AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Tiger Bullpen Keeps Scoreless Streak, 4-2

They aren’t exactly household names, but the members of the Detroit Tigers’ relief corps are keeping the team afloat.

Paul Gibson and Bill Henneman went three scoreless innings Saturday at Toronto to save a 4-2 victory for Bill Gullickson.

The shutout innings extended the Tiger bullpen’s earned-run scoreless streak to 36 1/3 innings since April 12.

During that span the relievers have won two games, saved three and lost one when errors contributed to two runs in the ninth inning Monday and John Cerutti lost, 5-4.

“In my 21 years as manager,” Sparky Anderson said, “I have never seen anything like it. You realize that’s four nine-inning games?

“These guys have been our savior. We haven’t been scoring runs. We’ll be good when the bats start to come around.”

Henneman, who has won 39 games in relief and saved 59 in four seasons with the Tigers, is probably the best known of the bullpen group. During the streak he has pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up four hits. He won two and saved another.

But the three left-handers, Gibson, Jerry Don Gleaton and Cerutti, have been solid, too. And Dan Petry, normally a starter, contributed 6 1/3 innings to the streak April 17.

Tony Phillips had two hits, including his third home run, to spark the Tigers.

Gullickson (2-0) went into the seventh having given up only an unearned run. He left after giving up a double to John Olerud.

Although Olerud eventually scored on a sacrifice fly, Gibson retired all five he faced, three on strikeouts. Henneman took over with two outs in the eighth. His only blemish while getting four outs was a walk to Olerud in the ninth.

Boston 6, Kansas City 4--Kirk Gibson is fallible after all. The former Dodger had been coming through nearly every time his new club, the Royals, needed a hit.

Tom Bolton had held the Royals to four hits and a run in six innings and the Red Sox led, 6-1, going into the bottom of the ninth at Kansas City.

But the Royals rallied for three runs and had two runners on base when the hot-hitting Gibson came up. Jeff Reardon struck out Gibson, who had hit six home runs in 13 games, to end the game.

“It was an interesting ending,” Bolton said. “I was almost afraid to look.”

Milwaukee 5, Baltimore 2--Don August gave up one run in 6 1/3 innings at Baltimore for his first victory since September of 1989.

Jim Gantner doubled in two runs for the Brewers and Gary Sheffield added a two-run single in the ninth.

Going into the game August, who was 0-3 last year and 0-2 this season, had an earned-run average of 13.50. Cal Ripken’s fifth homer was the only run August gave up.

Chicago 14, New York 9--The White Sox spotted the Yankees a 4-0 lead at Chicago.

Former Yankee Dan Pasqua hit two home runs to lead a 20-hit White Sox attack that enabled them to remain in first place in the West.

Pasqua also had two other hits and drove in four runs.

Yankee pitching had held the opposition to two runs in New York’s previous two games.

Minnesota 7, Seattle 2--Kent Hrbek and Brian Harper hit two-run home runs at Minneapolis and the Twins won their fourth in a row.

Kevin Tapani (2-0) gave up six hits in eight innings.

The Twins have won six of seven after losing seven in a row. The Mariners have lost four in a row after winning eight.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his second home run and a single for the Mariners.

Texas 4, Cleveland 1--Juan Gonzalez, recently off the disabled list, broke an eight-inning tie at Arlington, Tex., with a two-run double in the eighth inning.

Gonzalez suffered a knee injury in spring training and played his first game Friday night, going one for four.

Cleveland’s run came on Jeff Manto’s first home run of the season, in the fifth inning.