Major League Roundup : Striking Back, Deer’s Homer Defeats Twins

Milwaukee’s Rob Deer has been having his problems, so things didn’t look good when he stepped to the plate Monday night with two out in the bottom of the ninth and the Brewers trailing by a run.

Deer already had struck out three times in four at bats.

But after fouling off four pitches, Deer hit a two-run home run off Minnesota’s Jeff Reardon to give the Brewers a 5-4 victory over the Twins at Milwaukee.

“It was a fastball on the outside part of the plate and I just wanted to hit it hard,” Deer said. “I just didn’t want to strike out to end the game.”

Minnesota took a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth when Dan Gladden homered and Kent Hrbek hit a sacrifice fly off reliever Dan Plesac.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Gary Sheffield singled and took second on Robin Yount’s slow grounder to short.

Deer’s homer was his fifth of the season.

“I got it up and away and he hit it where you’re supposed to hit it,” Reardon said. “I tried to throw my best pitch and he hit it.”

New York 6, Cleveland 3--Rickey Henderson drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single during a four-run fourth inning at Cleveland and the Yankees beat the Indians for their seventh victory in 10 games.

Dave LaPoint (2-1) got the victory, allowing three runs on five hits in six-plus innings. Lee Guetterman pitched 2 1/3 innings and Dave Righetti got the last two outs for his second save.

Bud Black (0-3) took the loss.

Detroit 1, Seattle 0--Doyle Alexander pitched a seven-hitter for his 18th career shutout and Torey Lovullo hit a sacrifice fly as the Tigers beat the Mariners at Detroit.

Alexander (3-0) walked five and struck out none.

Loser Mark Langston (2-3) gave up five hits, walked three and struck out four in seven innings.

Oakland 5, Toronto 4--Tony Phillips hit a two-run double in the ninth inning and the Athletics beat the Blue Jays at Oakland for their sixth straight victory.

Toronto’s Jimmy Key was rolling along with a 4-1 lead when Terry Steinbach, who singled home the A’s first run in the sixth, hit a two-run homer in the eighth. Tom Henke (1-2) replaced Key to start the ninth, gave up a double to Luis Polonia and walked Stan Javier before Phillips hit his double.

Oakland’s Gene Nelson (1-0), in his first appearance since coming off the disabled list, pitched the ninth inning after Dave Stewart struggled through seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks. Stewart, who won his first four starts, also hit a batter and threw two wild pitches.

Toronto’s Fred McGriff hit a two-run homer in the third and added a run-scoring single in the seventh. McGriff scored the other run for the Blue Jays on Nelson Liriano’s single in the second.

Philadelphia 8, Houston 4--Tommy Herr got three hits and scored three runs at Houston as the Phillies beat the Astros.

Greg Harris pitched four innings of one-hit relief for the victory.

Houston starter Jim Clancy, an 11-year American League veteran who came to the Astros in the off-season, got his first major league hit in the second inning but was removed when he suffered a strained left hamstring while running to first.

Glenn Davis, who hit his fifth home run in the seventh inning, drove in three runs for the Astros.

San Diego 5, Atlanta 2--Carmelo Martinez had three hits, including a home run, and scored two runs as the Padres beat the Braves at Atlanta.

Walt Terrell (2-2) allowed six hits in seven innings before Mark Davis relieved for his ninth save in nine chances.

Dale Murphy broke up Terrell’s shutout when he homered with two out in the sixth. Murphy’s home run--his sixth hit in two days--was his fourth of the season.