AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Slumping Athletics Lose Fifth Game in Row, 3-2

A week ago, the Oakland Athletics were rolling with a seven-game winning streak. Now, the three-time defending American League champions are in their worst slump since 1988.

Oakland lost a fifth consecutive game for the first time in three seasons as Greg Gagne hit a tie-breaking single in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 3-2 victory Monday night.

Reliever Joe Klink walked Scott Leius with two out. Chuck Knoblauch singled him to second and Gagne singled to right, driving in Leius.

Oakland, which has seven players on the disabled list, took a 1-0 lead with two out in the third inning on Dave Henderson’s single. It was his league-leading 16th run batted in.

Minnesota went ahead 2-1 in the fifth on run-scoring singles by Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. The A’s tied the score in the seventh on Mark McGwire’s double and Ernest Riles’ single. Larry Casian relieved Tapani, picked off Riles before throwing a pitch, then retired the side in order.

Boston 6, Toronto 4--The Red Sox played long ball at Fenway Park, using home runs by Tom Brunansky, Wade Boggs and Ellis Burks to win their fifth consecutive game.

Toronto took a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning before Boston rallied. Brunansky’s second home run of the season pulled the Red Sox to within a run in the fourth and Boggs hit a go-ahead homer in the fifth. Burks hit his first homer of the season in the eighth.

Boston starter Danny Darwin left after the first batter of the fourth inning because of irritation and tendinitis behind his right shoulder. Darwin was signed as a free agent last winter for $11.8 million over four years.

Cleveland 10, Kansas City 4--The Indians, averaging 1.9 runs a game, broke out against the Royals with 19 hits at Cleveland.

The Indians scored six runs in the fourth when Joel Skinner and Jerry Browne hit two-run singles and Chris James hit a two-run homer off reliever Luis Aquino.

Rookie Charles Nagy pitched six perfect innings before faltering in the seventh. Jim Eisenreich led off the seventh with a line-drive double to right that landed just inside the foul line.

Detroit 10, New York 5--Cecil Fielder’s two-run double broke a 5-5 tie in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium and Rob Deer hit a three-run homer as Tigers won for the fifth time in six games.

Alan Trammell led off inning with a pinch-double and took third when Greg Cadaret threw late on Tony Phillips’ sacrifice. Trammell was thrown out at the plate trying to score on pinch-hitter Lloyd Moseby’s grounder, but a wild pitch by Steve Farr put runners on second and third.

After Lou Whitaker walked intentionally, Fielder sliced a double to right that bounced into the stands. Fielder’s third hit of the night gave him 14 RBIs in 12 games, and Deer homered with two out.

Chicago 8, Baltimore 7--Frank Thomas hit the first home run for the White Sox in new Comiskey Park, a two-run shot in the fifth inning, as they rallied to beat Oriole ace Ben McDonald at Chicago.