Twins Carry Bigger Sticks in Winning Nine-Homer Game, 13-6

The musclebound Minnesota Twins?

That was the case Monday night, at least, as Greg Myers hit two home runs for the first time in his career and three other Twins also went deep in a 13-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Minneapolis.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” said Scott Stahoviak, whose three-run drive highlighted a four-run seventh. “I guess we just had our hitting shoes on.”

So did the powerful Mariners, who hit four homers--two by Edgar Martinez--to push their major league-leading total to 105. The nine total homers tied a record for a game involving the Twins, something that hasn’t been done since May 25, 1965, or 17 years before the opening of the Metrodome.

“In this place, anyone can hit a home run,” said Seattle Manager Lou Piniella.

The Twins don’t hit them out often. Paul Molitor and Ron Coomer also homered Monday--Coomer had a career-high four hits--but Minnesota’s 53 homers are more than only Kansas City in the AL.

“It’s nice,” Myers said of the rare power surge. “We really don’t do that a lot. We bunch a lot of hits together, maybe some doubles, but this is nice.”

Myers, who came into the game with three homers, hit a 431-foot solo drive in Minnesota’s four-run seventh, which included Stahoviak’s three-run shot to make it 10-5. Myers then added a three-run homer in the eighth.

Scott Aldred (2-4) gave up all four Seattle homers but still won his second consecutive start.

“There’s not many times you can give up four homers and walk away with a win,” Aldred said.

Texas 8, Milwaukee 3--Darryl Hamilton went two for three and drove in three runs against his former team as the Rangers won their fourth in a row, with the victory at Arlington, Texas.

Hamilton broke the game open in the seventh with a two-run single to make it 8-2. Hamilton left the Brewers after six-plus seasons when he signed as a free agent with the Rangers in December.

Kevin Gross (6-4) took advantage of a 6-0 lead after three innings, throwing strikes and letting the Brewers put the ball in play. Gross was lifted after a leadoff double in the ninth by Dave Nilsson, who scored on a single by Greg Vaughn off Mark Brandenburg.

The Rangers jumped on Brewer starter Brian Givens (0-1) for two runs in the first on run-scoring singles by Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez.

Detroit 8, Baltimore 3--Omar Olivares threw eight shutout innings and the Tigers hammered David Wells and the Orioles at Detroit.

The bottom fell out on Wells and the Orioles in the sixth, when the Tigers batted around and scored five times on five hits, three of them doubles, and two walks to take a 7-0 lead.

Olivares (2-2) gave up four hits in winning for the first time since April 10. Baltimore scored its runs with no outs in the ninth on a two-run homer by Bobby Bonilla and a solo shot by Cal Ripken.

Wells (3-6) lost his third consecutive decision, giving up 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts.

Chicago 8, Boston 2--Kevin Tapani gave up five hits over eight innings for his fourth consecutive victory and the surging White Sox won at Chicago for their 19th victory in 22 games.

Ron Karkovice homered, Tony Phillips and Robin Ventura each had three hits in the White Sox’s 16-hit attack and Ray Durham and Ventura drove in two runs each.

Durham’s two-out, two-run double, following two singles and a passed ball, gave the White Sox a 5-2 lead in the third off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (4-6), who pitched on only two days’ rest, because scheduled starter Aaron Sele was sick because of flu.

Cleveland 5, Oakland 4--Charles Nagy became the AL’s first 10-game winner and Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez homered as the Indians won at Cleveland.

Nagy (10-1) earned his seventh consecutive victory, giving up four runs on nine hits and one walk over seven innings.

Lofton’s two-out solo homer, his fifth, put Cleveland ahead, 4-3, in the fourth. Following Lofton’s homer, Julio Franco doubled down the right-field line and scored when Phil Plantier dropped Carlos Baerga’s pop-up.

New York 5, Toronto 3--Tino Martinez capped the Yankees’ four-run first inning with a three-run homer and Wade Boggs went four for four to lead the Yankees at Toronto.

Boggs opened the game with a double to center, advanced to third on Bernie Williams’ single and scored on Paul O’Neill’s double to left. Martinez followed with his 10th homer of the season, pulling Pat Hentgen’s 2-0 pitch over the wall in right and making it 4-0 before any outs were recorded.

Jimmy Key (3-6) gave up two runs and scattered four hits over 5 2/33 innings. He struck out five and walked one.