American League Roundup : Anderson Gets Win as Twins Rout Tigers, 14-0

Frank Viola isn’t the only good left-hander pitching for the Minnesota Twins. Allan Anderson is also developing into an outstanding pitcher.

Anderson posted a 16-9 record last season and led the American League with a 2.45 earned-run average.

He received a solid raise, but is not nearly in the class of Viola, who is involved in a contract dispute with management and is pitching poorly.

Viola, 24-7 last season, is 0-2 this year. Anderson, on the other hand, is 2-0.

With the Twins’ bats booming for him again, Anderson breezed to a 14-0 victory over the slumbering Tigers Tuesday at Detroit.

Anderson, a 12-2 winner in his first start this season, gave up seven hits in seven innings, while the Twins unloaded on Jack Morris and successors for 19 hits, including a grand slam by Carmen Castillo in an eight-run eighth inning.

It was the Twins’ 12th consecutive victory over the Tigers, and Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson didn’t even try to explain why.

“Every day you come to the park you think you’re going to win,” he said. “But they have beaten us 12 straight and rather easily. That’s a great team. They can play baseball and they enjoy playing. I enjoy watching them play.”

Anderson the manager admires Anderson the pitcher.

“He’s so easy,” Sparky said. “You watch him and he keeps the ball off the middle of the plate. Once he gets two strikes on you, you’re done. You don’t lead the American League in ERA--especially in that ballpark they play in--if you’re not able to pitch.”

In some ways, Allan Anderson said, it’s nice to get runs early, but in other ways it’s not.

“Early in the game, with us already ahead,” he said, “I wasn’t aggressive. They got most of their hits off my changeup and off-speed curve. I went back to being aggressive and showing them my fastball. From then on, I let them know I was coming at them.”

Morris, bombed in both starts, gave up eight hits and four walks before leaving with the bases loaded and two outs. In two outings, he’s pitched 11 2/3 innings, giving up 14 hits, nine runs and walking seven.

Toronto 11, New York 6--Shortstop Manny Lee’s ninth-inning error at New York helped the Yankees send the game into extra innings, but Lee made amends in the 10th.

With the bases loaded, he tagged Dave Righetti for a two-run single. Before the Blue Jays stopped, they had a five-run inning and went on to hand the Yankees their seventh consecutive defeat.

Both Lee and second baseman Nelson Liriano committed two-out errors in the ninth to enable the Yankees to overcome a 6-4 deficit.

Fred McGriff started the Blue Jays’ winning rally with a single. Earlier, the Toronto first baseman hit two home runs.

Lee is filling in at short for Tony Fernandez, who suffered a fractured cheekbone in a beaning and will be out for six weeks.

“After the error, I was just hoping to get a chance to make amends,” Lee said.

Kansas City 6, Baltimore 5--Bo Jackson and George Brett each hammered two-run home runs at Kansas City and Danny Tartabull hit a solo home run.

The Royals have beaten the Orioles in 15 consecutive games. Ironically, the Orioles set the major league record in 1969-70 when they beat the Royals 23 times in a row.

Floyd Bannister was the winner, but he left with a 6-3 lead in the eighth with a runner on base. Joe Orsulak hit a pinch two-run home run to make it close. But Steve Farr pitched the ninth to earn his second save, striking out all three batters he faced.

Chicago 8 Seattle 6--Steve Lyons hit a two-run homer off Mariner reliever Tom Niedenfuer with two out in the ninth inning as the White Sox won at Seattle.

After Billy Jo Robidoux doubled with one out, Niedenfuer (0-1) struck out Ron Kittle, but Lyons hit the first pitch for his first home run. Eddie Williams followed with a double and scored on Ron Karkovice’s single.