American League Roundup : Athletics Finally Get It Right Against Blue Jays

Baseball managers live and die with the idea that right-handed batters hit left-handed pitchers better than left-handed batters do.

If they are correct, how do they explain the Oakland Athletics? Although Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire and most of the other A’s hitters bat right-handed, they have proved to be extremely vulnerable to left-handers.

After getting only one run and eight hits in two games against left-handers, the Athletics, with Canseco driving in three runs, beat the Toronto Blue Jays and their right-handed ace, Dave Stieb, 4-1, Saturday at Oakland.

Thursday night, Mike Flanagan held the American League West leaders to six hits in a 7-1 victory. Friday night, Jimmy Key shut them out on two hits as Oakland fell to 15-14 against left-handers.

“I like our lineup against left-handers,” Oakland Manager Tony La Russa said. “But there are some good left-handers around. Neither Flanagan nor Key gave us a whole lot to hit.”

The hitting of Canseco and the relief pitching of Dennis Eckersley gave Oakland a 40-22 record against right-handers.

Storm Davis (7-4) gave up six hits in seven innings and departed with a 4-1 lead. The Athletics brought in Eckersley with runners on second and third and nobody out in the eighth. Eckersley retired six consecutive batters, two on strikeouts, to earn his 27th save.

The Athletics were scoreless for 19 innings before Luis Polonia singled home a run in the third inning to tie the score, 1-1. Canseco’s two-out, two-run double put the Athletics in front to stay.

Boston 7, Kansas City 6--Maybe it won’t last, but interim Manager Joe Morgan has apparently revived the Red Sox’s spirits.

They spotted the Royals and their hottest pitcher, Mark Gubicza, a 6-0 lead at Boston, then battled back to win.

The Red Sox chased Gubicza with a four-run sixth inning, and Dwight Evans tied the score with a two-run home run in the eighth.

Kevin Romine won it in the ninth with his first major league home run.

“At first, I wasn’t sure,” Romine said. “I took a couple of steps toward first and saw it hit the (left-field) net, and boy, I felt real good.”

Morgan is 3-0 as Boston manager.

Chicago 7, New York 4--Old-timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium belonged to the youngest player on the field, White Sox rookie Melido Perez.

In 90-degree weather and high humidity, Perez, 22, the younger brother of Pascual Perez, scattered six hits over six innings as the White Sox provided him with a 6-0 lead.

Perez (9-5) wilted in the seventh and served up a pinch grand slam to Jose Cruz, but Bobby Thigpen, the top White Sox reliever, came on for his 19th save.

“It was my first game at Yankee Stadium, and I was excited,” Perez said. “I tried hard to keep my mind on the game. But it got pretty hot in the seventh.”

Perez beat Tommy John, 45, the oldest pitcher in the majors. John (7-3) gave up 3 runs and 6 hits in 5 innings.

There were 48,102 on hand to pay tribute to former Yankee stars. They gave their biggest cheer to recently fired manager Billy Martin.

Minnesota 4, Baltimore 3--The Twins did it with the long ball at Baltimore. Kirby Puckett hit a two-run home run, and Greg Gagne and Gary Gaetti also homered. It was Gaetti’s 21st.

Fred Toliver pitched seven innings to record his first American League victory. Jeff Reardon got the last four outs for his 25th save and kept the Twins four games behind Oakland in the West.

Milwaukee 4, Texas 3--Robin Yount had a home run and two singles and drove in two runs at Arlington, Tex., to lead the Brewers to their sixth win in a row.

Odell Jones, although he threw only two pitches, got his fourth win without a loss. Dan Plesac pitched the ninth and earned his 24th save.

Cleveland 8, Seattle 2--Joe Carter and Ron Washington each drove in three runs at Seattle as the Indians ended a six-game losing streak. Bud Black (4-3) and Doug Jones combined on a five-hitter, Jones earning his 24th save.