American League Roundup : Blue Jays Fall, 10-3; Orioles a Game Back

Roger Clemens is not having a Cy Young season, but he has shown several pennant contenders lately that he still is a tough, hard-throwing right-hander.

Clemens (16-10) gave up three runs on nine hits in eight innings Wednesday night at Toronto to pitch the Boston Red Sox to a 10-3 victory and further tighten the race in the American League East.

The Blue Jays, unable to shake the stubborn Baltimore Orioles, have only a one-game lead with nine games remaining.

It was the fifth consecutive game in which Clemens faced a pennant contender. Although his record is only 3-2 in those starts, he has pitched impressively.

In 40 innings, he has given up only nine earned runs and has struck out 41 batters.

Dwight Evans hit a home run and drove in three runs, and Wade Boggs emerged from a slump to get a pair of run-scoring singles.

Boggs was two for 29 going into the game, the slump having cost him all chance at winning his fifth consecutive batting title.

“We’re trying to be spoilers,” said Evans, who had two singles in addition to his 19th home run. “Truthfully, there isn’t much satisfaction in that.”

Evans needs to hit one more home run in Boston’s last 10 games to finish with 20 or more home runs in nine consecutive seasons.

The Blue Jays lost more than a game. George Bell, who has sparked the late surge, left the game in the fifth inning complaining of a sore right elbow.

“We just have to forget about tonight and worry about Milwaukee on Friday,” Toronto’s Ernie Whitt said. “The bats are going to have to come around. We hit some balls harder tonight than we have recently, but we have to do better.

“Jimmy (Key) didn’t have it tonight, so we were in trouble early. But remember, we’re still in first place.”

Baltimore 9, Detroit 2--The Orioles seem to have only two reliable starting pitchers, but the team is almost unbeatable when Bob Milacki and Jeff Ballard pitch.

With Mickey Tettleton providing the power at Baltimore, Ballard won his 18th and the amazing Orioles kept the pressure on the Blue Jays.

Ballard, who has lost seven, gave up five hits, but only one earned run in seven innings to win handily.

Tettleton hit his 25th home run and drove in four runs. Tim Hulett had four of Baltimore’s 17 hits.

It was the first time since Aug. 20 that the Orioles won when the Blue Jays lost.

The Baltimore hitters seem to support Ballard. “It sure makes it easier when they get you out in front early,” Ballard said. “It just seems some of the other guys aren’t as lucky. They pitch when our bats are silent.”

With eight runs in this game the Orioles have scored 197 runs in Ballard’s 33 starts. It’s an average of 5.97 runs per start. For the rest of the staff they have averaged only 4.01 runs.

Texas 3, Seattle 2--Maybe he won’t get the most valuable player award because the Rangers haven’t had a big year, but hardly anyone has had a finer season than Ruben Sierra.

Sierra hit a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the seventh inning at Arlington, Tex., to increase his league-leading RBI total to 113.

Mike Jeffcoat (9-5) gave up two runs in eight innings and Jeff Russell picked up his 36th save. The Rangers have won four in a row.