American League Roundup : Francona Gets to Ryan Again as Rangers Fall

Terry Francona isn’t likely to make baseball’s Hall of Fame, but lately he’s been making life tough for someone who eventually will.

Francona, who broke up Nolan Ryan’s no-hit bid in the eighth inning last week, got three hits Monday night, two off Ryan, as the Milwaukee Brewers snapped the Texas Rangers’ club-record eight-game winning streak with an 8-1 victory at Arlington, Tex.

Rookie Bill Spiers contributed with a grand slam for his first major league home run as the Brewers won their fourth straight.

“I’ll take hits off anybody,” Francona said.

Ryan on Francona: “He hasn’t mastered me yet. He did hit a good pitch for a double tonight, but the second hit he got was a nubber.”

Ryan threw 104 pitches and lasted just five-plus innings, yielding three runs and seven hits, walking six and striking out three. In his previous start, Ryan retired the first 20 Milwaukee batters and went eight innings, allowing only the hit by Francona and striking out 15.

Winning pitcher Bill Wegman scattered five hits in 7 2/3 innings before Dan Plesac came on for his third save.

New York 7, Toronto 2--Andy Hawkins pitched a five-hitter for his first AL victory and Roberto Kelly drove in four runs, three with a ninth-inning triple, as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays at Toronto.

Hawkins, who signed a three-year, $3.6-million contract with the Yankees last December after six years with the San Diego Padres, walked three and struck out three. He started the game with a 15.00 earned-run average after yielding 20 hits and 15 runs in nine innings in his two previous appearances.

It was the Yankees’ first complete game of the season and their third victory in four games after a 1-7 start.

Bob Brower homered for the Yankees, Fred McGriff for Toronto.

Seattle 7, Oakland 2--Henry Cotto hit his first two home runs of the season and rookie Erik Hanson held the Athletics to four hits through eight innings at Seattle.

Cotto’s two-run homer put Seattle ahead, 2-1, in the Mariners’ four-run fourth inning, and he added a solo shot in the seventh. It was the first multiple-home run game of his career.

Hanson walked two and struck out five through eight innings. Jerry Reed pitched the ninth.

Boston 6, Baltimore 4--Mike Greenwell hit a two-run homer as the Red Sox rallied for five runs in the eighth inning at Boston to beat the Orioles.

The Orioles scored two runs in the ninth, but fell short in their bid to win consecutive games on the road for the first time since August, 1987.

Ellis Burks led off the Boston eighth with a triple off Brian Holton, who replaced starter Jose Bautista at the start of the seventh. Greenwell then hit his fourth homer of the season, a 420-foot shot into the bleachers in right-center field.

Jim Rice followed with a single that extended his hitting streak to 11 games.