American League Roundup : The Ranger Bullpen Turns a Ryan Shutout Into a 6-3 Loss to Red Sox

As far as the Boston Red Sox were concerned, they played two games Tuesday night--one against Nolan Ryan and another against the Texas Rangers’ bullpen.

“We didn’t do anything against Nolan, then we looked out there and suddenly he was gone,” Nick Esasky said after Boston rallied with six runs in the eighth inning and beat the Texas Rangers, 6-3, at Boston.

Ryan gave up four hits and struck out six in seven innings. After throwing 115 pitches, the 42-year-old right-hander left with a 3-0 lead.

“He did a great job, but he said he had had enough,” Texas Manager Bobby Valentine said. “A shutout for seven innings, you can’t ask for anything more than that. He knew what he had to do, and the other guys knew what they had to do.”

But Kenny Rogers and Jeff Russell (3-2) gave up four hits in the eighth and errors by second baseman Julio Franco and shortstop Scott Fletcher led to an unearned run.

Rogers walked Jody Reed to start the eighth. One out later, Wade Boggs doubled. Russell then relieved and Greenwell doubled to pull Boston to 3-2.

After Dwight Evans walked, Esasky tripled in two runs and scored when Franco’s throw to third sailed wide, making the score 5-3.

Kansas City 8, Milwaukee 2--Bo Jackson hit his 17th homer of the season in a six-run 11th inning as the Royals beat the Brewers at Milwaukee.

Bob Boone opened the 11th with a double off Mark Knudson (2-3), and pinch-runner Rey Palacios scored the go-ahead run on Frank White’s single.

Kevin Seitzer walked and George Brett hit a two-run double before Jackson homered to center field for a 7-2 lead.

Jim Eisenreich singled, went to second when Pat Tabler walked and scored on Palacios’ single to make the score 8-2.

Tom Gordon (9-2) gave up the tying run in the eighth before pitching two scoreless innings. Steve Farr pitched a perfect 11th.

Minnesota 7, Cleveland 4--Jim Dwyer had his first four-hit game in six years as the Twins defeated the Indians at Cleveland.

Allan Anderson (8-4) gave up six hits in 7 1/3 innings, struck out one and walked one, and Jeff Reardon finished for his 13th save. He relieved with a 4-2 lead and runners on first and third, got Joe Carter on a pop-up and Pete O’Brien on a fly.

Tom Candiotti (7-5) saw his nine-game home winning streak end. Candiotti, who last lost in Cleveland Stadium on June 9, 1988, is 14-3 at home since the start of the 1988 season. He gave up four runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

With the score 1-1 in the third, Dan Gladden singled and Kirby Puckett walked. Dwyer singled in Gladden with the go-ahead run and, one out later, Randy Bush hit a two-run double to make the score 4-1.

Dwyer, who singled in the ninth for his fourth hit, had not had a four-hit game since July 17, 1983, against the Angels.

Chicago 13, New York 6--Dan Pasqua and Harold Baines each hit three-run homers and had four RBIs and 40-year-old Jerry Reuss won his fifth consecutive decision as the White Sox defeated the Yankees at New York.

The White Sox had 17 hits, three each by Dave Gallagher and Ivan Calderon, who tripled, singled, and doubled in his first three at-bats. Pasqua suffered a bruised left elbow in the third inning when he collided with catcher Don Slaught while trying to score and was removed as a precautionary measure.

Reuss, who celebrated his 40th birthday Monday, overcame a three-run first inning to improve to 7-2 and win his 218th career game. He gave up eight hits in five innings, striking out one and walking one.

John Davis, purchased from Vancouver on Monday, worked the last four innings to earn his first save, giving up Slaught’s second homer and Rickey Henderson’s RBI single in the ninth.

Oakland 6, Detroit 4--The Athletics ended a season-high four-game losing streak as pinch-hitter Terry Steinbach’s home run broke a sixth-inning tie at Oakland.

Mark McGwire’s three-run homer tied the game in the third as the A’s ended their longest losing streak since July 5-7 of last season.

McGwire led off the sixth with a double off reliever Brad Havens (0-1) and Steinbach connected one out later for his fourth homer and the first by an A’s pinch-hitter since last June 19.

A crowd of 30,184 pushed Oakland’s season attendance over the one million mark after 33 home dates, the earliest in the team’s history.

Baltimore 8, Seattle 6--Mike Devereaux drove in three runs as the Orioles overcame a five-run deficit and beat the Mariners at Seattle for their fifth consecutive victory.

Seattle scored five runs in the first inning to knock out starter Jeff Ballard, who got only one batter out. But Baltimore scored one run in the third, three in the fourth and four in the fifth to take an 8-5 lead.