AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Brewers’ Loss Ties a Record

The Brewers stopped Rafael Palmeiro’s hitting streak at 24 games Monday night at Milwaukee.

Wrong streak.

Milwaukee dropped a 5-3 decision to the Baltimore Orioles, extending the Brewers’ losing streak to a club record-tying 12 games.

“At least something good happened,” losing pitcher Ricky Bones mused about stopping Palmeiro.

Not to him.

Bones (3-4), who entered the game with an AL-best 1.89 earned-run average, is winless in his last five starts. He gave up five earned runs and nine hits, including home runs by Jack Voigt and Mark McLemore, in 7 1/3 innings Monday.

The Brewers, who were in first place when they last won on May 11, matched the club record set from May 3-19, 1987, with the loss.

“I need a good joke,” Milwaukee Manager Phil Garner said. “It’s tough right now. You’ve got to keep patting them on the back, telling them good things will happen.”

Toronto 6, Cleveland 5--Joe Carter, the majors’ RBI leader with 54, singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning at Toronto.

With one out, Devon White doubled off Jose Mesa (3-2). After Domingo Cedeno struck out and Paul Molitor was walked intentionally, Carter’s line drive to right drove in White.

Darren Hall (1-1) pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first major-league victory.

Oakland 7, Seattle 5--Brent Gates’ four hits overcame Ken Griffey Jr.’s 21st homer as the Athletics broke a six-game losing streak by winning at Oakland.

Griffey set a major-league mark for the most home runs in the first two months of the season with a bases-empty shot off Bobby Witt (4-4) in the seventh inning.

Mickey Mantle hit 20 in the first two months of the 1956 season.