AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP / THURSDAY’S GAMES : Sierra Pays First Dividend for Oakland

Ruben Sierra was cast in the role of Jose Canseco from the moment he came to the Oakland Athletics in the trade.

The A’s moved him into right field and the No. 3 spot in the batting order, both formerly held by Canseco.

On Thursday night, Sierra took the role one step further, supplying the power and the drama in the A’s 6-4 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Still, neither he nor anyone else should get carried away by comparisons.

“They can’t expect me to do what he does,” Sierra said. “I can hit for better average, I think. I can hit my 20 home runs. I can drive people in. But they can’t expect me to hit 40 home runs. I’m not as powerful as he is.”

Elsewhere in the AL, Detroit beat Chicago 8-0, and Toronto at Texas was postponed becuase of rain.

Sierra, acquired Aug. 31 with pitchers Bobby Witt and Jeff Russell in the trade that sent Canseco to Texas, broke a 3-all tie with a three-run homer off Randy Johnson, his first for the A’s.

“He’s been a clutch-hitting, run-producing hitter ever since he got into the league,” Oakland manager Tony La Russa said. “Fortunately, he’s doing it for us now.”

The crowd certainly went for Sierra’s seventh-inning heroics, and he acknowledged the roar by coming out of the dugout and tipping his cap.

“A three-run homer with an 0-2 count, it’s a different way to win the game. It surprises people,” Sierra said. “I hit it hard, a line drive. I knew it was gone.”

The A’s increased their lead in the AL West to five games over idle Minnesota. They won their third straight and their fourth in five games, breaking out of their worst slump of the season, a five-game losing streak from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5, when Sierra joined the team after recovering from the chicken pox.

“He fits in this club house just fine,” Ron Darling said. “He’s a free spirit. He fits in fine. If he keeps hitting three-run homers, he’ll fit in even finer.”

Darling (13-9) kept the game close, allowing three runs on five hits in 7 1-3 innings. Dennis Eckersley got the final five outs, allowing a pinch homer in the ninth to Greg Briley, to register his 44th save.

“I wasn’t that great but we won,” said Darling, who walked two and struck out three. “I think it’s important. Every day we win makes it a little easier for us.”

For Seattle, it got harder as the Mariners lost their eighth straight overall and 11th straight at the Oakland Coliseum.

“It’s been a long year, a year of many frustrations,” said Jay Buhner, who hit a two-run homer before leaving in the sixth after turning his right ankle on a defensive play. “It seems like the whole season’s been like going from one extreme to the other -- win five, lose seven.”

Johnson, a native of nearby Livermore, was pitching on his 29th birthday in front of dozens of friends and relatives. But he struggled with his control all through his outing, walking eight and striking out six.

“There’s no reason for it. If I don’t walk those people, we win,” Johnson said. “Obviously, that’s been the story of my career.”

Mike Bordick, who had a two-run double earlier, tripled to lead off the seventh and scored on Jerry Browne’s sacrifice fly to tie the score at 3.

Johnson struck out Rickey Henderson on a wild pitch, allowing Henderson to reach. He walked Lance Blankenship and was ahead in the count 0-2 when Sierra connected for his 15th homer of the year.

He was finished after hitting Carney Lansford, the batter who followed Sierra to the plate following the tie-breaking homer.

Players and coaches from both teams charged onto the field but only words were exchanged and Johnson was relieved by Mike Schooler.

Johnson denied throwing intentionally at Lansford.

“What was the count, 1-and-2 (on Lansford)?” Johnson said. “That plate’s just as much mine as it is his. I was throwing fastballs inside all night. If he wants to dive in he better hope he doesn’t get hit.

“I’m not the kind of pitcher who is going to hit someone in the head and end their career.”

Lansford was struck in the left arm but it was a glancing blow.

“If it would have hit me square, I would have a broken arm. The guy throws 200 mph,” Lansford said.

Tigers 8, White Sox 0--Rookie David Haas pitched his first major league shutout and complete game, tossing a four-hitter to lead Detroit.

Major-league RBI leader Cecil Fielder and Scott Livingstone highlighted a five-run sixth for the Tigers. Rob Deer also got his 28th homer as the Tigers averted a sweep in the four-game series and won for only the second time in their last 11 games.

Haas (4-2) struck out two and didn’t walk a batter to win for the first time since Aug. 25. He gave up a one-out single in the first, then retired the next 14 hitters before giving up a leadoff hit in the sixth. Alex Fernandez (7-9) gave up six runs on seven hits in six innings, walking three and striking out three.