AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Boddicker Shores Up Red Sox in 7-3 Win

Like it or not, Mike Boddicker has become the stopper for the Boston Red Sox.

Still without ailing ace Roger Clemens, the Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak and maintained a one-game lead in the American League East when Boddicker pitched a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Baltimore.

“I really don’t care about any labels or anything like that,” Boddicker said. “If you look at the games in Chicago (a four-game sweep by the White Sox over the weekend), the guys pitched as well as I did. We just didn’t score as many runs or play as well.”

Boddicker (16-8) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings and is 4-0 against the Orioles. In relief, Larry Andersen pitched two hitless innings and Jeff Gray worked the ninth.

Boston’s last victory, 6-1 over Milwaukee last Wednesday, also was pitched by Boddicker, who has won his last five decisions.

“He’s our stopper now,” Dwight Evans said.

Tony Pena scored three runs and had two runs batted in for the Red Sox, who had 12 hits and stayed ahead of Toronto, a 6-4 winner over New York.

The Orioles, who have lost four straight and 17 of 23, became the second team in the division to be mathematically eliminated.

The Red Sox used two walks around Luis Rivera’s single to load the bases in the third against rookie Ben McDonald (7-5), and sacrifice flies by Evans and Wade Boggs made it 2-0.

Boston extended its lead to 5-0 in the fourth. Kevin Romine drew a one-out walk, Mike Marshall doubled, Romine scored on a wild pitch and Pena doubled Marshall home. Pena scored on an error by third baseman Leo Gomez.

Toronto 6, New York 4--Kelly Gruber hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and the Blue Jays kept the pressure on Boston by beating the Yankees at Toronto for their fourth consecutive victory.

A crowd of 49,902, Toronto’s 62nd sellout of the season and 55th in a row, helped the Blue Jays set a major league attendance record with 3,635,821. The old mark of 3,608,881 was set by the 1982 Dodgers. The Blue Jays have five home games left.

The Blue Jays erased 3-0 and 4-3 deficits against rookie Steve Adkins, making his second major league start, and pinned the loss on Eric Plunk (5-3) with their run in the seventh. Manny Lee added a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Toronto won for the 14th time in 18 games.

John Cerutti (9-9) got the victory in relief of Todd Stottlemyre, allowing a walk in one inning. Duane Ward and Tom Henke each pitched an inning, with Henke getting his 29th save. He struck out the side in the ninth, getting pinch-hitter Steve Balboni with two runners on base to end the game.

Jesse Barfield hit his 24th homer for the Yankees.

Before the game, the Blue Jays obtained left-handed pitcher Bud Black from the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitcher Mauro Gozzo and two players to be named.

Chicago 7, Oakland 0--Melido Perez pitched a five-hitter and Frank Thomas hit a two-run homer as the White Sox won their fifth consecutive game by winning at Oakland.

Oakland’s lead in the West is nine games over Chicago, and the A’s magic number is seven.

The White Sox won their fourth in a row at the Oakland Coliseum. Chicago swept the A’s in a three-game series at the Coliseum June 22-24 and leads the season series, 7-4.

Perez (13-14), who lost six of his previous eight decisions, struck out eight and walked three in pitching his third shutout. Scott Sanderson (16-10) gave up all seven runs runs, four of them earned, and allowed seven hits in five innings.

Texas 10, Seattle 4--Rafael Palmeiro had five hits to jump back into the AL batting race as the Rangers routed the Mariners at Seattle.

Palmeiro is hitting .3247, third in the league behind Kansas City’s George Brett (.3254), who moved into the lead while taking the night off, when Oakland’s Rickey Henderson (.3251) went hitless in two at-bats.

Pete Incaviglia drove in five runs in the first two innings--two on a double in the first and three with his 22nd homer in the second.

Bobby Witt (16-9) won for the 13th time in his last 14 decisions.

Cleveland 4, Milwaukee 2--Steve Olin, making his first pro start after scheduled starter Black was traded, gave up two runs in seven innings as the Indians defeated the Brewers at Cleveland.

Kansas City 1, Minnesota 0--Steve Farr gave up four hits in seven innings for his third win in four starts since coming out of the bullpen, and Bo Jackson drove in the only run with a sixth-inning single to push the Royals past the Twins at Minneapolis.