AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Orioles in Thick of East Race

They’re looking at the scoreboard during the game and checking out the other guys on TV in the clubhouse afterward.

Sure enough, the Baltimore Orioles are in a pennant race.

The Orioles moved a bit closer to first place Wednesday night. Chris Hoiles homered and drove in the go-ahead runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning of a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Baltimore.

Baltimore has won nine of 10 to pull within a game of the slumping Toronto Blue Jays, who lost to the Oakland Athletics. The Orioles are half a game behind the New York Yankees, who lost their third in a row at Texas.

“It’s tough right now not to look at the scoreboard,” Hoiles said. “Everybody’s starting to feel the pennant race.”

Baltimore starter Fernando Valenzuela gave up three runs, six hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. He has not won since July 23, going 0-2 with a 9.78 earned-run average in his last nine starts.

Roger Salkeld, formerly of Saugus High, made his major league debut as Seattle’s starter, giving up six hits and two runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Oakland 2, Toronto 1--Brent Gates had a two-out, two-run single in the ninth against ace reliever Duane Ward as the Blue Jays blew a late-inning lead to the Athletics for the second day in a row at Toronto.

Toronto had a 6-1 lead over Oakland on Tuesday night and lost, 11-7, in 11 innings.

Ward (2-3) gave up a one-out single to Dave Henderson in the ninth. He walked Troy Neel and Mike Aldrete to load the bases, and Gates then singled past the pitcher.

Texas 4, New York 1--Kevin Brown gave up seven hits over 7 1/3 innings at Arlington, Tex., as he improved his career record against the Yankees to 11-2.

Brown’s career winning percentage of .846 is the best all-time against the Yankees by any pitcher with 10 or more decisions. He also boosted his career mark at home against New York to 7-0 in eight starts.

Cleveland 15, Minnesota 8--Light-hitting Felix Fermin drove in a career-high six runs with a single, double and triple as the Indians beat the Twins at Cleveland.

Minnesota’s Dave Winfield went two for four, leaving him six hits away from becoming the 19th player to reach 3,000.

Chicago 8, Boston 1--Jason Bere tied the White Sox rookie record with 13 strikeouts and gave up only two hits in eight shutout innings at Chicago.

Bere (8-5) matched the mark set by Frank Lange in 1910. The club record is 16, by Jack Harshman against the Red Sox in 1954.

Milwaukee 2, Kansas City 1--Ricky Bones pitched a two-hitter and John Jaha hit his 15th homer as the Brewers beat the struggling Royals at Kansas City.

The third-place Royals, who lost their second in a row to the last-place Brewers, fell seven games behind Chicago in the West.