AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Carter Has Four RBIs in Victory

Joe Carter drove in four runs and the Blue Jays ended their five-game losing streak, defeating the Detroit Tigers, 7-2, Monday night at Toronto.

“This was the first time in a week-and-a-half I had an opportunity to drive some guys in,” Carter said. “We scored early and that was a big boost for us.”

Carter went three for four with a double. He leads the majors with 43 RBIs.

“He wasn’t dizzy tonight, but he did have a bit of a headache,” Toronto Manager Cito Gaston said of Carter, who sat out three straight games last week with dizziness, a result of vertigo caused by a viral infection.

“It was just a migraine,” Carter said, “and you have to play through those.”

Juan Guzman (4-4) benefitted from the early offense. After striking out the side in the first, he walked the bases loaded in the second, when the Tigers scored one run.

The Blue Jays held a closed-door meeting before the game, hoping to figure out why the club had lost a season-high five straight and why it was one loss away from falling to three games below .500 for the first time since July 1989.

Kansas City 6, Seattle 4--Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 15th homer, a two-run shot, and Tom Gordon also gave a two-run homer to Tino Martinez. But Gordon (3-2) and the Royals got the win at Seattle. Gordon, who struck out eight, gave up only two other hits.

Griffey homered for the third consecutive game, and tied Matt Williams for the most home runs in the majors. He was the Mariners’ designated hitter, a day after he slightly hyperextended his right knee while running out a grounder.

Texas 11, Oakland 7--Rusty Greer homered in his major league debut, then hit a two-run single in the 10th inning to lead the Rangers in Oakland.

In the 10th, Dean Palmer drew a leadoff walk from Billy Taylor (0-2) and Ivan Rodriguez singled with one out. Reliever Edwin Nunez walked Manuel Lee, loading the bases, and David Hulse singled home the go-ahead run.

A’s starter Bob Welch, 0-5 with a 9.53 ERA this season, couldn’t get out of the first inning, giving up six runs.