American League Roundup : McGwire Has 30 Homers, but Hrbek (22) Also on a Tear

It is tough to earn headlines for hitting home runs in a league in which Mark McGwire just became the first rookie to hit 30 homers in the first half of a season.

While the young Oakland whiz is off to a fabulous start, Kent Hrbek is going almost unnoticed while doing a remarkable job for the Minnesota Twins.

Hrbek hit a home run leading off the bottom of the ninth Sunday at Minneapolis to give the Twins a 4-3 victory over hapless Baltimore and put them just two points behind Kansas City in the hot race in the West.

The home run off former Dodger Tom Niedenfuer was Hrbek’s 22nd and his second in two games. It handed the Orioles their seventh loss in a row and 30th in the last 35 games. It also gave Bert Blyleven (8-6) the win.

Hrbek, who hit a career-high 29 home runs last season, has been on a home run spree. He has hit 6 in the last 10 games and 19 in 51 games since May 10.

“I don’t know why I’m hitting so many home runs,” Hrbek said. “It’s just something that comes up. You hope it stays around.

“I’ve had some streaks like this but I’m getting old and I can’t remember when,” added the 27-year-old first baseman.

Hrbek impressed Cal Ripken Sr., whose days as manager of the Orioles may be numbered. “I always thought Hrbek would be a good home run hitter,” Ripken said. “He’s big and strong and is pulling the pitches to right field. It looks like he is trying to take down the right field seats.”

Hrbek might be even closer to McGwire if he had the opportunity to face teammate Blyleven. Blyleven, who yielded a record 50 home runs last season, Sunday gave up a home run to Eddie Murray, the 27th home run ball he’s thrown this season.

Although he pitched his fourth complete game, Blyleven was not sharp. He gave up nine hits, walked four and threw two wild pitches.

“I pitched a no-hitter in the bullpen,” Blyleven said. “In the first inning I gave up a hit and then it got worse before it got better.”

However, Blyleven impressed his catcher, Sal Butera.

“From the fifth inning on,” Butera said, “all he pitched on was guts. He really battled. I tip my hat to him. He wasn’t that sharp.”

Oakland 6, Boston 3--McGwire, who became the first rookie to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star game, and Jose Canseco hit two at Oakland, all three off Oil Can Boyd (1-2).

It was the 80th game for the Athletics, but for McGwire, who was platooned at the start of the season, it was only his 74th game.

Canseco, last year’s rookie of the year, and McGwire hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning. They did the same thing Saturday, only in that game, with a left-hander, Bruce Hurst, pitching, McGwire batted ahead of Canseco.

The Red Sox made certain that McGwire didn’t reach 31. In his last two at-bats, the Red Sox hit the slugging first baseman. When Wes Gardner bounced a pitch off McGwire’s helmet in the eighth, the Athletics, led by Manager Tony LaRussa, charged out of the dugout, but were restrained by the umpires and no punches were thrown.

Only 17 rookies have hit 30 home runs in a season. The major league record is 38 for a season. The American League mark is 37.

Kansas City 4, Toronto 3--It was only a couple of weeks ago that the Blue Jays appeared to be the team to beat in the East. Now everybody’s beating them.

George Brett, pitched to with first base open in the 10th inning at Kansas City, singled in the winning run to hand the Blue Jays their eighth consecutive defeat. The loss dropped the Blue Jays into third place in the East and they trail the New York Yankees by five games.

Left-hander Gary Lavelle was on the mound for the Blue Jays and Willie Wilson was on second with nobody out in the 10th. It was decided to pitch to the left-handed swinging Brett, although he earlier hit a home run. Brett bounced a single up the middle and the Royals remained on top in the West.

Chicago 17, Cleveland 0--By the time Scott Nielsen came out to pitch the bottom of the second at Cleveland, he knew it was a breeze.

The White Sox jumped on Phil Niekro for six runs in the second inning and wound up with 21 hits to win for the sixth time in the last seven games.

The Indians have lost 12 of their last 14 games. In those games they have been outscored, 117-42.

Texas 10, New York 4--The Rangers pounded out seven consecutive hits, including two-run home runs by Larry Parrish and Mike Stanley, in a six-run fourth inning at New York that wiped out a 3-1 Yankee lead.

Rich Bordi, brought out of the bullpen when the Yankees needed a sixth starter because of a doubleheader this Friday, was the victim of the Ranger assault.

Detroit 7, Seattle 5--Chet Lemon hit a solo home run and drove in three runs at Seattle to lead the Tigers to their third straight win and into second place in the East.

The Tigers scored five runs off Mark Langston in the second inning to give Dan Petry a comfortable lead en route to his sixth victory.

It was the first time in 18 starts that Langston failed to pitch at least six innings.