AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : 2nd Homer of Career a Big One for Munoz

Pedro Munoz a slugger? Definitely not, but the rookie is making progress.

His first-inning grand slam Wednesday night at Minnesota helped the Twins move within a game of their longest winning streak ever and into second place in the American League West. It was the Twins’ 11th consecutive victory, 6-3, against the New York Yankees.

Munoz now has two home runs to show for his 149 major league at-bats.

“I was surprised when I hit it so far, but I knew I hit it good,” Munoz said. “I was thinking about a base hit, but it was a great feeling when it went out.”

The victory, which moved the Twins a half-game ahead of the Angels and kept them two games behind the division-leading Oakland Athletics, is one short of the Minnesota mark set from Sept. 19-Oct. 3, 1980, and the second longest in the major leagues this season. The Texas Rangers won 14 in a row last month.

Allan Anderson (4-4) won his third start in a row for the first time since September 1989 and remained perfect in his career against New York. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits while striking out four and walking none in raising his career mark against the Yankees to 5-0.

Steve Bedrosian worked the final 1 1/3 innings for his third save.

New York, with Jeff Johnson (0-2) taking the loss, got two home runs--in consecutive at-bats--and three RBIs from Jesse Barfield.

Oakland 3, Detroit 1--Terry Steinbach and Jose Canseco hit home runs and three Athletic pitchers combined for a three-hitter at Oakland.

Starter Mike Moore (8-4) gave up one hit in six innings--a sixth-inning single to Lou Whitaker--but came out after loading the bases in the fifth and sixth innings, walking five batters, all on 3-and-2 pitches.

Moore, who threw 126 pitches, needed 67 in the fifth and sixth innings, which took 1 hour 12 minutes to complete.

Steve Chitren gave up two hits in 1 1/3 innings, including a two-out, solo home run to Milt Cuyler in the seventh. Dennis Eckersley pitched the final 1 2/3 innings--striking out four of the last five batters he faced--for his major league-leading 18th save.

Tiger starter Frank Tanana (3-6) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before giving up Steinbach’s home run, his fourth. Tanana gave up two runs--the second coming on Canseco’s 11th homer--and four hits in six innings, walking five with two strikeouts.

Toronto 1, Cleveland 0--Toronto rookie Mike Timlin, making his first major league start, allowed only one infield hit in six innings as the Blue Jays won at Cleveland.

The Timlin (5-3) who jumped from double A to the majors this year, walked two and struck out six, combining with three other pitchers on a two-hitter. Neither hit by Cleveland--which has scored two runs or fewer in nine of its last 10 games and been shut out eight times this season--left the infield.

Tom Candiotti (7-4) was the latest victim of the Indians’ anemic offense, losing despite allowing three hits--including Joe Carter’s first-inning RBI single--in his third complete game. Candiotti matched his season high with nine strikeouts and walked two while lowering his ERA to 2.15.

Rookie Bob MacDonald worked one inning, yielding a bunt single by Carlos Baerga. Jim Acker pitched two-thirds of an inning and Tom Henke got the final four outs for his ninth save.

Kansas City 9, Baltimore 8--Danny Tartabull had two home runs, including the decisive shot in the 10th inning, and a career-high six RBIs in leading the Royals at Baltimore.

The Orioles had rallied from an 8-1 deficit before Tartabull hit the first pitch of the 10th inning by Mark Williamson (0-2) over the left field wall for his 10th home run. Baltimore has lost four in a row and seven of nine.

Mark Davis (2-1) got the last two outs of the ninth inning and Jeff Montgomery pitched the 10th to earn his 12th save.

Texas 4, Chicago 2--Ruben Sierra hit a bases-loaded triple and the Rangers, despite getting only two hits off former teammate Charlie Hough, won at Texas.

Hough (3-3), facing the Rangers for the first time since he was let go after 11 seasons in Texas, pitched his second complete game. He struck out nine but walked eight, both season highs.

After his third-inning triple, Sierra scored on Julio Franco’s sacrifice fly for a 4-2 lead. Hough helped Texas by walking three batters in the inning.

John Barfield (3-1), summoned from the bullpen for only his fourth big league start, allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings.

Seattle 5, Boston 3--Ken Griffey Jr. homered and drove in three runs and Jeff Schaefer drove in two runs with his first major league triple as the Mariners completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox at Seattle.

Bill Krueger (3-2) lost his bid for his first complete game since Oct. 2, 1985 in the ninth inning. The Red Sox got an RBI double by Wade Boggs off Krueger and a run-scoring single by Phil Plantier off reliever Bill Swift before Rob Murphy and Mike Jackson came in to get the last three outs.

Greg Harris (2-6) allowed the Mariners six hits before leaving the game in the seventh inning.