AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Reliable Gullickson Again Pulls Tigers Out of Rut, 7-2

About every fifth game, the Detroit Tigers resemble a good baseball team. It is no coincidence that it usually occurs when Bill Gullickson is on the mound.

Gullickson pitched the Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night at Detroit, ending the Tigers’ four-game losing streak.

The Tigers, battling to avoid the cellar in the American League East, have won only three of their last 14 games, and Gullickson has won two of them.

Gullickson (13-7) gave up eight hits and went the distance for the fourth time.

Cecil Fielder drove in the first run, giving him 95 runs batted in, and the Tigers built a 6-0 lead after three innings.

Gullickson, who has more than one-fourth of the Tiger victories, has won four of his last five decisions. Three times he has held a lead in the late innings but been failed by the bullpen, and he has gone at least seven innings in seven of his last eight starts.

“I wish I could pitch him more often,” Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson said. “When he’s out there, we’re a good team.”

It was Gullickson’s second complete game in which he did not post a strikeout.

“I don’t care if I win 10-9 or 1-0, as long as I win,” Gullickson said. “All I want do is make them hit the ball. That way, if somebody gets on, I’ve got a good shot at a double play.”

Gullickson, a 20-game winner last season when the Tigers won 84 games, has a chance to repeat. He probably will get 10 more starts.

Cleveland 5, Baltimore 4--The Orioles missed a golden chance to trim Toronto’s lead, and it took an unusual triple play to foil them at Baltimore.

The Orioles had rallied on bases-loaded singles by Tim Hulett and Jeff Tackett in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. They had the bases loaded and nobody out when Brady Anderson flied to center fielder Kenny Lofton.

Lofton made a perfect throw to the plate, nailing Leo Gomez trying to score from third. Catcher Sandy Alomar caught Hulett wandering off second and Hulett was run down to complete the triple play.

The Orioles still led, 4-3, in the ninth, but for only the sixth time Gregg Olson blew a save opportunity. Carlos Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to send the game into extra innings.

The Indians pulled it out in the 13th when Paul Sorrento singled through a drawn-in infield to drive in Tom Howard from third.

Oakland 8, Kansas City 6--Carney Lansford hit a grand slam and major league home run leader Mark McGwire hit two home runs at Oakland.

Although he gave up a run in the ninth, Dennis Eckersley picked up his 36th save this season and record 40th in a row over two seasons. The sixth consecutive victory put the Athletics 2 1/2 games in front of idle Minnesota.

Lansford’s home run with the bases loaded keyed a six-run rally in the fifth inning. McGwire has 35 home runs.

New York 7, Boston 5--Scott Sanderson (9-8) held the Red Sox to four hits and had a 7-0 lead at New York when he left after seven innings because of a cramp in his shoulder.

The Yankees almost blew the lead in the eighth with Tim Burke on the mound. The Red Sox scored five times, but Steve Farr pitched the ninth and recorded his 15th save.

Matt Nokes hit a home run and drove in four runs for the Yankees.