AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Rangers, Ryan Rack Up Win for New Boss

The Texas Rangers backed Nolan Ryan with two five-run innings in their first game under interim Manager Toby Harrah, a 14-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night at Arlington, Tex.

Harrah was named the Rangers’ interim manager earlier in the day when Bobby Valentine was fired.

Ryan won his third consecutive decision after an 0-3 start. He gave up seven hits, struck out eight and walked two in seven innings.

Cleveland starter Scott Scudder (6-8) lasted 1 2/3 innings. He walked the first two batters, then gave up a three-run homer to Ruben Sierra and solo shots to Kevin Reimer and Brian Downing.

Juan Gonzalez singled home two more runs in the second, and Dean Palmer’s second grand slam of the season capped another five-run outburst in the fifth.

Toronto 4, Oakland 3--Candy Maldonado drove in the winning run with a two-out, ninth inning single at Toronto as the Blue Jays notched their eighth consecutive victory.

It was the Oakland’s third consecutive loss, and the A’s are 0-5 against the Blue Jays this season.

Roberto Alomar led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off Rich Gossage (0-2), who walked Joe Carter intentionally and retired Dave Winfield and John Olerud. But Maldonado lined Gossage’s first pitch into left field and Alomar scored from second.

Tom Henke (3-1) picked up the win despite allowing the tying run in the top of the ninth. It was only his second blown save in 17 chances.

Mike Bordick doubled off Henke and Joe Carter booted the ball in right field, sending Bordick to third. Walt Weiss’ sacrifice fly tied the score.

Toronto went ahead, 3-2, in the seventh when Olerud’s single off first baseman Carney Lansford’s glove scored Carter.

Toronto’s Jack Morris pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits.

New York 7, Seattle 6--Mike Stanley’s grand slam highlighted a six-run first inning for the Yankees at New York.

Scott Kamieniecki (2-6), who was winless in his nine previous starts, gave up a three-run homer to Edgar Martinez in the first.

But Randy Johnson (5-9) was wild and also was hurt by poor fielding in the bottom of the inning, when the Yankees got the six runs with only one hit.

Johnson lost his sixth in a row, aiding the Yankees’ rally with four walks and a hit batter. An error by second baseman Harold Reynolds made all six runs unearned.

Johnson walked Mel Hall with one out in the first and Don Mattingly was safe on Reynolds’ error with two out. Tartabull and Jim Leyritz walked, forcing in the first run and Johnson hit Charlie Hayes with a pitch to make it 3-2.

Johnson, who threw 49 pitches in the inning, went to a full count before Stanley hit his third homer of the season and third career grand slam to put the Yankees in front, 6-3.

Danny Tartabull hit his fifth homer in seven games and 11th of the season to give the Yankees a 7-3 lead in the second.

Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. led off the eighth with his 15th homer.

Baltimore 4, Minnesota 2--Arthur Rhodes, helped by successive homers to open the game, got his first major league victory as Orioles won at Baltimore.

Rhodes, recalled from triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, gave up two runs, six hits, struck out four and walked two in 7 2/3 innings against the best-hitting team in baseball. Alan Mills finished for the first save of his career.

The Twins are 17-5 in their last 22 games.

It was Rhodes’ first appearance of 1992. In eight starts last year, he was 0-3 with an 8.00 earned-run average. In his lone outing against the Twins last season, he gave up seven runs in three innings of a 14-3 loss.

The Orioles gave the 22-year-old left-hander some early support when Brady Anderson, named to the AL All-Star team earlier in the day, hit the first pitch from Scott Erickson (6-6) for his 15th homer. Mike Devereaux followed with his 13th.

It was only the 17th time in AL history that a team has opened the game with consecutive homers. The last time was in June 1988, by the Orioles.

Kansas City 3, Milwaukee 2--Wally Joyner doubled home the winning run for the Royals in the eighth inning at Milwaukee, and Kevin McReynolds hit his 12th homer.

Steve Shifflett (1-0), the third Kansas City pitcher, earned his first major league victory with one inning of scoreless relief. Jeff Montgomery blanked the Brewers over the final two innings for his 20th save in 22 opportunities.

McReynolds homered in the fourth inning off Chris Bosio (6-5), after George Brett singled, giving the Royals a 2-1 lead.

The Brewers, who stranded 12 runners, tied it in the seventh when Robin Yount’s sacrifice fly scored Darryl Hamilton.

Chicago 10, Boston 3--Frank Thomas went four for four with a two-run homer, and George Bell hit a three-run shot in a 17-hit attack as the White Sox won at Boston.

Jack McDowell (12-4), after being named to the AL All-Star team, pitched a seven-hitter for his sixth complete game as Chicago won its 14th in 19 games.

A three-run rally in the fourth inning put the Red Sox ahead, 3-2, but Chicago responded with three runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Boston, the league’s second-lowest scoring team, hadn’t scored more than three runs in any of its six previous games.

Thomas, who also had two singles and a double, hit his 13th homer in the first.

Chicago took the lead for good in the fifth, scoring a run on consecutive singles by Thomas, Bell and Craig Grebeck and two more on one of Lance Johnson’s three singles.