AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Gonzalez’s 3 Homers Carry Rangers, 5-4

As a rookie last season, Juan Gonzalez started fast and closed at a snail’s pace.

The Texas Rangers’ center fielder hopes to reverse that in his second season, but the 22-year-old Puerto Rican might be starting his stretch drive a little early.

Gonzalez hit three home runs Sunday night at Arlington, Tex., the last a two-run shot in the eighth inning that brought the Rangers from behind for a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Gonzalez hit solo shots off Scott Erickson in the second and fourth innings to give the Rangers the early lead. But a three-run home run by Kent Hrbek in the sixth gave the Twins a 4-3 lead.

Kevin Reimer opened the eighth with a single and Gonzalez tagged Mark Guthrie with an opposite-field drive over the right-field fence to give Bobby Witt his seventh victory.

Gonzalez’s first home run cleared the center-field fence. The last two were to right. He has three hits against Erickson, all of them home runs.

Gonzalez hit 27 home runs and drove in 102 runs last season. But in the last 33 games he had only one home run and nine runs batted in because of an aching back.

He gave up winter ball and spent the off-season on an exercise program. At 6 feet 3, he gained 20 pounds and is now 230.

Gonzalez, who is hitting .266, has 12 home runs.

The word last year was that Gonzalez didn’t like off-speed pitches.

“They were fooling me for a while,” Gonzalez said. “But I worked hard and they don’t fool me as much. Also, my back has stopped hurting.”

Manager Bobby Valentine wasn’t there to see the last home run. He was ejected in the sixth inning for objecting to ball and strike calls.

Chicago 6, Oakland 1--Charlie Hough’s knuckleball baffled the Athletic sluggers and halted the White Sox’s skid.

Hough, 17-8 against the Athletics, pitched a three-hitter at Chicago to end the Athletics’ five-game winning streak.

It was only the second win in the last 12 games for the White Sox, who had lost four in a row.

Robin Ventura had three hits, including a homer for Chicago.

Kansas City 4, Seattle 1--It was time for celebrating in Kansas City. When the Royals lost 16 of their first 17 games, they appeared destined to spend the entire season in the Western Division cellar.

Kevin McReynolds had two hits and drove in a run and rookie Rick Reed pitched brilliantly in relief. The Royals pulled into a tie with the Angels for fifth.

Reed, recently promoted from Omaha, was brought in to replace Mike Boddicker, whose arm stiffened during the third inning. Reed gave up five hits and an unearned run in 6 2/3 innings.

Reed was signed by the Royals when Pittsburgh released him because he refused to accept a minor league assignment.

Baltimore 7, Toronto 1--Rookie Mike Mussina and the Ripken brothers, Cal Jr. and Billy, put the Orioles back in first place in the Eastern Division.

Mussina (7-1) gave up six hits in 7 2/3 innings at Baltimore and the Ripkens provided the offense.

Cal had three run-scoring singles and has a hit in 16 consecutive games. Billy hit his second homer.

The decisive hit came during the fifth inning shortly after Dave Stieb (3-5) thought he had struck out Cal to end the inning. Stieb was walking to the dugout with a 1-1 tie when he realized umpire Ted Hendry had called a ball. Ripken singled in the tie-breaking run, Glenn Davis doubled and Randy Milligan singled to give the Orioles a 5-1 lead.

Boston 4, Cleveland 0--Joe Hesketh and Danny Darwin combined for the victory at Boston.

It was only the Red Sox’s third victory in the last nine games and first during that span when Roger Clemens wasn’t pitching.

Hesketh (2-3) gave up four hits in 6 1/3 innings for the victory.

New York 6, Detroit 5--Jim Leyritz brought the Yankees from behind with a two-run home run in the fifth inning at New York.

Mickey Tettleton’s grand slam in the top of the inning had given the Tigers the lead.

Although he gave up eight hits, walked six and gave up five runs in six innings, Melido Perez (5-4) was the winner.