A’s Maintain Their Lead; Royals Fall Back : Eckersley Regains Form for Oakland

Tony Phillips delivered a big hit, Storm Davis won his 18th game and the Oakland Athletics retained their 2 1/2-game lead in the American League West.

But the big story in the Athletics’ 8-6 victory Wednesday night at Cleveland was that Dennis Eckersley restored order to the bullpen.

Eckersley, guilty of throwing home-run balls that twice prevented Dave Stewart from getting his 20th victory, pitched a perfect ninth for his 30th save.

Rickey Henderson opened the game with his 12th home run of the season, the record 40th time he has done it, five this year.

Phillips hit a bases-loaded triple that capped a five-run rally in the sixth inning that brought the A’s from behind to a 7-3 lead.

A faulty defense prevented it from being an easy victory for Davis (18-7). Davis faced only one batter in the sixth before Manager Tony LaRussa went to his bullpen.

The Athletics made three errors and set the Indians up for four unearned runs to make a game of it. The big error was by shortstop Mike Gallego, which helped the Indians to three unearned runs in the seventh.

The A’s were fortunate they didn’t have to go up against the Greg Swindell of early in the season. Since his elbow injury, Swindell is 0-3 with a 10.30 ERA. Before the injury he was 13-3, but he hasn’t won in two months.

Henderson, in addition to his home run, walked to start the winning rally in the sixth, then stole second and third and scored the tying run. He walked, stole two more bases and scored in the seventh. His four steals increased his major-league lead 73.

“If I weren’t a teammate of Rickey’s, I would pay to watch him play,” Phillips said. “We’re on the bench when he starts his running game, yelling ‘Rickey rally, Rickey rally.’ He’s a rally in himself.”