BASEBALL ROUNDUP : No Fights This Time as Mariners Defeat Orioles

In a tense game that appeared to carry over harsh feelings from a big brawl in June, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 8-6, Monday night at Seattle, sending the Orioles to their seventh consecutive defeat.

Baltimore, on its longest losing streak since an eight-game slide from July 19-27, 1989, dropped 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1 winners over the Cleveland Indians, in the American League East.

The last time Baltimore played Seattle, on June 6, a 20-minute brawl resulted in seven suspensions.

A fight didn’t break out Monday, but home-plate umpire Greg Kosc warned Oriole starter Rick Sutcliffe (9-9) and both benches after Sutcliffe hit Bret Boone on his left arm with a pitch in the first inning.

The crowd of 34,077 booed Oriole runner Mark Parent for lowering his shoulder and throwing an elbow at Mariner starter Dave Fleming (8-2) after being trapped off third base on a fielder’s choice groundout in the seventh.

Sutcliffe lost for the seventh time in eight decisions, giving up eight runs and seven hits and walking five in 3 2/3 innings. He has given up 44 runs in his last 49 2/3 innings, a 7.97 earned-run average.

Oakland 4, Milwaukee 1--Rookie Todd Van Poppel gave up two hits in 6 2/3 innings at Oakland to win his fourth consecutive start and help the Athletics end a four-game losing streak.

Van Poppel (4-3) didn’t give up a hit until Pat Listach’s single in the sixth. Van Poppel blanked the Brewers until the seventh, when John Jaha hit his ninth home run with two out.

Van Poppel struck out one and walked five in the longest outing of his major league career. He is 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA in his last four starts after going 0-3 with a 7.47 ERA in his first four.

Dennis Eckersley, Oakland’s fourth pitcher, got four outs for his 26th save.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

New York 6, Cincinnati 2--Sid Fernandez got his first victory in four months by pitching 7 1/3 solid innings and singling home the Mets’ go-ahead run at Cincinnati.

The Mets scored four runs during an error-filled seventh inning to hand the Reds their season-high seventh consecutive defeat. Fernandez singled against Larry Luebbers (2-3) for a 3-2 lead, and Eddie Murray capped the rally with a two-run homer.

Fernandez (2-3) gave up five hits, walked four and struck out seven. Mike Maddux got his fourth save, completing the Mets’ third victory in 10 games.

Fernandez had not won since April 14, three weeks before he went on the disabled list because of torn cartilage in his left knee.