American League Roundup : Rookie Johnson, 29, Again Proves Valuable for Oriole Staff, 6-1

The Baltimore Orioles have found a surprise stopper. He is Dave Johnson, a 29-year-old rookie right-hander.

Johnson got his second consecutive complete game victory Sunday as Baltimore beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-1.

Craig Worthington hit a two-run home run and Johnson pitched a six-hitter as the Orioles increased their lead in the East to 2 1/2 games.

The performance gave a lift to a struggling team that had used up its pitching staff in a 13-inning loss to the Red Sox 13 hours earlier.

As their lead in the East faded, the Orioles brought Johnson up from Rochester and started him Aug. 1 at Boston. Although he had impressive minor league statistics, his only previous chance in the majors came with Pittsburgh in 1987. He pitched 6 1/3 innings of relief, all in games already out of hand, and had an earned-run average of 9.95 before being shipped back to the minors.

Johnson was shelled in his debut. But when the Orioles gave him another chance at home against Minnesota last Tuesday, he went the distance for a 6-1 victory, giving the bullpen a needed rest.

“This is the time we needed a complete game,” pitching coach Al Jackson said. “We used seven pitchers last night. He saved us.”

Johnson, a Baltimore native, pitched at Memorial Stadium in a high school all-star game when he was 18. He and his wife live in a trailer park in Baltimore.

“Usually, when I return to Baltimore, I get a job driving a truck until spring,” Johnson said. “Now I go to work at the ball park. My wife and I look at each other two or three times a day, and its like we don’t realize what’s happening. Nothing could be better than this.”

Boston Manager Joe Morgan, who used to drive a snowplow in the off-season, was impressed.

“He did a great job,” he said. “He had a lot of stamina. It looked like he was out of gas a couple of times, but he kept going.”

The Red Sox split the four-game series. Wade Boggs, their best hitter, went three for 20.

Milwaukee 5, Cleveland 4--Among the teams in a position to challenge the Orioles in the East, the Brewers have shown the most signs that they are capable of making a run.

Although the usually reliable Dan Plesac failed to hold a lead in the ninth at Cleveland, the Brewers came back to win in the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Robin Yount.

It was the fifth victory in the last six games for the Brewers, putting them in a three-way tie for second with Toronto and Boston, 2 1/2 games behind.

Plesac, who had saved 14 games in a row, was upset when two singles and a sacrifice fly by Brad Komminsk tied the score in the ninth.

Kansas City 8, Toronto 3--Royals Jose Tartabull and Bo Jackson hit home runs at Kansas City, but the go-ahead run came when Brad Wellman scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Rookie Tom Gordon pitched a strong seven innings and when the Royals scored four times in the seventh, his record improved to 14-4.

New York 9, Minnesota 7--About the time it appears the Yankees are done, they manage to stay alive in the East.

They trailed, 7-3, going into the eighth inning at Minneapolis. But Steve Sax singled to start a four-run rally that tied the score, then walked to begin a ninth-inning uprising that won it.

New York’s Jesse Barfield singled in two runs in the eighth and doubled home two in the ninth.

Chicago 6, Seattle 4--Carlton Fisk drove in four runs at Seattle and hit the White Sox’s first home run this month.

Fisk hit a three-run homer in the fourth, but it was Ozzie Guillen’s single in the eighth that broke a tie.

Detroit 4, Rangers 2--Lou Whitaker’s tie-breaking two-run single with two out in the ninth inning gave the Tigers a win over the Rangers in Arlington, Tex.

With two out, Mike Brumley singled off reliever Kenny Rogers, 2-2, who was replaced by Texas relief ace Jeff Russell. However, Brumley stole second and Russell walked Gary Pettis and hit Dave Bergman with a pitch to load the bases. Whitaker singled to center on a 1-2 pitch.