BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Brewers Beat Mariners in 10th, Pull Within 2 Games of Blue Jays

The Milwaukee Brewers kept their AL East title hopes alive with a 7-2 victory over the Mariners on Thursday night at Seattle when B.J. Surhoff sparked a five-run 10th inning with a two-run double.

The Brewers pulled within two games of idle Toronto and kept the Blue Jays’ magic number for winning their second consecutive division title at two. Both teams have three games left.

In the 10th, Milwaukee loaded the bases. Juan Agosto then relieved Jeff Nelson, the eventual loser, and gave up Surhoff’s double.

The Brewers got their third run of the inning on a suicide squeeze by Bill Spiers, scoring Seitzer from third. Darryl Hamilton singled home the final two runs, giving him three RBIs for the game.

Winner Bill Wegman pitched a four-hit complete game for the Brewers, retiring the last 13 Mariners.

Robin Yount singled in the sixth for the 3,024th hit of his career, moving him into 14th place on the career hit list ahead of Lou Brock. Rod Carew is 13th at 3,053.

Minnesota 9, Chicago White Sox 6--In what might have been his final home game with the Twins, Kirby Puckett hit RBI singles on his first two pitches.

Puckett, one of the most popular athletes in Minnesota history, has said he will file for free agency after the World Series. He received standing ovations from the Metrodome crowd of 15,656 each of his four at-bats.

Puckett is completing a three-year, $9-million contract, and the Twins say they might not be able to afford a new deal.

“If I’m here next year, great. If not, that’s the game,” Puckett said.

Chili Davis and Pedro Munoz homered on consecutive pitches in a five-run eighth as the Twins remained in second place in the AL West, two games ahead of Chicago with three to play.

“It felt like Kirby Puckett Day to me,” Davis said. “It was kind of nice hitting behind him because I don’t think anybody noticed me.”

Texas 4, Oakland 3--The A’s lost for only the fourth time in the 68 games relief ace Dennis Eckersley has appeared when Jeff Frye singled off Eckersley in the ninth inning to score pinch-runner Jeff Huson with the winning run at Oakland.

With one out in the ninth, Geno Petralli reached second when center fielder Willie Wilson dropped a line drive for an error. Eckersley relieved losing pitcher Vince Horsman and intentionally walked Kevin Reimer. Frye then connected for a single down the left-field line, scoring Huson.

Atlanta 6, San Francisco 5--Tommy Gregg led off the 10th inning at Atlanta with his first home run of the season.

Gregg homered off reliever Mike Jackson as the Braves matched its 1957 franchise record of 95 victories. Marvin Freeman pitched a scoreless 10th for the victory.

“It means something to me,” Gregg said. “I don’t care if we’ve already clinched the West. It was still exciting.”

Brave starter Steve Avery, who will pitch the second game of the NL playoffs against Pittsburgh, pitched six innings. He gave up five hits, four runs--two earned--no walks and matched his season-high with seven strikeouts.

Baltimore 3, Cleveland 2--Mike Devereaux hit a two-run home run off Eric Plunk with two outs in the ninth to tie the game and Glenn Davis homered on Plunk’s first pitch in the 10th inning at Cleveland to give Mike Mussina his seventh consecutive victory.

Mussina (18-5), who entered the game with the best winning percentage in the majors, scattered 12 hits in nine innings while walking one and striking out four. Gregg Olson pitched the 10th for his 36th save, one fewer than his 1990 team record.

Cleveland’s Carlos Baerga had three hits, giving him 198 for the season, and raising his average to .307. If he reaches 200 hits, he will become the first American League second baseman to hit .300 with at least 200 hits, 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. Rogers Hornsby accomplished it five times in the National League.

San Diego 3, Houston 2--Greg Harris gave up three hits in seven innings and Fred McGriff drove in two runs with his NL-leading 35th home run as the Padres won at Houston.

Harris (4-8) is 8-0 lifetime against the Astros.