AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Stieb Defeats Brewers in White Sox Debut

Dave Stieb made it back to the mound Thursday, and showed in his debut for the Chicago White Sox that he still can get major league batters out.

“I was around the plate most of the time and I had pretty good control,” Stieb said after beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-4, at Chicago. “But five walks and three earned runs in six innings were a disappointment.”

Stieb, who began the season on the disabled list, beat Mike Boddicker in a battle of comeback pitchers. It was Stieb’s first start since last Aug. 8, when he injured his right elbow. He spent his previous 14 seasons in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, then signed with the White Sox as a free agent last December.

Stieb, a 35-year-old right-hander, gave up four runs and five hits in six innings. He struck out seven.

Boddicker, acquired by Milwaukee on Monday from Kansas City, was making his 300th career start, and his first since last July 21. He started the season on the disabled list after arthroscopic knee surgery on March 3. Boddicker gave up five runs and 12 hits in six innings, struck out three and walked none.

Dan Pasqua drove in three runs with a two-run homer and a single. Ozzie Guillen and Lance Johnson had three hits each in the game, which began after a rain delay of 2 hours 55 minutes.

Baltimore 11, Minnesota 0--Mike Mussina extended the Twins’ losing streak to seven games, scattering five hits in his fifth career shutout as the Orioles won at Baltimore.

Glenn Davis homered for the Orioles, who had lost six of seven before outscoring the Twins, 19-4, in a two-game sweep. Baltimore had not won a game by more than three runs before the series.

Minnesota, mired in its longest losing streak since a seven-game skid in April 1991, next faces Detroit--a team that scored 45 runs in a three-game sweep of the Twins last weekend.

Mussina (3-1) allowed only two runners past second base in the Orioles’ first complete game of the year. He walked one, struck out three and was aided by three double plays.

The Orioles, meanwhile, battered rookie starter Pat Mahomes (0-4) for five runs in 3 2/3 innings, inflating the right-hander’s earned-run average to 10.62 in five appearances.

Toronto 8, Kansas City 0--Juan Guzman pitched a five-hitter for his first career shutout and John Olerud had a career-high five hits as the Blue Jays routed the Royals at Toronto.

Guzman (3-0) struck out nine and walked four in his first complete game since last May 10. He has won three consecutive starts since opening the season with two no-decisions.

Olerud doubled twice, scored two runs, and increased his major league-leading average to .455.

Hipolito Pichardo (1-1) was the loser, giving up four runs and nine hits in six innings.

Detroit 3, Texas 1--John Doherty barely missed his first career shutout and Chad Kreuter hit a home run and a double, to give the Tigers the victory at Arlington, Tex.

Doherty (3-1) didn’t allow a baserunner to reach third until Julio Franco scored on Jose Canseco’s two-out double in the ninth. He gave up five hits in 8 2/3 innings, struck out three and did not walk a batter as the first-place Tigers maintained their AL East lead over Toronto to 1 1/2 games.

Mike Henneman got the final out for his fifth save. Three of them have come against Texas.

Ranger starter Charlie Leibrandt (3-1) retired the Tigers in order in the first, then walked four of the next eight batters he faced.