Baseball Roundup : Reuss Improves to 6-2 as White Sox Win, 3-1

Is Jerry Reuss the Chicago White Sox’s pick-me-up? Who would have thought it?

After bouncing around with the Dodgers, Angels, Cincinnati Reds and Nashville Sounds of the American Assn. in 1987, Reuss has become a breath of fresh air in the Windy City for an otherwise down team.

Thursday night at Milwaukee, Reuss pitched the White Sox to a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers for his fourth straight win. Reuss, who worked 7 innings, allowed 1 earned run, improved his record to 6-2 and dropped his earned-run average to 2.71.

Reuss, who has 204 wins in his 20 major league seasons, allowed 6 hits and walked only 1 while striking out 3. Bobby Thigpen, making his American League-leading 33rd appearance, pitched 2 innings for his 13th save.

Milwaukee starter Chris Bosio, who won 5 of his first 7 decisions, dropped to 6-7.

Kansas City 9, Oakland 5--The streaking Royals, 13 games back on June 1, cut the Athletics’ lead in the American League West to 4 1/2 games as pitcher Mark Gubicza won his fourth consecutive game and Pat Tabler drove in four runs at Oakland.

The Royals have won 6 straight and 13 of their last 14, including all 6 games with the A’s. Oakland has lost 4 in a row and 9 of 11.

Kansas City had 17 hits, the most this season against Oakland, to support Gubicza (9-5). Reserve infielder Brad Wellman had his first four-hit game, and Tabler, starting at first base in place of George Brett, out with a bruised right hand, had three singles.

The Athletics, who made several lineup changes, benched third baseman Carney Lansford, whose average had dropped from a league-leading .402 to .366 with a 6-for-38 slump.

Toronto 13, Detroit 5--Ernie Whitt went 4 for 5 and drove in 4 runs to lead the Blue Jays’ 15-hit attack at Detroit.

Mike Flanagan (6-4) allowed five hits and struck out a season-high seven batters in eight innings for the win.

Detroit starter Jack Morris (6-8) gave up six hits, six earned runs and three walks before leaving with two outs in the third, his earliest exit of the season.

The Tigers, who entered the game as the major leagues’ best defensive team with only 30 errors, had 5 miscues.

Baltimore 8, Boston 4--Jim Traber had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, and the Orioles walked 10 times against 4 Red Sox pitchers to win at Baltimore.

Houston 7, Cincinnati 4--Glenn Davis hit a pair of two-run homers off Mario Soto, who lost his fifth straight game, and Mike Scott allowed five hits in eight innings before leaving with a strained left hamstring at Cincinnati, as the Astros moved within a game of the Dodgers in the National League West.

Scott (8-2) slipped while coming off the mound after Chris Sabo hit a run-scoring grounder to third base. He will be examined today.

Davis has 4 hits in his last 34 at-bats, but all have been home runs. His first homer ended an 0-for-7 slump and was only his second hit in 23 at-bats.

Davis has 15 home runs, one shy of league leaders Will Clark of San Francisco and Andres Galarraga of Montreal. The 4 RBIs moved Davis into a tie with Pittsburgh’s Bobby Bonilla for the league lead with 52.