American League Roundup : Twins Put One Over on the Rangers and Pull Off a 5-2 Victory

Minnesota Twin second baseman Steve Lombardozzi was almost as embarrassed as his good friend, rookie catcher Mike Stanley of the Texas Rangers.

Lombardozzi pulled the hidden-ball trick on Stanley to snuff out a Ranger rally in the eighth inning Monday night and the Twins picked up a 5-2 victory at Arlington, Tex.

Despite the defeat, the Rangers remained a half-game behind the first-place Angels in the West.

“I’m not going to tell you how I wound up with the ball,” Lombardozzi said, “but I thought about not using the trick because Mike is such a good friend of mine.

“He and my brother roomed together in college (at Florida), and I knew he would be embarrassed. But what are friends for?”

The Twins held a 3-2 lead when Stanley singled to start the eighth and was sacrificed to second.

After pitcher Frank Viola (8-6), Manager Ray Miller and Lombardozzi held a caucus on the mound, Stanley took his lead off second and Lombardozzi applied the tag.

“I just didn’t pay any attention,” Stanley said. “After he nailed me, I just wanted to dig a hole. It was a good lesson for me.

“In the ninth, he (Lombardozzi) looked at me and shrugged, as if to say he was sorry he had to do it.”

Boston 10, Toronto 9--Dwight Evans drew a bases-loaded walk off the Blue Jays’ Jim Acker with two out in the 10th inning at Boston to send the Red Sox to their fifth straight victory.

The loss snapped Toronto’s five-game winning streak.

Bob Stanley (5-2) pitched two innings for the victory.

Don Baylor was hit by pitches twice in the game. He has been hit 19 times this season, breaking the club record of 17 set in 1916 by Jack Barry. Baylor has the league career record at 211. Ron Hunt holds the major league record at 243.

Jim Rice hit his seventh homer for the Red Sox. Lloyd Moseby belted his 12th and George Bell also homered for the Blue Jays.

New York 3, Detroit 2--Ron Hassey’s two-run double in the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie and the Yankees beat the Tigers to snap a record 10-game Yankee Stadium losing streak.

Dennis Rasmussen (8-2) went 8 innings for the victory, and Dave Righetti got the last out for his 17th save.

Hassey, who engaged in a verbal confrontation with the Detroit bench in the first inning, drove a 1-and-0 pitch from Walt Terrell (7-6) over Chet Lemon’s head in center field to drive in Claudell Washington, who had singled, and Mike Easler, who walked.

Rickey Henderson’s 15th home run gave New York a 1-0 lead in the sixth.

Baltimore 5, Milwaukee 2--Eddie Murray singled home the tying run and the Orioles scored two more runs in the fifth inning on reliever Bob Gibson’s wildness to beat the Brewers at Baltimore.

Gibson walked in the go-ahead run and allowed another run to score on a wild pitch. Tim Leary (6-7) yielded singles to Juan Bonilla, Tom O’Malley and Fred Lynn to load the bases for Murray. Murray, who is 5 for 7 this year with the bases loaded and 58 for 125 lifetime for a .464 average, singled home Bonilla to chase Leary.

Scott McGregor (6-7) combined with Don Aase on a seven-hitter. Aase pitched the ninth for his league-leading 20th save.

Cecil Cooper hit a two-run homer in the first for Milwaukee.

Seattle 3, Kansas City 2--Scott Bradley hit a two-run double in the fourth inning and scored the winning run in the Mariners’ victory over the Royals at Seattle.

Bradley scored on Spike Owen’s single off Dennis Leonard (6-7).

The loss was Kansas City’s fourth straight, while Seattle won its third in four games.

Mark Langston (9-5), who struck out 15 in his last start, worked the first seven innings to register his fifth straight victory.

Cleveland 8, Oakland 3--Rookie Cory Snyder hit his fifth homer and Tom Candiotti scattered nine hits as the Indians trounced the A’s at Oakland.

Candiotti (6-6) struck out five and walked two in working his sixth complete game of the season. Jose Rijo (2-7) gave up eight hits, struck out six and walked four in 8 innings.