AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : White’s Homer Helps Blue Jays Gain on Yankees

Ten days ago, the last-place Toronto Blue Jays were trailing the first-place New York Yankees by 10 games in the American League East after being swept in a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics.

The Blue Jays are still in last place, but things are looking up.

After a 3-1 victory over the Yankees on Sunday at New York, the Blue Jays are only 5 1/2 games back.

Devon White hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Pat Hentgen (8-5) allowed three hits in eight innings as the Blue Jays took three of four games in the weekend series.

“If they had won today we’d be right back where we started before this series,” said White, who went three for four.

Hentgen, referring to the Yankees’ two-game sweep at Yankee Stadium last month, said, “They beat us up good in New York. I guess things weren’t looking too bright for us back then, but this is pretty much the same nucleus of guys who won a World Series last year. We were in a bit of a funk for a while. But I think we’ve turned things around.”

The Yankees, meanwhile, have gone 3-10 since a 32-13 start.

Kansas City 7, Texas 2--David Cone became the league’s first 10-game winner with the victory at Arlington, Tex.

Cone (10-2), who has won nine of his last 10 decisions, joined Atlanta’s Greg Maddux as baseball’s only 10-game winners.

Cone gave up three hits in 7 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked two. He carried a two-hit shutout into the eighth before the Rangers closed to 6-2 with a pair of unearned runs. Cone leads the league with a 2.41 ERA.

Greg Gagne supplied the offense for Cone with a run-scoring double in the third and a two-run triple in the seventh. Felix Jose added a solo homer in the eighth.

Cleveland 12, Milwaukee 6--Teddy Higuera’s troubles continued as the Brewer left-hander threw only 25 pitches and gave up four runs, three hits and a walk before being pulled with nobody out in the second inning at Milwaukee.

The Indians ended up scoring eight runs in the second, with Albert Belle’s grand slam off Jaime Navarro capping the outburst. Navarro gave up five of the runs on four hits.

In his last four starts, Higuera has allowed 20 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings for a 19.29 ERA. He was skipped in the rotation once during that span with a tired arm. His ERA went from 7.19 to 7.74 Sunday.

“Teddy tells me he’s not hurt, but I’m concerned,” Milwaukee Manager Phil Garner said.

Higuera, in the final season of a four-year $13.5 million contract, has won just five times since rotator cuff surgery in 1991. General Manager Sal Bando said Higuera could be headed for the bullpen.

Baltimore 8, Boston 4--Cal Ripken, Rafael Palmeiro and Leo Gomez homered at Boston for the Orioles, who have won six of seven and moved within one game of the Yankees.

Ben McDonald (9-4) allowed three runs and six hits in eight-plus innings as the Orioles completed a sweep of the Red Sox. His 50th career victory was interrupted by a 2:01 rain delay in the fourth inning.

Ripken drove in a run with a double in the first and a two-run homer, his seventh, off the light tower above the left field wall in the sixth. Gomez led off the third with his seventh homer and Palmeiro, who had three hits, led off the fourth with his 13th.

Minnesota 6, Chicago 2--Kirby Puckett had three hits and drove in three runs at Minneapolis to move into the major league lead in runs batted in.

Puckett homered, singled and doubled in his first three at-bats to increase his RBI total to 63, one more than Toronto’s Joe Carter.

Oakland 11, Seattle 2--Ruben Sierra went four for five with five RBIs and Stan Javier hit a two-run homer for the Athletics at Oakland.

Sierra had an RBI single and a run-scoring double before hitting his 15th homer in the eighth inning. Javier went three for five.