AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Blue Jays’ Guzman Has Control, but Timlin Makes It Interesting

The Toronto Blue Jays know that it will be tough going the last four weeks of the season because they will be playing teams in the American League West.

So they are making the most of their last weekend against a team from their own division, the Cleveland Indians, who are the worst team in the league.

With rookie Juan Guzman giving up two hits in seven innings Friday night at Cleveland, the Blue Jays beat the Indians, 7-4.

Toronto, which remained four games ahead of the Detroit Tigers has outscored the Indians, 20-5, in the first two games of the four-game series.

Guzman had a no-hitter until Mike Aldrete bounced a single up the middle with two outs in the sixth inning. Guzman (6-2) gave way to Mike Timlin after seven innings, and it was almost a disaster.

Before acting manager Gene Tenace could get Tom Henke warmed up, Timlin gave up four runs. Henke and Duane Ward restored order, although the Indians left the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth innings.

“I accomplished two things,” said Tenace, who probably will finish out the season in place of ailing Cito Gaston. “First, I gave myself an ulcer and (second) got some work for the bullpen.

“We had a seven-run lead, and we had some pitchers who needed work. When you’ve got horses like we have, you have to go to them.”

Toronto has won nine out of its last 12 games to build its lead.

Joe Carter, Kelly Gruber, Candy Maldonado and Pat Tabler, all former Indians, led the Toronto offense. They went six for seven in the first three innings, scoring five runs and driving in four.

Detroit 11, Oakland 2--The Tigers, who had been in a slump, came out of it with 14 hits, including Cecil Fielder’s major league-leading 38th home run.

Bob Welch, 27-6 last year, fell to 11-11. He gave up eight runs and five hits before departing with one out in the fourth inning.

Lloyd Moseby and Travis Fryman also homered for the Tigers, making it easy for Walt Terrell (11-10). Terrell, the Tigers’ most consistent pitcher in recent weeks, held the Athletics scoreless for six innings and gave up five hits in eight innings. He is 4-0 in his last six starts.

“I thought this was a very important win,” Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson said. “We hadn’t been hitting. I don’t need to tell you that we need to average five runs. If we don’t, we’re in trouble.”

Boston 6, Seattle 5--The Red Sox had to overcome a grand slam by Dave Valle, a .168 hitter to win at Boston.

The home run helped the Mariners build a 5-3 lead in the fourth inning.

The Red Sox caught up in the sixth, and Tony Pena singled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh after a controversial obstruction call.

Shortstop Jeff Schaefer, after the ball got away from him on a throw to second base, was on top of Boston’s Brunansky. He wouldn’t let Brunansky up, so plate umpire John Shulock invoked the obstruction rule. Brunansky scored on Pena’s single.

Wade Boggs was two for three and raised his average to .339.

Minnesota 3, New York 1--The Twins sent their hot pitcher, Kevin Tapani, to the mound at Minneapolis and moved closer to the championship in the West.

Tapani (14-1) overcame a shaky start to pitch a strong eight innings for his ninth consecutive victory. He is 12-1 since June 1.

Tapani got out of a jam in the first inning with runners on first and third and one out. After giving up a run on two hits in the third, he was practically unhittable.

Rick Aguilera pitched the ninth inning for his 38th save.

Chuck Knoblauch tripled to spark a three-run fourth inning and also doubled. He is batting .357 with 13 runs in his last 19 games.

Knoblauch, a 5-foot-9 rookie, has given the Twins solid play at second base.

“He’s intense, he hustles and he gets good at-bats,” Tapani said. “I’m glad he’s on my side.”

Chicago 11, Texas 6--Bo Jackson went two for four and drove in two more runs at Arlington, Tex., in his fifth appearance for the White Sox.

An error by second baseman Julio Franco on Jackson’s bases-loaded grounder in the sixth inning led to four runs and enabled the White Sox to break it open.

Nolan Ryan, who led 5-4 after five innings, thanks to Franco’s 419-foot home run, wound up with another no-decision.

Ryan pitched five innings, gave up six hits and struck out six.

Baltimore 6, Kansas City 2--Glenn Davis’s double scored Cal Ripken with the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning at Baltimore and Sam Horn followed with a home run to break it open.

After Ripken doubled with one out off Bret Saberhagen (10-8) in the eighth, Davis hit a bouncer down the third-base line that hit the bag and bounded into left field.

Dwight Evans was hit with a pitch before Horn, two or 26 recently, hit his 17th home run.