AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Canseco Connects Twice in 13-2 Romp

Jose Canseco hit a pair of two-run home runs and Bruce Hurst made a victorious return to Fenway Park Friday night as the Texas Rangers routed the Boston Red Sox, 13-2.

Canseco had been in a 1-for-17 slump before his fly ball barely cleared the left-field wall in the fifth inning to give the Rangers a 5-2 lead. In the seventh, he hit his 13th homer well above the screen on the Green Monster.

Canseco added a run-scoring double off the left-field wall in the ninth as the Rangers scored six runs, including Dean Palmer’s fourth career grand slam.

Hurst, who won 88 games for the Red Sox in 1980-88, made his first appearance in Boston since leaving as a free agent. He allowed two runs in five-plus innings, then left to a standing ovation.

Hurst (1-1) got his first major league win since Sept. 2, 1992, when he was with the San Diego Padres.

Chicago 4, Baltimore 2--Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura hit homers in the fourth inning at Baltimore, and Jason Bere won his fifth consecutive game.

Bere (7-1) scattered five hits in seven innings for Chicago’s 10th victory in their last 13 games. Roberto Hernandez pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

Thomas’ homer, which broke a 1-1 tie, was his 21st this season and his 13th in 27 games. He is second in the American League in home runs, behind Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr.

Both blasts came off Sid Fernandez (3-3), who pitched his first complete game in the AL, allowing seven hits.

Kansas City 7, New York 4--Gary Gaetti hit a two-run homer off Paul Gibson (1-1) to break an eighth-inning tie at New York, after pinch-hitter Dave Henderson’s two-out single.

Billy Brewer (3-0) relieved Royal starter Bob Milacki in the seventh and retired Don Mattingly on a line drive to first with two on.

Paul O’Neill snapped an 0-for-14 slump with an eighth-inning single, but went one for four to lower his major league-leading average to .420.

Detroit 9, Minnesota 8--Cecil Fielder’s second homer of the game won for the Tigers in the 13th inning at Detroit. With one out, Fielder hit the first pitch by Dave Stevens (0-1) into the second deck in center field.

Fielder’s blast ended a 4-hour 32-minute game and made a winner of Joe Boever (3-0), who pitched four scoreless innings.

Toronto 9, Seattle 6--The Blue Jays broke a nine-game road losing streak as Paul Molitor doubled twice and drove in three runs at Seattle and Juan Guzman won his second consecutive start. The Blue Jays’ last victory on the road was on April 29 in Minnesota.

Guzman (6-5) went seven innings and allowed six earned runs.

Cleveland 9, Oakland 5--The Indians scored all of their runs with two outs at Oakland as Jim Thome drove in three runs. Mark Clark (6-1) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings to help the Indians win their sixth game in a row. He defeated Bobby Witt (4-6) for the second time in a week.

The Indians, a major league-best 14-4 since May 13, scored two runs in the sixth and added three more in the seventh for an 8-2 lead.