American League Roundup : A’s Keep Their Distance, Beat Royals, 2-1

Consistency is what has made the Oakland Athletics the best team in the league over the past two seasons.

Dave Parker doubled home Tony Phillips with two out in the eighth inning Wednesday night at Kansas City to give the A’s a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

The victory prevented Oakland from losing three games in a row for the first time since last August and ended the Royals’ six-game winning streak. The A’s increased their AL West lead to 2 1/2 games over Kansas City.

“I’m not surprised we haven’t lost more than two in a row,” said Dave Stewart (11-2), who went 7 2/3 innings and tied San Francisco’s Rick Reuschel for the major league lead in victories.

“We have the kind of pitching staff that can hold the other team’s offense down. And as far as I’m concerned, it seems like this team always makes great plays when I’m on the mound.”

Parker scored Oakland’s other run when he singled in the fourth, took third on Mark McGwire’s double and scored on a wild pitch by Charlie Leibrandt (4-7).

Leibrandt gave up seven hits in 8 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out one.

“What you saw was classic Parker,” Oakland Manager Tony La Russa said. “What I had always heard about Dave Parker was with the game on the line he’s going to give you a hell of an at-bat.”

Stewart gave up seven hits and Rick Honeycutt retired the last four batters for his fifth save.

Kansas City’s George Brett doubled with two out in the third, advanced on Stewart’s wild pitch and scored on Bo Jackson’s single to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.

Jackson doubled with one out in the eighth and Brett, trying to score from first, was out at home on a relay from left fielder Luis Polonia to shortstop Mike Gallego to catcher Terry Steinbach.

New York 2, Baltimore 1--Ken Phelps’ bases-loaded fly ball into a dense fog fell for a two-run single in the ninth inning, giving the Yankees a the victory over the Orioles at Baltimore.

Rookie Bob Milacki, who blanked the Yankees on three hits in his only other career start against them last Sept. 28, took a six-hit shutout into the ninth.

But the Yankees loaded the bases with one out on Jesse Barfield’s single, a walk to Steve Balboni and Don Slaught’s single.

Phelps hit a drive to left that Phil Bradley lost in the fog and it landed on the warning track, scoring Barfield and pinch-runner Wayne Tolleson.

Lee Guetterman (1-0), the third of four New York pitchers, gave up four hits in 2 2/3 innings and pitched out of trouble in the sixth, seventh and eighth. Dave Righetti picked up his 10th save after giving up two hits in the ninth, including Bradley’s pop fly that right fielder Barfield lost in the mist.

Cal Ripken singled home Baltimore’s run in the sixth.

Detroit 7, Boston 3--Matt Nokes, who had only one hit in his last nine games, went 4 for 4 and Lou Whitaker hit his 15th home run as the Tigers beat the Red Sox at Boston.

Frank Tanana (6-6) gave up two runs and eight hits in eight innings for his 194th career victory as the Tigers ended a three-game losing streak with their third victory in the last 13 games.

The Tigers tagged Mike Boddicker (3-6) for five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Whitaker put Detroit ahead, 1-0, with his homer in the fourth. One out later, Nokes doubled and scored on Pat Sheridan’s single.

Nokes also had a single in the second, an RBI single in the sixth and singled again in the eighth to set up a run-scoring single by Sheridan, who had three hits.

The Red Sox have not won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak May 23-24-25.

Chicago 3, Cleveland 1--Jerry Reuss blanked the Indians on three hits in seven innings and Daryl Boston hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning at Chicago as the White Sox won their first series since mid-May.

Reuss (6-2), who turns 40 next Monday, won his fourth consecutive decision and his third straight start after four relief appearances. He walked one and had no strikeouts.

Bobby Thigpen worked the last two innings for his 12th save, giving up an unearned run in the ninth.

Cleveland’s Tom Candiotti (7-4) gave up eight hits and three runs in 7 2/3 innings.

Chicago’s Dan Pasqua tripled in the second and scored on Greg Walker’s grounder.

Minnesota 10, Seattle 8--Brian Harper’s two-run single capped a three-run rally in the seventh inning and the Twins beat the Mariners at Minneapolis for their fourth consecutive victory.

Jay Buhner hit a two-run home run to give Seattle an 8-7 lead in the seventh, but Kirby Puckett led off the bottom of the inning with a homer off reliever Tom Niedenfuer (0-3).

Juan Berenguer (3-3) earned the victory by pitching 2 2/3 innings. Jeff Reardon pitched a hitless ninth for his 12th save.

Buhner drove in five runs with three hits. He had a two-run single in the first inning and an RBI double in the fifth.

Toronto 6, Milwaukee 1--Dave Stieb held the Brewers to four hits in seven innings and the Blue Jays won at Milwaukee to increase their winning streak to four games.

Stieb (6-3), who pitched 16 scoreless innings in two starts against Milwaukee last season, had a shutout until Terry Francona hit his second home run of the season in the fifth inning.

Toronto’s Pat Borders hit a two-run single off Bill Krueger (2-1) in the first inning. Bob Brenly drove in two runs for the Blue Jays with a single in the third and his first home run in the seventh.