AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mills’ Rare Start Gives Orioles Some Relief, 3-0

The Baltimore Orioles gambled with relief pitcher Alan Mills as a starter and won Tuesday night, 3-0, at Toronto.

Mills, making his second start, and two relievers combined on an eight-hitter for the Orioles’ AL-leading 11th shutout.

After the Blue Jays hammered Mike Mussina Monday night, they had Jack Morris, who won 10 of his previous 11 starts, going against a pitcher who had won seven games--all in relief.

But Mills outpitched the veteran, giving up four hits in five innings. Todd Frohwirth went three innings and Gregg Olson gave up two singles in the ninth, but picked up his 27th save.

So, instead of being four games back in the Eastern Division, the Orioles moved to within two games of the Blue Jays with two games left in the series.

“We lost the first one, so there’s no doubt this was a big game,” Oriole Manager Johnny Oates said.

Mills said he knew it was important for him to be sharp at the start.

“The personal statistics didn’t mean anything,” Mills said. “We needed to win.”

Morris (14-5) went seven innings, faltering only in the fourth. He walked Glenn Davis to start the inning, and Joe Orsulak and David Segui singled to fill the bases. With one out, Bill Ripken singled in a run and Morris walked Mark Parent to force in another.

“I’ve had may share of run support this season, so I’m not complaining,” Morris said. “They just outpitched us.”

Oates, who has been complaining that the Orioles are getting the worst of the calls, was ejected in the seventh inning for protesting a called strike on Cal Ripken.

Minnesota 3, Texas 2--The Rangers are back in a rut in which they fail to score for Nolan Ryan.

Ryan struck out seven and gave up five hits in six innings at Minneapolis, but he departed with a 2-2 tie.

In the ninth inning, the Twins won the game when Texas right fielder Ruben Sierra misplayed Chuck Knoblauch’s fly into a single with two out to enable Scott Leius to score the winning run from third base.

Sierra took a step in, stopped and raced back but couldn’t get to the ball.

“He hit it hard, man,” Sierra said. “It went deep into the corner.”

John Smiley (12-6) pitched a four-hitter and both runs were unearned in his second complete game.

Ryan, in his first start since being ejected for hitting Willie Wilson of Oakland last Thursday, had control problems. He walked four and went to full counts on nine batters.

Cleveland 3, Boston 1--The Indians, who got off to a rocky start this season after losing a franchise-record 105 last year, are making a move.

Glenallen Hill’s double was the key hit in a two-run first inning that led the Indians to their second win in a row over the slumping Red Sox at Cleveland.

The sixth victory in eight games enabled the Indians to pull into a tie with the New York Yankees for sixth place in the East.

Detroit 5, New York 1--Frank Tanana just keeps rolling along. The 39-year-old left-hander improved his record to 10-7 with another sparkling performance at Detroit.

Tanana had a three-hitter until the eighth, when he gave up a two-out home run to Randy Velarde.

“There are three main points to my success,” said Tanana, who long ago lost his blazing fastball. “Location, location, location. When you have the experience of living without a fastball, you get used to it. I’ve had a decade of being written off.”

Lou Whitaker and rookie Rico Brogna each hit two-run home runs to spark the Tigers to their fifth victory in a row.

Chicago 10, Oakland 6--George Bell opened the eighth inning at Oakland with a home run to tie the score. Before he popped up to end the inning, the White Sox scored five more runs.

Dale Sveum, in his debut with the White Sox, singled in two runs in the eighth to break the tie and Tim Raines hit a two-run triple.

Rickey Henderson drove in three runs for the A’s, who lead the West by two games.

Jose Canseco, who stirred unrest when he left Monday’s game with an ailing back, did not play for the A’s.

The Athletics scored a run in the ninth and had the bases loaded with nobody out, but didn’t score again.

Kansas City 9, Seattle 6--Wally Joyner hit a two-run home run to cap a six-run fourth inning rally that led the Royals to victory at Kansas City.

The Mariners rallied for three runs in the ninth, but Jeff Montgomery stopped the rally for his 29th save.