AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Red Sox End Streak of Eckersley Successes

The Boston Red Sox, suffering through a miserable season, put an end to the streak compiled by Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley Tuesday night at Boston.

Billy Hatcher hit a two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning off Eckersley to give the Red Sox a 5-4 victory. It ended a streak of 52 Athletics’ victories in games in which Eckersley pitched.

Eckersley, who was trying for his 41st save in his 42nd attempt, entered with two out and a runner on second. In an unusual move, A’s Manager Tony La Russa ordered him to walk pinch-hitter Wade Boggs to put the potential winning run on base.

Hatcher, who had two hits earlier in the game, including a home run, hit an opposite-field fly ball that dropped in. The tying run scored and so did Luis Rivera, running for Boggs.

“Things happen in this game,” said Eckersley (6-1), a former Red Sox pitcher now living in suburban Boston. “He could have hit a rocket, but he didn’t. It was a funny play. It cost us. But we’ve been getting things like that, too.”

Hatcher said he was fooled on the pitch. “His slider had me fishing,” Hatcher said. “The pitch was away, but I just got the bat on the ball.”

In the top of the ninth inning, Jerry Browne walked with two out, giving hot-hitting Jose Canseco a last chance to pull it out. Canseco hit a shot to left field. It hit halfway up the left field wall, so hard that even with two out Browne had no chance to score from first base.

Seattle 6, Cleveland 0--Dave Fleming (15-5) held the Indians hitless at Seattle until rookie Kenny Lofton doubled with two out in the sixth inning.

Fleming settled for a two-hitter. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter in pitching his third shutout.

Edgar Martinez hit a three-run home run, and the Mariners beat Charles Nagy (13-9), the Indians’ best pitcher. Martinez also had a single to boost his league-leading average to .343.

Chicago 6, Toronto 3--The Blue Jays have been suffering from a power outage lately, so it probably came as no surprise when the lights went out at Chicago.

There was a 19-minute delay in the sixth inning when four sets of lights and most of the scoreboard system suffered a power outage.

The Blue Jays, behind, 6-2, against Charlie Hough, had runners on first and third with nobody out when the lights went out. A sacrifice fly when play resumed was the last gasp for Toronto.

The Blue Jays have lost six of their last seven games, and their lead in the East was cut to two games over Baltimore.

“If I had a tape recorder, I could replay it for you,” Toronto Manager Cito Gaston said. “It’s been the same old story for a week for us. This is our bad time.”

Hough, who left after giving up hits to the first two batters in the sixth inning, won his 201st game. It was the White Sox’s fourth victory in a row and left them eight games behind Oakland.

New York 5, Milwaukee 1--Another sparkling effort by rookie Sam Militello (3-0) at New York slowed the Brewers’ run in the East.

Militello was making his fourth start. He won two, then the bullpen blew his next one. He gave up seven hits in seven innings Tuesday, but this time the bullpen did its job.

The Brewers went into New York on a roll, but have lost two in a row and remain 3 1/2 games behind slumping Toronto.

Danny Tartabull and Bernie Williams hit home runs for the Yankees.

Detroit 4, Minnesota 3--Cecil Fielder, closing in on his third consecutive RBI title, hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning at Minneapolis to put the Tigers in front to stay. Fielder has 106 runs batted in, 12 ahead of Oakland’s Mark McGwire, who is on the disabled list.

The Twins, who lost for the eighth time in the last 10 games, missed a chance to cut into the seven-game lead Oakland has built in the West. They are only a game ahead of the White Sox.

Kevin Tapani (13-9) gave up all four runs and seven hits, despite striking out nine in seven innings.

Texas 6, Kansas City 2--George Brett, closing in on the 3,000-hit mark, had two more in a losing cause at Arlington, Tex., including a home run. He has 2,962.

Kevin Reimer hit a two-run home run that traveled 444 feet in the third inning to send Kevin Appier (14-6) to defeat. Ruben Sierra also homered for the Rangers, who ended a seven-game home losing streak.