AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Two-Run Error Lets Indians Beat Red Sox

The Red Sox had an opponent down to its last out Friday night, only to see a ground ball sneak through an infielder to allow the winning run to score.

Sound familiar?

In the spirit of Bill Buckner, the left side of the Red Sox infield failed to stop a grounder as the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 7-6 victory at Boston.

Albert Belle’s roller went under the glove of third baseman Scott Cooper and then skipped past shortstop John Valentin, who was charged with an error, and two runs scored with two out in the ninth inning.

As a result, the Red Sox, who scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-5 lead, lost for the eighth time in 11 games.

“In this game, you never know,” said Carlos Baerga, who scored the winning run for the Indians. “I thought (the game) was over, knowing Cooper had the ball like that. I stopped to see the ball, and then I started to run. Maybe he got confused.”

Pinch-hitter Jeff Treadway singled with two out in the ninth for Cleveland. Pinch-runner Kenny Lofton stole second, and Baerga was intentionally walked. Both advanced on a wild pitch before Belle hit his seemingly harmless grounder.

“It was one of those balls where I had to go a long way to my left,” Cooper said, “and I probably should have let Val get it. The play should have been made and it wasn’t.”

Said Valentin: “That’s not my play. Coop’s got to try to get to all he can. If it’s my play, I need to charge that baseball. It’s a tough play, but it should have been made. As Coop went to grab the ball, I no longer saw the ball.”

Reggie Jefferson homered and hit a two-run double for Cleveland, which has won four consecutive road games and four in a row against Boston.

New York 7, Kansas City 2--Domingo Jean pitched seven innings to earn his first major league victory as the Yankees stopped the Royals’ four-game winning streak, at New York.

Jean (1-0) gave up five hits, including home runs by Gary Gaetti and Felix Jose. The 24-year-old rookie walked one and struck out three in his third start in the majors.

After Gaetti’s home run in the second inning, Jean retired 12 consecutive batters before Jose’s homer in the sixth.

Don Mattingly’s two-run single and Danny Tartabull’s two-run homer in the seventh broke the game open.

Seattle 4, Toronto 1--Randy Johnson pitched a three-hitter as the Mariners ended the first-place Blue Jays’ five-game winning streak at Toronto.

Johnson (13-8) gave up one run, struck out 11 and walked one for his seventh complete game of the season. The left-hander leads the majors with 226 strikeouts.

The loss, coupled with New York’s victory over Kansas City, trimmed the Blue Jays’ lead over the second-place Yankees to one game in the American League East.

Chicago 4, Minnesota 2--Alex Fernandez gave up five hits over eight innings for his 15th victory to lead the White Sox at Minneapolis.

Fernandez (15-6) walked two and struck out four to earn his 10th victory in his last 13 starts.

Baltimore 10, Texas 5--Mike Mussina, back in the rotation after five weeks on the disabled list, gave up six hits and three runs in six-plus innings as the Orioles won their eighth consecutive home game.

Cal Ripken Jr. homered and drove in four runs for the Orioles, who have won two consecutive games after an eight-game losing streak. The Orioles haven’t lost at Camden Yards in Baltimore since Aug. 1.

Mussina (12-4) had not pitched in the majors since July 21, when he left a game because of a strained back muscle.

Oakland 7, Detroit 6--Mike Aldrete keyed a five-run fourth inning with the first grand slam of his career, and the Athletics held on at Detroit.

Aldrete’s grand slam was the eighth given up by the Tigers this season. The Tigers also have hit eight.

The Tigers loaded the bases with none out against rookie reliever John Briscoe in the ninth inning, scoring four runs but failing to pull out the victory against Dennis Eckersley.