AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Twins Blow Lead, Drop Five Games Back

The Minnesota Twins, hoping to win consecutive World Series, are developing a distressing habit.

When pinch-hitter Pete O’Brien singled home the winning run to give the Mariners an 8-7 victory Sunday at Seattle, it was the third time in the last four games the Twins lost in the ninth inning.

Sunday, the Twins--who have lost nine of their last 13 games to drop five games behind Oakland in the American League West--blew a four-run lead.

In their only victory of the four-game weekend series, Friday night, they blew a six-run lead before pulling it out.

Thursday night they lost to Texas when the Rangers scored three runs in the ninth inning to win, 5-3. Saturday night Dave Valle drove in the winning run in the ninth in a 3-2 victory.

Ken Griffey Jr. opened the ninth inning Sunday with an infield hit, his fourth hit of the game. He took second on a passed ball and third on an infield out. Jay Buhner, who had homered and driven in three runs, was given an intentional walk. Mark Guthrie struck out Tino Martinez. O’Brien batted for Valle and hit Tom Edens’ first pitch into right field.

The Twins built a 7-3 lead against 15-game loser Erik Hanson, but the Mariners fought back to pull even on Buhner’s run-scoring single in the seventh inning.

“It starts to get important now,” Minnesota Manager Tom Kelly said.

“We have to start playing better,” Kirby Puckett said. “It’s a real test for us. We’ll see what we’re made of.”

Kansas City 15, Baltimore 2--The Royals ruined what started out as a good trip for the Orioles.

After scoring two runs in the ninth inning to beat them Saturday night at Kansas City, the Royals humiliated them in the series finale and sent them home with a 3-4 record. Instead of closing ground on Toronto in the East, the Orioles fell to three games behind as they head into a 10-game stand.

Wally Joyner and Mike Macfarlane led the Royals’ attack. They homered in the third inning, and the Royals made it a rout with eight runs in the fourth.

Macfarlane’s home run was his fifth in the last 10 games. Joyner drove in three runs and George Brett had two hits, giving him 2,954.

It was an easy victory for Hipolito Pichardo (7-4), who gave up two runs in seven innings.

Detroit 6, Texas 0--When Frank Tanana and Nolan Ryan were teammates on the Angels more than a decade ago, both had blazing fastballs. Tanana long ago lost his fastball, but he can still pitch.

Ryan (5-6) gave up home runs to Mickey Tettleton and Cecil Fielder, and Tanana (11-7) limited the Rangers to five hits in eight innings at Arlington, Tex. It was the first time the Tigers beat Ryan since 1979.

Fielder’s 27th home run gave him 100 runs batted in for the third consecutive season.

Chicago 4, New York 2--With the score tied, 1-1, in the sixth inning at Chicago, Shawn Hillegas walked Frank Thomas with first base open. That brought up George Bell, who hit a three-run home run.

Danny Tartabull homered for the Yankees.

Cleveland 4-2, Toronto 2-6--After the upstart Indians won the opener of a doubleheader at Cleveland, a couple of old-timers took charge to get Toronto a split.

Dave Winfield, 40, provided the punch and Jack Morris, 37, provided the pitching.

Winfield hit a two-run home run in the first inning and doubled home three more runs in the second to give Morris (15-5) all the support he needed.

Morris improved to 31-10 lifetime against the Indians. He gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings and struck out seven.

In the opener, Dennis Cook was in trouble throughout but lasted 6 2/3 innings to get the victory. He gave up seven hits and walked five. Paul Sorrento had two hits, including his 15th home run, to lead the Indians.

Milwaukee 1, Boston 0--With Jaime Navarro outpitching Frank Viola at Milwaukee, the Brewers moved to within 5 1/2 games of first place.

Navarro (13-8) had pitched nine shutout innings in his previous outing only to lose in extra innings. This time he pitched a three-hitter.

An RBI grounder by Pat Listach in the third inning provided the only run. Viola (10-9) pitched a five-hitter.

In eight starts since the All-Star break, Navarro has given up only 33 hits in 58 innings and has a 1.11 earned-run average.

“We needed this game bad and I wasn’t going to give up a run,” Navarro said.