AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Brunansky’s Two Homers, 7 RBIs Lead Red Sox

When Boston obtained Tom Brunansky from the St. Louis Cardinals for Lee Smith, it appeared that both teams had made a good move.

The Cardinals needed a reliable relief pitcher and the Red Sox needed a right-handed power hitter who could take advantage of the Green Monster in left field at Fenway Park.

From the moment he joined them, Smith has done the job for the Cardinals.

It took a little longer for Brunansky. His first nine games for the Red Sox were on the road.

But Saturday, in his second game at Fenway Park, Brunansky lived up to the Red Sox’s hopes. He went five for five, including two home runs, and drove in a career-high seven runs in a 13-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Brunansky doubled in a run in a five-run first inning in support of Roger Clemens (6-2). Clemens, who has lost only to the Oakland Athletics’ Dave Stewart this season, gave up five hits in seven innings. Clemens is 11-1 against the Twins, who had won five of their last six. Brunansky hit a two-run home run over the left-field wall in the fourth, an RBI single in the fifth and a three-run home run in the seventh.

After going hitless in four at-bats Friday night, Brunansky, who started in the American League with the Angels in 1981, was batting .237 with his new team.

“I had chances to drive in some runs (Friday) night and didn’t do it,” Brunansky said. “I had something to make up for. This is my best day by far at this level.”

Before joining the Red Sox, Brunansky had played 32 games at Fenway, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 22 runs.

“Brunansky did just what we want from him,” Manager Joe Morgan said. “Maybe even a little more today.”

New York 5, Kansas City 4--Steve Sax was heading home from the moment Don Mattingly hit his double in the 11th inning at New York. If he had hesitated, Sax would have been out.

Despite a fine relay from right fielder Willie Wilson and second baseman Terry Shumpert, Sax beat the tag by catcher Mike Macfarlane to score from first base.

The Royals argued, but replays showed that Sax beat the tag.

Yankee relief pitcher Dave Righetti had seven saves in seven previous chances, but he couldn’t retire a batter in the ninth while trying to protect a three-run lead. Jim Eisenreich’s two-run single tied the score.

Mike Witt, obtained from the Angels in the Dave Winfield deal, went six innings, giving up three hits and an unearned run in his first start for the Yankees.

Cleveland 4, Seattle 3--Jerry Browne doubled and scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning at Cleveland and Doug Jones got his 14th save.

Jones, who lost a chance for a save Wednesday when he gave up a home run to Mark McGwire, retired all six he faced.

Jones has saved 14 of the Indians’ 19 victories.

Oakland 9, Milwaukee 1--Dave Stewart overcame a 93-minute rain delay at Milwaukee to hold the Brewers to four hits in six innings and become the league’s first seven-game winner.

Stewart (7-1) is 11-1 against the Brewers. He joins Frank Viola of the Mets and Jack Armstrong of the Reds as seven-game winners.

The Brewers committed three errors in the fourth inning and the Athletics took a 6-0 lead.

Detroit 6, Chicago 4--Lou Whitaker got his first hit in 22 at-bats, a two-run home run, and Gary Ward drove in three runs at Chicago as the Tigers won their fifth consecutive game.

Frank Tanana (3-2), although he gave up 10 hits, including Ivan Calderon’s home run, went seven innings and is 26-13 against the White Sox.

Jack McDowell (1-3) was removed in the sixth when the Tigers scored three runs.

Texas 5, Baltimore 3--Charlie Hough retired 18 of the first 19 he faced at Baltimore and the Rangers ended their five-game losing streak.

The Orioles’ only baserunner through Hough’s six innings was Mickey Tettleton, who singled with two outs in the second. Tettleton hit a three-run homer in the seventh to end Hough’s bid for a shutout.

Pete Incaviglia hit his sixth home run and Rafael Palmeiro drove in two runs for Texas.