AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Ryan Can’t Concentrate and Stays at 300

It was not surprising that in his first start after getting his 300th victory, Nolan Ryan had a problem with concentration.

The 43-year-old right-hander didn’t seem to have his mind on the business at hand Sunday night at Arlington, Tex., as the Rangers lost to Toronto, 6-4.

There were times, though, when Ryan, who joined the 300 club last Tuesday at Milwaukee, looked sharp, but for the most part, he was ineffective.

On a muggy night, Manager Bobby Valentine let Ryan (11-5) go the distance and he gave up 12 hits and walked two. The 12 hits was one short of the most he ever gave up in a game. He hit a batter and threw two run-scoring wild pitches. He struck out five.

Ryan quickly fell behind, 3-0, but in the fourth inning, the Rangers scored three times, two runs coming on a homer by Steve Buechele. The Blue Jays, who moved to within 1 1/2 games of first place in the East, took the lead for good in the sixth.

Fred McGriff singled and came all the way home when John Olerud’s liner to right died in the wet grass and went for a double.

The Rangers threatened in the eighth, loading the bases against John Cerutti (8-7) with one out. But bullpen ace Tom Henke ended the threat and earned his 23rd save in 25 opportunities.

There were 41,635 fans, the sixth consecutive Arlington Stadium sellout with Ryan on the mound.

“I concentrated so hard on getting the first 11 (wins) this season,” Ryan said, “that now I don’t seem to have a goal in sight. It would be nice if we were in a pennant race.

“I don’t even know whether I’ll keep pitching after this season.

“I seem to have learned to live with the back problem, but I just don’t know.”

Chicago 6, Milwaukee 1--There’s nothing like having the Brewers around when the White Sox need to snap out of a slump.

They went into Milwaukee for a five-game weekend series with the Brewers on a four-game losing streak and in danger of falling out of the race in the West.

But a sweep in Milwaukee has White Sox talking about a pennant race again.

Jack McDowell and Lance Johnson were the stars as the White Sox completed the series sweep.

McDowell (7-6), the former Stanford star, pitched a five-hitter and Johnson drove in three runs and scored another to give McDowell all the offensive support he needed.

“We were so flat in Boston,” Manager Jeff Torborg said. “But this club has character, the ability to bounce back.

“Who’d expect our pitching staff to look like it does? They’d say, ‘What are you, crazy?’ We had excellent pitching in the series, we ran the bases well and we had clutch pitching.

“The Athletics are going to have to win it, this team isn’t about to quit.”

Johnson, who has driven in 21 runs this season after two were out, had a two-run single with two out in the fourth and tripled in a run in the seventh.

The Brewers have lost a club-record nine in a row. It was the first time they have ever been swept in a five-game series at home.

Seattle 4, Minnesota 0--It took three pitchers to do it, but Brian Harper’s 25-game hitting streak came to an end at Seattle.

It may have been a costly win for the Mariners. Starting pitcher Bill Swift was hit in the head by a line drive hit by Gary Gaetti in the fourth inning.

Although he did not lose consciousness, Swift had to be helped off the field and was taken to the hospital for X-rays and tests.

Harper, who started his hitting streak on July 6, hit into a double play, hit into a force play and flied out twice.

Gene Harris, who replaced Swift, was the winner.

Detroit 7, Boston 2--Dan Petry, who spent Saturday at Fenway Park watching Roger Clemens pitch, learned his lesson well.

Petry (7-7) held the hot Red Sox to six hits in 7 2/3 innings to help the Tigers end a six-game losing streak. The Tigers had also lost 10 in a row at Fenway Park.

“I watched Roger very closely and he was an inspiration,” said Petry after striking out five in his first win in Boston in more than two years. “He just kept fighting and fighting. He made good pitches when he had to. I’m not in his class, but I was more aggressive after watching him.”

Although Mike Boddicker (11-7) lost his fourth in a row, he pitched well. He gave up six hits in seven innings and the three runs he gave up were unearned.

“Mike pitched a great game,” Boston Manager Joe Morgan said. “He’s back.”

Two errors by rookie shortstop Tim Naehring enabled the Tigers to get three unearned runs in the fourth.

New York 5, Cleveland 3--Roberto Kelly has been the brightest spot in an otherwise dismal season for the Yankees.

In this game at Yankee Stadium, Kelly hit a two-run homer with one out in the ninth to give the Yankees the victory. It was the center fielder’s ninth home run.

“I thought the way the center fielder (Alex Cole) jumped, he had caught it,” Kelly said. “I didn’t know it was a home run until the umpire gave the signal.”

Dave LaPoint retired the first 13 Indians before Chris James homered, and had a 3-2 lead after seven innings. The Indians tied it in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Candy Maldonado.

Kansas City at Baltimore--The game was rained out in the second inning at Baltimore, which took away a home run from George Brett.

Brett hit a high fastball from rookie Ben McDonald for what would have been his eighth homer. After facing McDonald last week, Brett said the rookie had the best stuff he had seen all year.