AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : 2-Hitter Good Enough for Navarro

Jaime Navarro put thoughts of a no-hitter out of his head and simply went out to pitch.

Navarro, who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his last start against the Chicago White Sox but ended up with no decision, pitched a two-hitter Wednesday in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 4-1 victory over the Texas Rangers at Milwaukee.

“I was looking to this (game),” said Navarro, who didn’t give up a hit over the final 6 1/3 innings. “I didn’t want to think about the no-hitter. I just threw strikes and got a lot of fly balls and grounders. I didn’t strike too many people out. I just let the guys make plays behind me.”

Navarro (10-6), who has given up three hits in his last 17 innings, was still throwing his fastball in the mid-90s during the ninth.

He threw hard the first three innings, went to off-speed pitches in the middle three innings and then back to the hard stuff for the final three.

“In Chicago he was more dominating,” Brewer Manager Phil Garner said. “I think his control has been superb. Today his off-speed pitches worked well in the middle part of the game.”

Jeff Huson singled off Navarro in the third and scored to tie the score, 1-1, when Jeff Frye’s single to right was bobbled by Dante Bichette.

Darryl Hamilton, B.J. Surhoff and Jim Gantner doubled in the fifth off Kevin Brown (14-6) to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead.

Oakland 8, New York 5--Rickey Henderson tripled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning and Carney Lansford followed with a two-run homer as the Athletics avoided a three-game sweep by rallying to beat the Yankees at Oakland.

Matt Nokes hit a three-run home run after a run-scoring single by Charlie Hayes in the second inning to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.

Harold Baines hit a two-run single in the third and Terry Steinbach added an RBI grounder to get Oakland close, and they teamed to give the A’s the lead in the fifth. Baines tied the score with an RBI single and scored on Steinbach’s double to make it 5-4.

The Yankees tied the score on Hayes’ sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Jeff Parrett (6-0) went two innings in relief of Bob Welch. Dennis Eckersley struck out the side in the ninth to get his 35th consecutive save, 31 this season.

Chicago 7, Baltimore 5--Pinch-hitter Tim Raines put the White Sox ahead with a two-run double during a three-run eighth inning that beat the Orioles at Chicago.

The Orioles took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Leo Gomez.

Baltimore relief ace Gregg Olson (1-4) blew a save for the fourth time in 28 opportunities.

Chicago knocked out Mike Mussina, seeking his eighth road victory, with four runs on six hits in three innings. Frank Thomas hit a two-run homer in the third to get the White Sox a 4-4 tie.

Minnesota 2, Cleveland 1--Brian Harper singled home Kirby Puckett with one out in the ninth inning to lift the Twins over the Indians at Minneapolis.

The Twins maintained their three-game lead over Oakland in the AL West as John Smiley (10-4), who has won seven of eight decisions, out-pitched Charles Nagy (11-5).

Smiley pitched a three-hitter and had a shutout until Thomas Howard’s first homer with two out in the top of the ninth.

Kansas City 6, Boston 4--The Royals scored five runs in the fifth inning when only Wally Joyner’s leadoff double left the infield, and defeated Red Sox at Kansas City.

Frank Viola (8-6) took a one-hitter and a 3-0 lead into the fifth. But Joyner’s double, two infield singles, a walk, a hit batsman and an error put the Royals ahead.

Wade Boggs, batting .270--71 points below his lifetime average--donned eyeglasses for the first time. He went one for three and drove in a run.

Detroit 3, Seattle 2--Bill Gullickson gave up three hits over 7 1/3 innings and the Tigers swept a three-game series with the Mariners at Seattle.

Gullickson (11-6) is 8-0 against Seattle, 4-0 in the Kingdome.

Tony Phillips hit a solo home run off Erik Hansen (8-12) in the eighth for what proved to be the winning run. Dan Gladden had a two-run double for the Tigers.