AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Griffey Is Deep in Heart of Texas

If the Seattle Mariners played the Texas Rangers all the time, you could lock up the American League pennant race now.

If Ken Griffey Jr. hit only against Texas pitching, there isn’t a record he wouldn’t break.

If Randy Johnson, well, Randy Johnson can pitch against anybody. He had no trouble with the Rangers on Wednesday, winning, 5-2, at Arlington, Tex. Johnson is 8-3 in his career against the Rangers and 8-3 this season against everybody. He gave up six hits in eight innings for his sixth consecutive victory.

It cut Seattle’s deficit to four games behind the Rangers in the American League West.

“So much is made of the (poor quality of the) American League West, and that’s why it’s important to beat the teams in our division,” Johnson said. “A lot of teams think we’re pushovers, but when I go out there I can tell you, nobody is going to push me over.”

Griffey’s homer was his 29th, best in baseball, and he finished three for four. In seven games against the Rangers--six of them won by Seattle--Griffey has hit .531 with seven homers and 14 RBIs. He has 19 homers against Texas in his career, most against any team.

Minnesota 7, Boston 5--Kent Hrbek and Shane Mack homered as the Twins won their seventh in a row and sent the Red Sox to their seventh consecutive loss.

Boston has lost nine games in a row at Fenway Park, tying a similar streak in July of 1991. Those skids are the longest at home for the Red Sox since 1927, when they lost 10 in a row.

Hrbek hit a two-run homer into the center-field bleachers in the first inning and Mack capped a three-run third with a solo homer into the Red Sox bullpen in right.

Cleveland 4, Toronto 3--Jim Thome’s 417-foot solo homer with one out in the bottom of the 13th inning gave the Indians their 14th consecutive home victory and first home sweep of the Blue Jays since 1989.

Jose Mesa (7-3) pitched three scoreless innings for the victory, the Indians’ fifth in a row and eighth in nine extra-inning games.

Baltimore 8, New York 4--Chris Hoiles, who homered earlier, hit a sacrifice fly in a five-run eighth inning that sent the Orioles past the Yankees at Baltimore.

Hoiles had two hits and two RBIs, ending a two-for-21 slump. Chris Sabo also homered for the Orioles, who rebounded from two losses to New York to win their seventh game in the last 10.

Leo Gomez tied the score with an RBI double, and Hoiles gave Baltimore the lead with a sacrifice fly. Tim Hulett followed with an RBI double and Jack Voigt hit a two-run single.

Milwaukee 11, Detroit 7--Greg Vaughn hit his 12th homer and Dave Nilsson went four for four as the Brewers won at home.

Cecil Fielder and Junior Felix hit home runs for the Tigers, who have homered in 21 consecutive games, four short of the major league record set by the 1941 New York Yankees.

Oakland 7, Chicago 5--Ruben Sierra hit a three-run homer, capping a four-run rally in the ninth inning for the Athletics at Chicago.

The A’s trailed, 5-3, in the ninth when Rickey Henderson singled with one. Roberto Hernandez (1-2) walked Stan Javier and gave up an RBI single to Brent Gates.

Sierra then homered.