AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Griffey Ties Mantle’s Record With 20th Homer

Ken Griffey Jr. tied Mickey Mantle’s record for most home runs in the first two months of the season, hitting his 20th as the Seattle Mariners completed a four-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with an 8-2 victory Sunday night at Seattle.

Griffey’s 20 homers in 42 games matched Mantle’s 20 homers in 41 games in the first two months of the 1956 season when Mantle hit 52. The Mariners have eight more games left this month.

Griffey’s 13th homer in May gave him 152 for his six-year career, tying the total that his father hit from 1973 through 1991 with four different teams.

Griffey, who tied a major league record by hitting home runs in eight straight games last season, homered in his third game in a row. He has he eight homers in nine games.

Luis Sojo also hit a homer and Roger Salkeld (2-2) pitched five shutout innings for the Mariners, who outscored the Rangers, 45-10, in the series. The Mariners won, 19-2, on Friday and 13-2 on Saturday.

The Rangers’ Juan Gonzalez collided with third baseman Dean Palmer while catching a foul ball in the first inning and left the game in the fourth with a bruised left shin and thigh.

Detroit 9, Milwaukee 6--Travis Fryman and rookie Chris Gomez each went three for four with a home run at Detroit as the Tigers handed the Brewers their 11th consecutive loss.

Gomez’s homer was his fifth of the month.

The Brewers’ skid is the second-longest in club history and one shy of the club record set in 1987.

During its slump, Milwaukee is batting .232, and the pitching staff has given up 128 hits and 66 walks.

Former Dodger Tim Belcher (2-7) gave up four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings for his second victory in a row and first at home after starting the year 0-7.

Greg Vaughn, who was four for 30 before Sunday, hit two homers for the Brewers.

Chicago 5, Oakland 2--Frank Thomas drove in two runs to give the White Sox a victory and a sweep of their three-game series with the Athletics at Oakland.

Jason Bere (5-1) allowed one run over six-plus innings to win his third consecutive start for the White Sox, who have won six of their last seven.

The A’s, who were swept for the ninth time this season, have lost six in a row and 27 of their last 31.

Cleveland 8, Toronto 0--Dennis Martinez pitched a seven-hit shutout as the Indians snapped a seven-game road losing streak.

Martinez (3-4) struck out three and walked three for his first shutout this season and the 24th of his career. Martinez allowed only two runners to reach second base.

Albert Belle homered and drove in two runs for the Indians, who won their first road game since May 6.

Boston 9, Minnesota 2--Roger Clemens limited the Twins to five hits in eight innings at Minneapolis as the Red Sox stopped the Twins’ winning streak at seven.

Clemens (5-2), who has allowed only eight earned runs in 61 innings in his last eight starts, walked four and struck out seven in handing the Twins their first home loss in 10 games.

Baltimore 6, New York 5--Jack Voigt’s two-run single capped a two-out, 10th-inning rally as the Orioles won at New York to snap the Yankees’ nine-game home winning streak.

With two outs in the 10th, Harold Baines singled off Xavier Hernandez (2-2) and Leo Gomez doubled. Voigt singled in pinch-runner Lonnie Smith and Gomez.

Rafael Palmeiro extended his hitting streak to 24 games.