American League Roundup : Welch Pitches Athletics to a Not-So-Trivial Win Over Kansas City, 6-0

In due time Bob Welch will be the answer to the trivia question, “Who won the game in which Nolan Ryan recorded his 5,000th strikeout?” But for now, the former Dodger right-hander is the stopper on the star-studded Oakland Athletic pitching staff.

The Athletics had lost three in a row, were in danger of losing their one-game lead in the American League West and were going up against the charging Royals and sizzling rookie Tom Gordon Sunday at Kansas City.

Welch restored order, just as he did last Tuesday when he beat Ryan, holding the Royals to six hits in eight innings as the A’s snapped their losing streak with a 6-0 victory.

Welch (15-7) extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings by winning his fourth consecutive start. He outpitched Gordon, who gave up a three-run home run to Rickey Henderson. Gordon (16-5) had won five in a row.

The rookie right-hander gave up three runs in the second inning, then retired 16 consecutive batters before giving up two walks and Henderson’s 10th home run. It was the first homer for the Athletics with more than one runner on base since July 18.

The Royals, who had won 11 out of 12, slipped to 3 1/2 games behind the Athletics, but in winning two of three from the A’s and Angels served notice it is a three-team race in the West.

“We’re in a heck of a baseball race,” Welch said. “It’ll be a dogfight to the end. This was definitely a big win for us. It cut off a losing streak and came against a team that was playing excellent baseball. I’m just glad I could give them a big game.”

Welch drew the praise of Manager Tony La Russa. “He’s on a roll,” La Russa said. “He made a lot of quality pitches. We’ve been in this situation before when we needed a big game and he’s given it to us.”

Manager John Wathan was not at all downhearted by the loss.

“We put the feeling in their minds that we’ll have to be reckoned with,” he said. “We showed Oakland and California we’re going to be tough to beat down the stretch.” Boston 7, Detroit 1--Ellis Burks hit a grand slam at Boston and the Red Sox won their sixth in a row, but the joy was tempered by an injury to Wes Gardner.

Gardner suffered a possible cheekbone fracture when Mike Brumley hit him in the face with a line drive in the fifth inning.

Although he walked off under his own power, he was taken to a hospital. When the swelling goes down X-rays will be taken.

It was the fifth bases grand slam for Burks, who hasn’t had three full seasons in the majors.

Baltimore 8, New York 5--A couple of weeks ago the Orioles had a handful of challengers to worry about. Now they have one.

Catcher Bob Melvin hit his first home run in more than a year and added a triple at New York as the Orioles completed the demise of the Yankees.

Bob Milacki (9-11) survived a rocky start to pitch the Orioles to their fourth victory in the five-game series and drop the Yankees, once a contender, 13 1/2 games out of first place in the East. The Yankees, mired in sixth place, have only 30 games remaining.

Melvin, who tripled in a run in the seventh, wanted to talk about Milacki, who went the distance.

“He pitched a great game,” he said. “He didn’t deserve to give up five runs. It was my fault. I called for too many fastballs.”

Toronto 5, Milwaukee 4--The Blue Jays are the team the Orioles haven’t been able to shake. With George Bell on a hitting binge, the Blue Jays are 1 1/2 games out of the lead.

Bell, in extending his hitting streak to 18 games, hit a two-run triple to climax a five-run fifth inning at Toronto that gave the Blue Jays their sixth consecutive victory. By sweeping the three-game series, the Blue Jays have dropped the Brewers into fourth place, 6 1/2 games behind the Orioles.

Greg Brock’s two-run home run climaxed a third inning rally that gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead. A bases-loaded infield hit by hot-hitting Mookie Wilson got the Blue Jays on the scoreboard in the fifth, then Kelly Gruber doubled.

Center fielder Robin Yount got to Bell’s long high fly, but he couldn’t hold it and the Blue Jays were in front, 5-3.

Most of the season Toronto fans have been booing Bell. Not anymore. They cheer his every move.

“George is going real well right now and he’s been a big part of our success lately,” Gruber said. “Those are the things we expect of him.”

Chicago 9, Cleveland 3--The White Sox swept the three-game series at Cleveland and probably ended any hopes the Indians had of winning the East.

Catcher Ron Karkovice hit a grand slam to cap a six-run third inning that turned the game into a rout and dropped the Indians 9 1/2 games out of first place.

Minnesota 8, Seattle 5--John Moses had two hits in a seven-run fifth inning rally at Minneapolis and the Twins handed the stumbling Mariners their 11th defeat in a row. The Twins won their fifth in a row and moved above .500.