AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Gonzalez’s Three Homers Crush Orioles

Juan Gonzalez stopped swinging at bad balls and started hitting balls over the fence.

Gonzalez hit three homers in a game for the second time in his career and drove in five runs as the Texas Rangers routed the Baltimore Orioles, 11-1, Saturday night at Arlington, Tex.

He hit a two-run drive in the first inning and added a 440-foot solo shot in the third.

In the seventh, Gonzalez hit another two-run blast, giving him seven homers this season against Baltimore.

“I didn’t hear any sirens,” Oriole Manager Johnny Oates said. “Did anybody get hurt on those things?”

Gonzalez had not homered since Aug. 17 and began the game in a seven-for-35 slump.

“I was swinging at bad pitches the last four or five days,” Gonzalez said.

Dean Palmer and Doug Strange also homered for Texas.

Gonzalez was left on deck when Rafael Palmeiro struck out to end the eighth and did not get a chance to tie the major league record of four home runs in a game.

“One word--awesome,” Ranger Manager Kevin Kennedy said of Gonzalez. “When he swings at strikes, he’s capable of what you saw tonight.”

Seattle 2, Toronto 1--Ken Griffey Jr. scored on a wild pitch, capping a two-run rally in the eighth inning that sent the Mariners to another victory over the Blue Jays at Seattle.

The Mariners beat the Blue Jays for the fifth time in six games during the last eight days. The loss kept Toronto tied for first place in the American League East with New York.

Jack Morris shut out Seattle on three hits through seven innings. But the Mariners rallied for two runs in the eighth against Danny Cox (6-6) on only one hit.

Bret Boone doubled with one out and Griffey was intentionally walked. Cox also walked Jay Buhner, loading the bases, and Dave Magadan made it 1-1 with a sacrifice fly.

Cox again loaded the bases on a walk to Mike Blowers. Then, pitching to pinch-hitter Mackey Sasser, Cox threw a wild pitch that allowed Griffey to score.

Cleveland 8, New York 4--The Indians pounded American League earned-run average leader Jimmy Key for six runs and 10 hits, including three homers, in less than four innings at Cleveland.

Key (15-5) struggled through his shortest and worst start of the season, giving up home runs to Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga and Candy Maldonado and a two-run single to Randy Milligan in 3 1/3 innings.

Jeff Mutis (3-5) got a start after two weeks in the bullpen and lasted six innings, giving up three runs and seven hits. Jeremy Hernandez pitched three innings for his eighth save.

Milligan gave the Indians a 2-0 lead in the first when he blooped a bases-loaded single.

Belle led off the third inning with his 34th home run, and after Milligan doubled, Maldonado hit his first home run since being acquired by Cleveland in an Aug. 19 trade with the Chicago Cubs.

Baerga finished Key with a one-out homer in the fourth, his 20th.

Detroit 5, Oakland 3--Mickey Tettleton and Alan Trammell hit home runs to back eight strong innings from Mike Moore as the Tigers won at Oakland for their seventh consecutive victory.

The Athletics’ losing streak reached nine games, their longest since June of 1986.

Tettleton hit a solo homer in the ninth off Dennis Eckersley to pass teammate Cecil Fielder and become the first Tiger to reach 30 homers this season.

Trammell extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a leadoff home run in the fifth.

Boston 2, Kansas City 1--Rob Deer’s run-scoring double with two out in the 11th inning gave the Red Sox the victory at Kansas City.

Mike Greenwell led off the 11th with a double and took third on Andre Dawson’s fly ball to the warning track in left field. After Carlos Quintana bounced out to first base, Deer lined a double down the left-field line off reliever Jeff Montgomery (3-5).

Boston rookie Aaron Sele carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, when the Royals scored a run to make it a 1-1 game.

Sele gave up a leadoff walk to George Brett, and then Mike Macfarlane broke up the no-hitter, looping a fly ball into medium left center in front of center fielder Bob Zupcic.

Chicago 4, Minnesota 1--Rookie Jason Bere pitched eight scoreless innings, limiting the Twins to four hits, at Chicago.

Ellis Burks homered and drove in two runs as the White Sox beat the Twins for the eighth time in 11 games.

Bere (6-5) struck out seven and walked six and won for the first time in six starts.

He pitched out of a pair of bases-loaded jams early in the game, and the Twins stranded nine runners in the first five innings.