AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Bit Moore Help for the A’s, 5-3

As if they need any help, the Oakland Athletics may have received the boost that could take them to their third consecutive pennant.

Mike Moore, who has looked like anything but the 19-game winner he was last season, went over .500 for the first time this year as the A’s beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3, Thursday night at Oakland.

The A’s maintained their two-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the West.

Moore (8-7) gave up six hits in eight-plus innings, walked six and struck out three. Rick Honeycutt yielded a three-run homer to Rob Deer in the ninth and Dennis Eckersley got the final two outs for his 27th save, tying for the major league lead with Bobby Thigpen of the White Sox.

Milwaukee scored 32 runs in its previous two games, overcoming seven- and six-run deficits.

Ted Higuera (6-3), who had a four-game winning streak against Oakland, lost to the A’s for the first time since May, 1987. He retired the first nine batters but was knocked out after 4 1/3 innings, yielding six hits and four runs.

Rickey Henderson walked to start the Oakland third and took third on Willie Randolph’s double. Jose Canseco hit a two-run single, took third on Dave Henderson’s groundout and scored on Felix Jose’s sacrifice fly.

Walt Weiss doubled to lead off the Oakland fourth and scored on Rickey Henderson’s single. Dave Henderson’s RBI single in the seventh made it 5-0.

Milwaukee loaded the bases with none out in the second on Dave Parker’s infield single and walks to Greg Brock and Greg Vaughn. But Moore got out of the jam by getting B.J. Surhoff, Deer and Bill Spiers to hit consecutive pop flies.

Texas 11, Detroit 1--Ruben Sierra matched a career high by driving in five runs and the Rangers won their fifth consecutive game by routing the Tigers at Detroit.

Kevin Brown (11-6), Craig McMurtry and Jamie Moyer combined on a six-hitter for the Rangers. Brown, who had five complete games in his six previous starts, gave up six hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked one.

Jack Morris (8-10), who pitched a one-hitter in his last start, gave up seven runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Morris, 6-2 in his previous eight starts, had given up seven runs and 11 hits in 24 innings over his previous three games.

Texas broke open the game with five runs in the fourth inning on Sierra’s three-run homer, his 12th, and Kevin Reimer’s two-run homer. John Shelby’s error, and both scored as Sierra hit the Rangers’ first three-run homer since May 9.

Tony Phillips singled home Chet Lemon in the Detroit fifth.

Cleveland 5, Seattle 4--Mitch Webster’s two-run double with two out in the ninth inning lifted the Indians to a victory over the Mariners at Seattle.

Mike Schooler (1-1) walked Carlos Baerga and Jerry Browne with two out in the ninth before Webster delivered. It was Schooler’s fourth blown save in 27 chances.

Rudy Seanez (2-1) got the victory by getting two outs in the eighth. Doug Jones pitched a one-hit ninth for his 24th save.

Sandy Alomar Jr. homered for Cleveland.