Belle Makes Bell Pay by Hitting 20th Home Run

Detroit Manager Buddy Bell knows the rule better than anyone: Never pitch to Albert Belle with first base open.

Bell, however, didn’t follow his own advice and Belle hit his major league-leading 20th homer, a three-run shot in the eighth inning Sunday to lead the visiting Cleveland Indians to a 5-0 victory over the Tigers, who lost their 11th consecutive game.

After hitting two homers Friday night, Belle was 0 for 6 and had struck out twice and grounded into a double play in his first three at-bats against Detroit’s Brian Williams.

Bell, Cleveland’s bench coach the last two seasons, then let Williams pitch to Belle.

“All day long they were throwing him slider away, slider away,” Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove said. “So Albert does what he does best. He adjusted and got the big hit.”

Dennis Martinez (7-2) pitched a eight-hitter for his 29th career shutout as the Indians, despite getting only three hits, completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers, who have lost 31 of their last 35 games.

The three-game sweep was the Indians’ first in Detroit since 1959.

Belle’s homer broke open a pitcher’s duel between Martinez and Williams (0-4). Williams carried a two-hitter into the eighth, and Martinez retired 11 in a row during one stretch.

Seattle 4, New York 3--The Yankees’ Dwight Gooden, in his second start since his May 14 no-hitter, gave up home runs to Edgar Martinez and Alex Rodriguez at Seattle.

Paul Menhart (2-2), called up Sunday from triple-A Tacoma, pitched 6 2/3 strong innings for the Mariners before 42,410. He gave up six hits and walked three.

Gooden gave up six hits, walked four and struck out five in six innings.

Minnesota 9, Toronto 3--Pinch hitter Ron Coomer’s two-run home run ignited the Twins’ six-run ninth inning at Toronto.

With the score tied, 3-3, Roberto Kelly walked to open the ninth off Brian Bohanon (0-1), and Coomer followed with his fourth home run. One out later, Chuck Knoblauch doubled and scored on Paul Molitor’s two-out double.

Marty Cordova walked and Greg Myers followed with his fourth hit of the game, a run-scoring single, to make it 7-3. Dave Hollins and Kelly capped the outburst with RBI singles.

Dan Naulty (3-0), who gave up Joe Carter’s game-tying RBI single in the eighth, got one out in the eighth for the win.

Knoblauch went three for four and Denny Hocking hit his first major-league homer for the Twins.

Chicago 12, Milwaukee 1--Frank Thomas, Harold Baines and Robin Ventura hit consecutive homers and Chad Kreuter hit the fourth homer during a seven-run eighth inning as the White Sox routed the Brewers at Chicago.

Chicago set a club record and became the 16th team in AL history to hit four home runs in one inning. The league mark of five is held by the 1966 Minnesota Twins.

Leading, 5-1, in the eighth, Darren Lewis’ one-out RBI single was followed by Thomas’ 15th homer, a two-run shot. Baines followed with his 11th homer, and Ventura completed the trifecta with his ninth homer. All three shots came off Mike Potts. It was the fifth time in club history that the White Sox have hit three consecutive homers.

Texas 6, Kansas City 4--Warren Newson hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to back Ken Hill (6-3), who gave up nine hits and struck out six over 7 1/3 innings as the Rangers won at Kansas City.

“It was a battle all the way,” said Hill, who admittedly wasn’t as sharp as he has been in going 2-1 with a 1.41 ERA in his last five starts.

Hill was replaced by Ed Vosberg after giving up a one-out single in the eighth. Mike Henneman pitched the ninth for his 14th save.

Kansas City starter Doug Linton (1-2) struck out a career-high six, but was lifted after 5 1/3 innings with a 3-2 lead.

Baltimore 6, Oakland 1--Left-hander Kent Mercker earned his first win in more than a month and Gregg Zaun doubled home two runs in a four-run second inning as the Orioles won at Baltimore.

Mercker (3-3) gave up one run, one hit and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. Previously this season he encountered difficulty getting velocity on his fastball, a problem he attributed to a “dead arm.”

Mercker, obtained in a trade with Atlanta during the off-season, got his first win in five appearances since April 24. Manager Davey Johnson, opting to take the conservative route, pulled his starter after only 83 pitches.