American League Roundup : Greenwell Hits Wall, Red Sox Win, 10-9

Rookie Mike Greenwell of the Boston Red Sox doesn’t get to play often, so he likes to make his hits count.

Sunday at Chicago, Greenwell hit a two-run, pinch-hit double with two out in the ninth inning to complete a Boston comeback from a seven-run deficit and give the Red Sox a 10-9 victory over the White Sox.

The White Sox, who swept a three-game series from Boston last weekend, seemed well on their way to doing it again. They won the first two games of the series and led Sunday, 9-2, after two innings thanks mainly to a pair of three-run home runs by Ivan Calderon. Calderon came off the disabled list earlier in the day.

Jim Rice singled in two runs in the third and Boston added a run in the fifth to make it 9-5. The Red Sox cut it to 9-8 in the sixth when Spike Owen tripled home two runs and scored on a ground out.

There were two out in the ninth when pinch-hitter Dave Henderson drew a walk off Ray Searage (1-2). Owen got an infield hit and White Sox Manager Jim Fregosi brought in Bob James to relieve Searage. Greenwell greeted James with a drive off the wall in right.

“I’ve been up in the right situations,” Greenwell, who has only 20 hits but 22 runs batted in, told the Associated Press. “I enjoy the role (of pinch-hitter). Usually, pinch-hitting is a veteran’s role, but I’m a young guy and I have to prove myself.”

The Red Sox got strong relief pitching from Tom Bolton, Steve Crawford, Joe Sambito and Calvin Schiraldi (2-3). Bolton, who replaced starter Al Nipper, pitched 4 scoreless innings.

Calderon had a double and single in addition to his home runs.

Minnesota 9-11, Detroit 5-3--Tim Laudner hit two home runs in the second game, the first two-homer game of his career, to help the Twins sweep at Detroit.

Minnesota won the first game with help of an eighth-inning error by Tiger third baseman Tom Brookens.

Laudner hit a two-run homer off Frank Tanana (4-3) in the second inning to give the Twins a 3-0 lead. He added a bases-empty homer in the sixth off Eric King to make it 5-3.

The Twins, who had 20 hits in the second game, added two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth.

George Frazier (5-2) pitched 3 innings of hitless relief.

In the first game, Minnesota rallied from a 5-4 deficit when Brookens misplayed Mark Salas’ ground ball, allowing two runs to score. The Twins went on to score once more in the inning and added Kent Hrbek’s two-run home run in the ninth.

Gary Gaetti gave the Twins a 1-0 lead in the second with an inside-the-park home run.

New York 9, Oakland 5--Willie Randolph and seldom-used Henry Cotto each homered, doubled and had three RBIs as the Yankees prevented an Oakland sweep of the three-game series before 55,034 at New York.

Cotto, who was 0 for 7 this season, led off the bottom of the first with a homer to left.

The Yankees scored four times in the second against losing pitcher Dennis Eckersley. The key hit was Randolph’s two-run homer to left-center field, the deepest part of Yankee Stadium.

Oakland’s Mark McGwire hit two bases-empty homers off Tommy John (5-1) to give him 19, tying him with Cincinnati’s Eric Davis for the major league lead.

John, 44, gave up two runs in six innings.

The Yankees’ lead over Toronto in the American League East remained at two games.

Texas 3, Kansas City 2--Scott Fletcher doubled home Steve Buechele with two out in the 10th inning to give the Rangers the win at Kansas City.

Buechele led off the inning with a double off Jerry Don Gleaton (1-1) that was nearly caught in left field by Bo Jackson, who got a glove on the line drive but could not hold on.

Dale Mohorcic (4-2), who made his major league debut at Royals Stadium last May 31, held the Royals to two hits in four innings.

Pete Incaviglia tripled home Texas’ first two runs in the third but was injured when he was thrown out trying for an inside-the-park homer. Incaviglia was taken to a hospital for X-rays that were negative, but his left hand was placed in a splint.

Kansas City’s lead over Seattle and Minnesota in the West was cut to 2 1/2 games.

Seattle 8, Baltimore 5--John Moses was 4 for 5 with a triple, double and a pair of singles as the Mariners completed a sweep of the three-game series at Baltimore.

Seattle’s Jim Presley hit his 10th home run and third in two games, and drove in three runs. Phil Bradley also had three RBIs.

Seattle’s Lee Guetterman (2-0) scattered nine hits in 7 innings.

Larry Sheets hit his 10th homer for the Orioles, who wound up the month with 57 homers, a major league record.

Milwaukee 7, Cleveland 1--Dale Sveum and Robin Yount homered in the fifth inning to help the Brewers win at Cleveland.

Juan Nieves (4-2) allowed 6 hits in 8 innings.

Cleveland has lost 6 of 7 and 20 of 27.

The Brewers added four runs in the ninth, three on Greg Brock’s homer.