Leonard didn’t forget how to pitch during the long layoff caused by his leg injury, but maybe he forgot how to field.

The veteran right-hander was his own worst enemy Wednesday night at Kansas City and, instead of winning his third game in a row in his brilliant comeback, he lost a heartbreaker, 2-1.

Leonard, who before this season had not won a game since 1983, wasn’t as sharp as he was in his two victories. He pitched six innings and was touched for 11 hits. However, he lost because of his own shoddy fielding--three errors, including two on the same play.

In the third inning, Ken Griffey led off with the first of three singles he had in the game. Don Mattingly hit a potential double-play grounder to Leonard, but the pitcher fumbled the ball for one error, then picked it up and threw it into right field. Griffey went all the way around to score and Mattingly wound up on third, eventually scoring the winning run.

Dennis Rasmussen held the light-hitting Royals to three hits in seven innings. However, had Leonard fielded flawlessly, the home run that Rasmussen served to Darryl Motley in the fifth inning could well have been the only New York run of the night.

The Yankees finished the trip with four wins in a row and open a 10-game home stand tonight.

Chicago 2, Milwaukee 1--Tom Seaver keeps talking about wanting to finish his career on the East Coast, but when he pitches the way he did in this game at Milwaukee, the price keeps going up.

Seaver, with last-out help, pitched a six-hitter to even his record at 2-2. After a poor outing opening day, the 41-year-old right-hander has pitched three strong games.

“He continues to be the most amazing pitcher I’ve ever seen,” White Sox Manager Tony LaRussa said. “He looks as if he could go on forever.”

Seaver, who said it was his best performance this season, became a winner when Reid Nichols hit a bloop double to drive in the tiebreaking run in the top of the ninth.

“It was my best,” said Seaver, whose win was his 306th. “I just mixed them up. In and out, up and down. It’s the way I pitch when I’m going well.”

Detroit 3, Boston 1--Another classy veteran, Frank Tanana, 32, held the Red Sox to three hits in eight innings at Boston to improve his record to 2-1.

“It was a long night with people on base a lot early in the game,” Tanana told the Associated Press. “I felt pretty good when I breezed threw the seventh and eighth. But I had thrown 137 pitches and I was glad to let Willie (Hernandez) finish.”

Darnell Coles had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Tigers.

Seattle 4, Minnesota 3--The Mariners finally halted a six-game losing streak in this game at Seattle, but it wasn’t easy.

They needed a home run by Alvin Davis in the seventh to tie the game and a two-run home run by Dave Henderson in the 10th to win it.

In the top of the 10th, Kent Hrbek singled in Kirby Puckett from second base to give the Twins the lead.

In another sharp performance, John Butcher went the first nine for the Twins, giving up only four hits and striking out seven.

Texas 9, Toronto 8--Last season Dave Stieb had the best earned-run average in the American League (2.48). So far this season, his ERA is among the worst (7.84).

In this game at Toronto, Stieb was hammered for nine hits and five runs in five innings by the heavy hitting Rangers. He escaped the loss because it was a tie game when he departed in the sixth.

The Rangers, who scored 10 runs Tuesday against the Blue Jays, pounded out 14 hits. Larry Parrish had four, including a homer, and drove in five runs. George Wright, replacing the injured Gary Ward, also had four hits. The night before, Ward had gotten two hits and driven in four runs.

Cleveland 5, Baltimore 1--Ken Schrom and Scott Bailes combined on a six-hitter at Cleveland and the Indians hit three home runs to beat Scott McGregor.

Three of the first four hits off McGregor were home runs. Brook Jacoby and Julio Franco hit solo blasts, and Carmen Castillo hit one in the fourth with a runner on base.

Schrom went the first six innings and gave up the run and three hits. Bailes finished up to earn his second save.