American League Roundup : Mariners’ Deal Keeps Paying Off

Many Seattle fans were unhappy when the Mariners traded second baseman Danny Tartabull to the Kansas City Royals for pitchers Scott Bankhead and Steve Shields and outfielder Mike Kingery last winter.

Now it’s the Boston Red Sox’s turn to be unhappy with the deal.

Bankhead, a 23-year-old right-hander, allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs in 7 innings, and Kingery drove in two runs and set up another Monday night at Boston, leading the Mariners to a 4-3 victory over Roger Clemens and the Red Sox.

It was Seattle’s fourth consecutive victory, matching the club’s 1986 high. The Mariners, off to the best start in team history, improved their record to 18-14 and are tied with the Angels for first place in the AL West.

“I guess a lot of people were unhappy with the trade, but Mike and I didn’t think anything about it. We’re just a couple of young guys still learning and happy to be here,” said Bankhead (5-2).

“I’m enjoying myself with this ballclub,” said Kingery, who drove in two runs with a first-inning double and set up a run in the fourth with a single. “The big thing is I’m getting to play probably more than I would if I still was with Kansas City.”

Seattle was making its first Fenway Park appearance against Clemens since his major league record 20-strikeout performance April 29, 1986. Clemens (2-3) pitched a complete game, allowing 8 hits and 2 walks and striking out 5. He struck out the first two batters of the game before being tagged for three runs.

New York 3, Chicago 2--Dave Winfield and light-hitting Lenn Sakata hit sixth-inning homers for the tying and go-ahead runs at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees handed the White Sox their fifth straight defeat.

Floyd Bannister (2-3), who was knocked out by the Yankees in the third inning last Wednesday, allowed just an unearned run and four hits over the first five innings. But Winfield led off the sixth with his sixth homer of the season and 311th of his career.

Two outs later, Sakata, a lifetime .228 hitter, hit his second homer of the season and only the 25th of his 7 1/2-year career. Sakata is 7 for 16 since he has been platooning at third base with Mike Pagliarulo.

Texas 6, Cleveland 3--Larry Parrish homered, doubled, singled and drove in three runs on a rainy night in Cleveland as the Rangers ended a nine-game road losing streak.

The game, interrupted twice by showers, was called at the end of five innings by a thunderstorm after a 31-minute wait.

The Rangers, only 2-10 on the road this season, used a four-run second inning to spoil Phil Niekro’s bid for his 314th career win. Niekro (2-2) remains 12th on the all-time list, one victory behind Gaylord Perry.

Minnesota 10, Baltimore 4--Bert Blyleven continues to give up home runs. He yielded three to the Orioles at Baltimore--to Fred Lynn, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken--but Tom Nieto hit a three-run homer and Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek each connected for two-run shots to lead the Twins.

Nieto, obtained in a trade with the Montreal Expos, hit his first American League homer in the second inning after singles by Mark Davidson and Steve Lombardozzi.

Brunansky’s fifth homer came in the third after Gary Gaetti walked, and chased Scott McGregor (1-5). Hrbek hit his fourth homer in the seventh off reliever Tony Arnold after Gaetti singled with two outs.

Blyleven (3-2), who set a record last season by allowing 50 homers, has allowed at least one homer in each of his eight starts and is tied for the major league lead with the San Diego Padres’ Ed Whitson at 14.

Toronto 4, Kansas City 0--George Bell and Cecil Fielder each homered and drove in two runs to back Jimmy Key’s four-hit pitching at Toronto.

Key (5-2), beaten by the Royals, 6-3, last week, struck out seven and didn’t allow a walk. It was Toronto’s first shutout.

Kansas City has been shut out eight times in 28 games this season.