American League Roundup : Just Like Old Times, Carlton Goes the Distance

Cleveland’s Steve Carlton made a statement with his pitching Saturday and then confirmed it with his words following the game.

“I’m probably 95% as good now as I ever was,” Carlton said after throwing a complete-game seven-hitter as the Indians beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-2, at Cleveland. “I don’t have quite as much velocity, but I’m close to it.”

Carlton (5-4) earned his 328th major league victory, moving him past John Clarkson into ninth place on the all-time victory list.

Carlton, 42, held the Mariners scoreless on three hits until the eighth when they scored on doubles by Mickey Brantley and Dave Valle. The Mariners got their final run in the ninth.

Seattle starter Mike Morgan (5-8) gave up three runs on nine hits in 4 innings.

Brook Jacoby homered twice and doubled and Brett Butler and Pat Tabler had three hits each in Cleveland’s 16-hit attack.

Boston 9, New York 4--Wade Boggs extended his hitting streak to 21 games and had an RBI double in the decisive four-run fifth inning at Boston as the Red Sox ended the Yankees’ five-game winning streak.

Boston’s Al Nipper allowed three runs on two hits, three walks and a sacrifice fly in the first inning but settled down, allowing only one more run the rest of the way to finish with a five-hitter.

Nipper (6-6) struck out four and walked five. He gave up a third-inning double to Dave Winfield, then did not allow another hit until Mike Pagliarulo homered in the ninth.

Marty Barrett, Don Baylor and Dwight Evans each had three hits in Boston’s 16-hit attack. Boggs, Ellis Burks and Jim Rice had two hits each. Evans had three runs batted in, including a two-run homer.

Trailing 3-0, Boston scored single runs in the second and third, when Boggs singled to equal the longest hitting streak in the major leagues this season. Detroit’s Alan Trammell had a 21-game streak earlier.

Tommy John (7-3) took the loss for the Yankees.

Milwaukee 3, Toronto 2--Bill Wegman allowed seven hits in 7 innings and the Brewers scored two unearned runs in the seventh to beat the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Jimmy Key (8-5) took the loss despite pitching a three-hitter.

With the Blue Jays leading 2-1 in the seventh inning, Jim Paciorek and Glenn Braggs of the Brewers reached base on consecutive errors by third baseman Kelly Gruber.

Bill Schroeder drove in Paciorek with a single to center and Jim Gantner followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run.

Wegman evened his record at 6-6. Dan Plesac pitched the final 1 innings for his American League-leading 16th save.

Texas 7, Oakland 6--Pete Incaviglia hit a two-run homer, and Oddibe McDowell added a two-run double to highlight a five-run fourth inning as the Rangers held on to win at Oakland.

Bobby Witt (2-3) of the Rangers allowed three runs on two hits and six walks over five innings. Mitch Williams earned his first save.

Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Rangers tied the score on Incaviglia’s 16th homer. Pete O’Brien followed with a single, Don Slaught walked and McDowell doubled. Steve Buechele doubled to drive in McDowell and give the Rangers a 5-2 lead.

Leadoff back-to-back homers by Scott Fletcher and Ruben Sierra in the fifth gave the Rangers a 7-2 lead and knocked Oakland starter Curt Young (8-4) out of the game.

Chicago 10, Minnesota 5--Daryl Boston broke an 0-for-21 skid with two home runs at Minneapolis as the White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak.

With the White Sox leading 2-0, Boston capped an eight-run seventh inning against Twins starter Bert Blyleven (5-6) and reliever Juan Berenguer with a three-run homer. Seven of Chicago’s runs were unearned, following consecutive errors by shortstop Greg Gagne and third baseman Roy Smalley.

Jose DeLeon (5-6) held the Twins scoreless until Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek opened the bottom of the seventh with home runs. Minnesota added three runs in the ninth.

With Chicago ahead 1-0, Boston hit his first home run of the game and seventh of the season leading off the fifth. It was the 25th off Blyleven, who leads the majors again after giving up a record 50 homers last year.

Detroit at Baltimore, suspended--The Orioles took a 9-4 lead over the Tigers in a rain-delayed game that was suspended by an American League curfew after eight innings. The game, which was halted at 1:02 a.m. EDT, will be completed before today’s regularly scheduled game.