American League Roundup : Orioles Do It Easy Way: They Unearn 10th Win

The Baltimore Orioles were unable to score an earned run against Kansas City pitching Friday night, but they still managed to keep their longest winning streak since 1982 alive with a 3-1 victory over the Royals.

In winning their 10th straight, the Orioles scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth for a come-from-behind victory before a home crowd of 41,687 that included Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North.

Kansas City’s pitching staff extended its streak of not allowing an earned run to 28 innings but couldn’t manage a win for the second night in a row.

“It seems like that old thing where the ball bounces well for you when you’re in a good streak,” said Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. “I don’t know if you can make your own breaks, sometimes you need a little help.”

The Orioles received all the help they needed from a pair of Royal errors that led to the three unearned runs in the eighth.

With the Royals leading, 1-0, Larry Sheets opened the inning with only the fifth hit off starter Bud Black.

Black was lifted for Steve Farr, who has blown four of his last five save opportunities. Farr walked Terry Kennedy. He then fielded a bunt by Ken Gerhart, tried for a force-out at third and threw the ball into left field, allowing the tying run to score.

Rookie John Davis replaced Farr and walked pinch-hitter Jim Dwyer intentionally. Then after Billy Ripken forced Dwyer, Cal Ripken hit a line drive to left. Bo Jackson dropped Ripken’s drive, allowing two more runs to score.

Kansas City Manager Billy Gardner, whose team has lost 13 of its last 16, said, “I’m not getting depressed, but it’s just a tough way to go down to defeat. Our pitching has been outstanding, but we just can’t get any runs across.”

Boston 5, Seattle 4--Don Baylor’s sixth-inning homer, his first in more than a month, helped keep the Red Sox (44-52) from dropping 10 games under .500 for the first time in 11 years.

Baylor hit the first pitch of the inning from Lee Guetterman over the left-field wall at Fenway Park to break a 4-4 tie. It was his 15th homer of the season but his first since June 23.

The victory gave the Red Sox a 44-52 record. The last time they were 10 games under .500 was July 30, 1976, when they were 44-54.

Bruce Hurst (11-6) allowed only seven hits, struck out seven and walked one as he tied Kansas City’s Bret Saberhagen for the league lead with 11 complete games.

The Mariners had tied the score at 4-4 in the sixth when John Christensen doubled home Phil Bradley, who had singled. Jim Presley then singled to left, but Jim Rice threw out Christensen at home.

Seattle went on top in the third on a three-run homer by Donell Nixon, his first in the majors.

Texas 6, Cleveland 3--Pete Incaviglia broke an eighth-inning tie with a run-scoring double, and Bob Brower and Larry Parrish hit two-run homers at Cleveland.

Losing pitcher Steve Carlton (5-9) walked Scott Fletcher to open the Ranger eighth. After Ruben Sierra grounded into a fielder’s choice, Incaviglia doubled to right to score Sierra and give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Doug Jones then came on to face Parrish, who hit the first pitch into upper deck in left field for his 22nd home run.

Carlton became only the fourth pitcher in major league history to start 700 games. The 42-year-old left-hander trails Cy Young (818 starts), Don Sutton (727) and teammate Phil Niekro (709). Carlton, who yielded seven hits in 7 innings, has not won a game since June 20, and is 0-5 in his last six starts.

Chicago 5, New York 2--Hot-hitting Harold Baines’ three-run homer and a solo shot by Carlton Fisk powered the last-place White Sox over the first-place Yankees at Chicago.

The White Sox snapped a three-game losing streak and handed the Yankees their third straight defeat, matching their longest losing string of the season.

Baines’ homer was his 16th and third in as many games and extended his hitting streak to 18 games, currently the longest in the major leagues.

Steve Trout incurred his second straight defeat in as many starts since being acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs. He allowed five hits, all five runs, and walked three before leaving the game after pitching to one batter in the seventh inning.

Toronto 8, Minnesota 6--Juan Beniquez and Rick Leach hit three-run homers to lead the Blue Jays to a comeback win over the Twins at Toronto.

The Blue Jays scored seven times in the seventh to overcome a 6-1 deficit in a game delayed by rain three times for a total of two hours and 16 minutes.

Milwaukee 10, Oakland 2--Robin Yount doubled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning, and Steve Keifer’s three-run homer keyed a four-run seventh inning as the Brewers beat the Athletics at Milwaukee.