BASEBALL ROUNDUP : McDowell Upstages Strawberry

Jack McDowell stole the show from Darryl Strawberry.

McDowell pitched a three-hitter, winning a duel against another former Stanford pitcher, Mike Mussina, as the Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 3-0, Monday night in Strawberry’s return to New York.

“The notoriety [of Strawberry’s return] certainly didn’t detract from the game,” Yankee Manager Buck Showalter said. “That was a real major-league ballgame out there tonight.”

McDowell (9-8) struck out five and walked three in his first shutout of the season and 100th career victory. He retired 10 in a row at one point and allowed only one runner to reach second base.

Strawberry, returning to the city where he played eight seasons for the Mets, went hitless in three at-bats but received a 20-second ovation when he came to bat for the first time.

“I thought it was quite a favorable reception, but it was tough for him to make his home debut against a pitcher of Mussina’s caliber,” Showalter said.

Mussina (13-6), the winningest pitcher in the majors, held the Yankees to two hits though six innings but issued two walks in the seventh before Pat Kelly’s two-run double.

“My runs really didn’t mean anything,” Kelly said. “Jack already had one run and that’s all he needed.”

The loss snapped Mussina’s eight-game winning streak and dropped Baltimore nine games behind Boston and 3 1/2 games behind second-place New York in the American League East.

Boston 5, Toronto 4--The Red Sox finished an 8-2 road trip with a four-game AL East sweep over the Blue Jays, thanks to Mike Macfarlane’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning at Toronto.

Tim Crabtree (0-2) started the inning by hitting Jose Canseco with an 0-2 pitch. Ricardo Jordan replaced Crabtree and walked both batters he faced to load the bases, before being replaced by Jimmy Rogers, the third rookie pitcher Toronto used in the 10th.

Rogers struck out Tim Naehring, but Macfarlane followed with a fly ball to shallow right field and Canseco slid in safely ahead of Candy Maldonado’s throw to the plate.

Stan Belinda (8-1) pitched 2 2/3 innings and got the win despite allowing Devon White’s game-tying three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Minnesota 9, Oakland 6--The Twins wasted a four-run lead before rallying with a four-run eighth inning, capped by Kirby Puckett’s two-run single, to defeat the Athletics at Minneapolis.

Pat Mahomes (2-5) yielded three hits over four innings, and Dave Stevens pitched the ninth for his sixth save. Oakland starter Todd Van Poppel, who moved into the starting rotation after Dave Stewart retired last month, gave up five hits and walked three in seven innings.

Seattle 6, Chicago 4--Mike Blowers, Jay Buhner and Tino Martinez homered as the Mariners defeated the White Sox at Seattle despite giving up four unearned runs.

Tim Belcher (8-6) yielded six hits, walked four and struck out one. Blowers had two runs batted in, giving him 10 in his last three games and 17 in his last five.

Seattle all-star Ken Griffey Jr., who has been out since breaking his left wrist May 26, took about 70 batting-practice swings in his most extensive work since his injury.

Atlanta 5, Montreal 1--Kent Mercker yielded seven hits over 6 2/3 innings and Fred McGriff knocked in two runs to lead the Braves at Montreal.

Mercker (6-6), who gave up a run in the first, struck out three and walked two as the Braves took the series 3-1 and opened an 11 1/2-game lead in the National League East over Philadelphia, the club’s largest margin atop the standings since moving to Atlanta in 1966.

New York 5, Florida 2--Pinch-hitter Joe Orsulak hit his first home run of the year, a three-run shot in the seventh inning that gave the Mets a victory over the Marlins at New York.

With the Mets trailing, 2-1, Edgardo Alfonzo and Carl Everett singled off reliever Terry Mathews (3-3). On Jeff Kent’s flyout, Alfonzo went to third. Jose Vizcaino’s fielder’s choice grounder scored Alfonzo before Orsulak, pinch-hitting for Kelly Stinnett, homered.

Dave Mlicki (5-5) started in place of Pete Harnisch, who went on the disabled list last week. He had been winless in his last seven starts, with four losses.