AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Canseco, 11-Run Inning Power Rangers Over the Brewers, 15-4

Manager Kevin Kennedy of the Texas Rangers shook up his lineup Saturday, dropping Jose Canseco to sixth in the order for the first time this season. Then, Canseco shook up the Milwaukee Brewers.

Canseco had a two-run double during an 11-run sixth inning and also hit a two-run homer, leading the Rangers past the Brewers, 15-4, at Milwaukee.

The Rangers used five hits, three walks, three errors and a hit batter during the sixth. Texas came within one run of matching its biggest inning, while it was the biggest one-inning output ever against the Brewers.

“He came in after he hit the home run and said, ‘I’m not hitting (sixth) forever,’ ” Kennedy said of Canseco. “After he got the two-run double, he didn’t say much.

“After the game, I said, ‘I think I found my sixth hitter,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I think you have.’ It’s just something you do right now to get a guy going.”

One day after Cal Eldred and Jesse Orosco held the Rangers to one hit, Texas won by a lopsided score despite out-hitting Milwaukee by only 12-11. Rafael Palmeiro tripled, doubled and drove in three runs for Texas. After hitting his third homer of the season, Canseco doubled, singled and walked.

“We’ve been struggling offensively for the last two or three days and playing in some real bad weather,” Canseco said. “Our pitching’s been holding quite well. Yesterday, they threw a good game against us. Today, we came out swinging.”

Charlie Leibrandt (3-0) is off to his best start since 1986, when he was 4-0 with Kansas City. He gave up two runs on five hits, struck out five and walked none in six innings.

Josias Manzanillo (1-1) lost his first major league start. He faced only one batter during the Rangers’ big sixth inning, however. Texas did the rest of its damage against three relievers.

Detroit 17, Minnesota 1--Lou Whitaker homered, doubled and drove in four runs and Mickey Tettleton had a grand slam as the Tigers maintained their offensive pace with an 18-hit, five-homer game at Minneapolis.

Almost lost in the onslaught was the pitching performance of John Doherty (2-1). He gave up five hits, no runs and no walks in seven innings.

Rob Deer, Chad Kreuter and Kirk Gibson also homered as Detroit won for the ninth time in 10 games, outscoring its opponents, 99-36, in the process. The Tigers, who have had two 20-run games this season, lead the majors with 129 runs--an 8.1-run average--and 23 homers. They have outscored the Twins, 29-5, in this series’ first two games.

Most of the Tigers’ fury was felt by Pat Mahomes (0-3), who gave up 10 runs on 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings. He tied the club record for runs and earned runs given up as his earned-run average nearly doubled from 5.79 to 10.26.

Baltimore 6, Kansas City 5--Cal Ripken doubled home the tying run and Glenn Davis followed with a run-scoring single during the eighth inning as the Orioles rallied for the victory at Kansas City.

The Orioles rallied against Jeff Montgomery (1-1), who blew his first save opportunity in five chances.

With the Orioles trailing, 3-2, Mike Devereaux singled with two out during the eighth and scored when Ripken doubled off the wall in left. After Harold Baines walked, Davis singled to center, making the score 4-3.

Baltimore’s Mark McLemore led off the ninth with his first home run since Aug. 18, 1988. Then Jeff Tackett walked with one out and scored on singles by Brady Anderson and Ripken, making the score 6-3.

The Royals rallied for two runs during the bottom of the ninth. Doubles by Felix Jose and Chris Gwynn finished Mike Mussina (2-1), who was bidding for Baltimore’s first complete game of the season. Brent Mayne’s single made the score 6-5 before Todd Frohwirth got the last two outs for his first save.

Cleveland 10, Oakland 3--Reggie Jefferson homered and drove in four runs at Oakland, helping the Indians end a four-game losing streak.

The Indians took a 5-0 lead after two innings and sent the A’s to their seventh loss in eight games. Sandy Alomar Jr. and Paul Sorrento homered for Cleveland, which had 15 hits, nine for extra bases.

Oakland starter Shawn Hillegas (1-2) didn’t get out of the second inning and retired only three of the nine he faced.

Sorrento led off the second with a line drive to left for a double, and Carlos Martinez walked. Jefferson then hit the first pitch into the right-field stands for his third homer and a 4-0 lead.

Alomar followed with a homer to left. After Hillegas hit Felix Fermin in the elbow, A’s Manager Tony La Russa removed him.

Toronto 10, Chicago 4--John Olerud and Darrin Jackson each got three hits and Paul Molitor homered as the Blue Jays defeated the White Sox at Toronto.

Olerud drove in two runs and increased his average to .435, tops in the majors. Joe Carter also drove in two runs.

Juan Guzman (2-0) took a 7-0 lead into the seventh inning. He left after Ozzie Guillen’s two-out, two-run single and Lance Johnson’s run-scoring single.

Reliever Mark Eichhorn came on with the bases loaded and retired George Bell on a grounder back to the mound, preserving the four-run lead.

Rod Bolton (0-3) gave up six runs on eight hits in four innings.

New York 1, Seattle 0--Kevin Maas hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly during the 11th inning to give the Yankees the victory at Seattle.

Melido Perez, Steve Howe (1-0) an Steve Farr combined to pitch a two-hitter, with Perez working nine innings. Howe pitched the 10th and Farr got his third save by getting the last three outs.

With one out in the 11th, the Yankees loaded the bases on a walk by Russ Swan (1-1) to Danny Tartabull and singles by Dion James and Mike Stanley off Jeff Nelson. Maas hit his sacrifice fly to left field and Mackey Sasser’s throw to the plate was too high to get Tartabull.

In his nine innings, Perez gave up only two singles and walked one while striking out six. In his first start of the season, Perez had given up five runs and seven hitsin five innings.