American League Roundup : Key Returns to Pitch Blue Jays Past Orioles, 5-1

The Toronto Blue Jays have good reason to be optimistic and not just because they are only a half-game out of first place in the American League East.

The best news for the Blue Jays is that Jimmy Key is back. Key, a liability most of this season after being the Blue Jays’ most dependable pitcher for four years, came off the disabled list to start Saturday night at Baltimore.

Key (8-13) was shaky in his first appearance in more than two weeks, but he settled down to pitch the Blue Jays to a 5-1 victory over the stumbling Orioles.

The left-hander, who was 57-30 in the previous four seasons, gave up hits to the first two batters he faced but only two more hits in seven innings.

Before being sidelined with an inflamed rotator cuff, Key had lost six games in a row and had not won since June 21.

“In the first couple of innings, I felt good,” Key said. “But I was falling behind hitters, and they jumped on me. Going in, my thinking was not to be too fine in the first couple of innings, and they took advantage of it. Later in the game, I was able to make much better pitches. I’m encouraged.

“I told (Manager) Cito (Gaston) after six that I could give him one more inning. It made no sense to stay in any longer the first time off the DL, especially when we scored those runs in the eighth inning.”

Bob Milacki (7-11) was the losing pitcher despite retiring the first 12 batters. It was the third consecutive game in which he went into the fifth inning with a no-hitter and lost.

A walk to Fred McGriff and a run-scoring double by Ernie Whitt tied the score in the fifth, and Lee Mazzilli’s sacrifice fly put Toronto ahead to stay.

The Orioles, who led the division by 7 1/2 games a month ago, lead Toronto and Milwaukee by just a half-game. The Blue Jays lead the Brewers by .001.

The Blue Jays also received encouragement from the performance of reliever Tom Henke, who pitched two shutout innings in relief of Key.

Henke seems to have turned it around in the last 10 days. In his last six appearances, he has pitched 10 scoreless innings, struck out 16 batters and earned three saves.

Boston 3, Milwaukee 1--Greg Harris had made only one previous appearance in Milwaukee’s County Stadium, and it was a disaster.

On Easter Sunday in 1987, Harris, then a reliever for Texas, was brought in to protect a 4-1 lead. He gave up a three-run homer to Rob Deer, then a two-run homer to Dale Sveum to lose the game.

This was a different performance. Harris gave up just one hit in four innings and won his first game for the Red Sox when Ellis Burks hit a bases-loaded single in the 14th inning.

While ending the Brewers’ eight-game winning streak and preventing them from taking first place, the Red Sox ended a six-game losing streak.

“It was a terrible Sunday (in ‘87),” Harris recalled. “I was just hoping for a chance to come in and pitch well.”

Oakland 5, Minnesota 4--After building an early 4-0 lead at Oakland, the Twins dropped two balls in the late innings and lost.

Rickey Henderson beat out a bunt in the eighth inning. He stole second base and tried to steal third. Umpire John Shulock called Henderson out, but third baseman Gary Gaetti dropped the ball. Henderson scored the tying run on Jose Canseco’s grounder.

In the 10th, right fielder Randy Bush dropped Walt Weiss’ fly ball for a two-base error, and Carney Lansford followed with a game-winning single.

Mark McGwire, Dave Parker and Henderson hit solo home runs for Oakland. McGwire’s homer, his 22nd, was his first ever against the Twins.

Detroit 5, New York 4--The switch in managers hasn’t put a dent in the Yankee problems, so to speak.

Gary Pettis bounced a two-run single off the glove of Yankee second baseman Steve Sax with two out in the eighth inning at Detroit as the Tigers won their second game in a row.

The Yankees have lost both games since Bucky Dent replaced Dallas Green as manager Friday.

Yankee reliever Dave Righetti had a 4-3 lead with two out in the eighth when the Tigers loaded the bases for Pettis.

Jack Morris (3-10) went the distance to win for the first time since May 12. Morris gave up a two-run homer to Jesse Barfield in the second inning, then settled down.

Texas 7, Chicago 6--The Rangers’ ninth-place hitter, Steve Buechele, had two doubles and a single, scored two runs and drove in two runs at Chicago.

Buechele, who hit a three-run home run in Friday’s victory, helped provide Bobby Witt (10-10) with a 7-3 lead, but the Rangers barely withstood the White Sox rally.

Kansas City 13, Seattle 5--Jim Eisenreich hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, and Bo Jackson hit his 25th home run and drove in four runs in this victory at Seattle.

The Royals, who are 4 1/2 games out of first place, have won five games in a row.