AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Eckersley Falters and A’s Lose First Road Game

Just when it appeared that the Oakland Athletics might not lose a game on the road all season, they let one get away in the ninth inning Friday night at Boston.

Reliever Gene Nelson didn’t get the job done and the Red Sox ended the A’s eight-game road winning streak, 7-6.

The Athletics, with Mike Norris doing an effective job in relief and Mark McGwire hitting a two-run homer, held a 6-4 lead. When Norris walked Jody Reed and gave up a single to Mike Greenwell to start the ninth, Nelson entered the game.

Nelson got Dwight Evans to hit into a fielder’s choice, but Tony Pena, who already had three hits, singled in a run. An infield out put runners on second and third with two out.

Ellis Burks then singled to right-center, driving in Pena and Randy Kutcher to win the game.

Burks, off to a poor start, had been dropped to seventh in the batting order.

“When you get a hit in a situation like that,” Burks said, “it improves your confidence. I just tried to meet the ball and I looped one out there that fell safely. It was a thrill.”

Pena, one of the top hitters in the American League, has hit safely in 15 consecutive games.

Milwaukee 9, Detroit 6--Greg Brock is leaving no doubt that he has made a complete recovery from knee surgery.

Brock drove in three runs at Detroit and the Brewers moved ahead of Toronto into first place in the East.

The Brewers, who won for the eighth time in nine games, gave Jack Morris a difficult time. Morris (2-2) is 0-6 against the Brewers in his last seven starts. He gave up 10 hits and seven runs in five innings.

Paul Molitor, getting a chance to bat for the first time this season after recovering from a thumb injury, had two hits to help spark the Milwaukee attack.

Chicago 6, Toronto 1--Greg Hibbard gave up just two hits in eight innings at Chicago and the White Sox knocked the Blue Jays out of first place in the East.

Hibbard did not give up a hit until the fifth inning when Glenallen Hill led off with a single and scored on a two-out single by Junior Felix.

The Blue Jays had beaten the White Sox seven times in a row, six of them at Chicago.

Hibbard said he learned a lesson from losing Sunday at Cleveland.

“I was using my fastball in and out more this time,” he said. “Before the game I huddled with my catcher, Carlton Fisk. He kept telling me I really wasn’t that bad Sunday. I feel pretty good about this effort.”

Cleveland 7, Minnesota 2--The Indians used three two-run home runs to help Bud Black (2-0) win at Cleveland.

Black, despite getting hit in the leg with a line drive in the fourth inning, took a shutout into the ninth.

But Fred Manrique, who hit the line drive that struck Black, and Kirby Puckett hit back-to-back home runs to chase the left-hander.

Joey Belle’s first home run of the season made it 2-0 in the second inning. Carlos Baerga and Candy Maldonado homered in the fifth inning.

Seattle 4, Baltimore 3--It was not so long ago that the Mariners rarely won on the road. After winning at Baltimore, they are one of only three teams in the league with a winning record away from home.

Dave Valle hit a two-run homer and Erik Hanson allowed only three hits in eight innings to improve his record to 2-0.

Texas 7, Kansas City 6--If Eckersley isn’t the best closer in the league, Mark Davis of the Royals probably is.

Davis faltered Friday night, but it wasn’t exactly his fault. Ruben Sierra’s line drive was misjudged by left fielder Pat Tabler, and the Rangers scored four times in the ninth inning to beat the Royals.