AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Baines Drives in 7 Runs as A’s Win, 12-7

Harold Baines’ three-run home run and two-run double highlighted a 10-run third inning as the Oakland Athletics overpowered the Seattle Mariners, 12-7, Tuesday night at Oakland.

Baines drove in seven runs, which tied his career high. Oakland’s 12 runs tied its season high against the Angels last Friday.

Rickey Henderson led off the third with a single off starter Randy Kramer. Jerry Browne walked and Baines followed with his two-run double, giving Oakland a 2-1 lead.

Mark McGwire hit his 24th home run of the season, bringing in Baines, before Terry Steinbach grounded out and Carney Lansford popped out.

Walt Weiss walked and Mike Bordick doubled, Weiss scoring on left fielder Dave Cochrane’s errant throw to make it 5-1.

Dennis Powell replaced Kramer, but he hit Lance Blankenship and walked Henderson. Browne drove in Bordick and Blankenship with a single before Baines hit his sixth homer of the season.

Chicago 7, Cleveland 1--Jack McDowell gained his 10th victory of the season with an eight-hitter and Robin Ventura drove in three runs with a two-run double and a single to lead the White Sox at Chicago.

McDowell (10-3) handed the Indians’ their fourth consecutive defeat as he walked three and struck out three in his fourth complete game of the season. Cleveland’s run came in the ninth on Mark Lewis’ run-scoring single.

Ventura singled home a run in the first and doubled in two more in a three-run fourth as the White Sox earned their fourth consecutive victory. Tim Raines had three hits, scored twice and drove in three runs.

“We had our chances to score,” said Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove. “They got the hits in crucial situations. (McDowell) didn’t have his best stuff, but he kept the ball down and caught some breaks. When you give a pitcher like that a five-run lead, it’s tough to come back.”

Detroit 11, Boston 7--Cecil Fielder’s hit the fourth grand slam of his career, and home runs by Mickey Tettleton and Skeeter Barnes helped the Tigers defeat the slumping Red Sox at Detroit.

Boston has lost six consecutive games.

Fielder hit his 14th home run of the season to key a seven-run fourth inning. It was his first slam since Oct. 3, 1991.

Tettleton, who hit his 17th homer leading off the second, started the fourth inning with a double and scored on Barnes’ first homer. Milt Cuyler hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Tony Phillips for a 5-5 tie.

Kansas City 2, New York 1--Hipolito Pichardo stopped the Yankees on four hits for 6 1/3 innings in the longest outing of his career to lead the Royals at Kansas City.

Pichardo (2-3) struck out four and walked one to win his first game in his last six starts. Rusty Meacham and Jeff Montgomery finished for Pichardo, who started the season at double-A Memphis and whose previous best start went six innings.

The Yankees scored in the eighth inning when Andy Stankiewicz singled, Roberto Kelly was hit by a pitch and Montgomery gave up a run-scoring single to Don Mattingly.

Melido Perez (7-5) gave up single runs in the first and the sixth. Kansas City scored just once in the sixth despite loading the bases with no outs.

Perez, who was on a three-game winning streak, gave up eight hits, struck out three and walked four.

Keith Miller tripled and scored on Gregg Jefferies’ single in the first inning. George Brett doubled leading off the sixth inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly.

Baltimore 7, Milwaukee 1--Cal Ripken continued his hitting tear with two home runs and Jose Mesa got his first victory in three weeks as the Orioles beat the Brewers at Milwaukee.

Ripken, 23 for 47 during an 11-game hitting streak, hit a solo home run in the fifth inning off Jaime Navarro and added a three-run homer, his 10th of the season, off James Austin in the seventh.

Mesa (3-7) had dropped five of his previous six decisions and had only four wins in his last 26 starts. But he allowed only three hits in five innings to get his first win since May 30. He was replaced in the sixth inning by Storm Davis, who went four innings for his second save of the season.

The Orioles moved to within one-half game of first-place Toronto in the American League East. The Blue Jays were rained out at Texas.