White Sox, Belle Break Out of Slump

At least some baseball teams in Chicago know how to win.

Albert Belle broke out of a slump with his first home run since opening day and Doug Drabek won for the first time since last Sept. 26 as the White Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 9-3, on Wednesday night at Chicago and stopped a three-game losing streak.

At 4-9, Chicago’s record might not be great, but it’s better than the 0-12 Cubs. It was only the second victory in eight games for the White Sox.

Drabek gave up one run and three hits in eight innings, walked four and struck out three. Mike Bertotti finished, helping stop the Orioles’ five-game winning streak.

Belle entered the game in a one for 27 slump that had lowered his average to .163, but he helped Chicago break on top in the first.

Frank Thomas walked for the 11th time in 13 games, Belle doubled, Harold Baines was intentionally walked and Chris Snopek walked on a 3-2 pitch, forcing in a run. Dave Martinez followed with a triple into the right-field corner to make it 4-0.

Baines homered in the third, and Belle in the fourth.

Seattle 7, Detroit 3--Randy Johnson won his 14th consecutive decision and Ken Griffey Jr. broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run homer at Detroit.

Johnson (2-0) won for only the second time in seven career decisions at Tiger Stadium, giving up a two-run homer to Tony Clark in the sixth. He gave up three hits in seven innings, struck out 10 and walked four. It was his 69th game with 10 or more strikeouts, his first since back surgery last Sept. 12.

Griffey, who hit six homers in the first week of the season, homered for the first time since April 8. His drive off Mike Myers broke a 2-2 tie following Alex Rodriguez’s two-out single off A.J. Sager.

Toronto 4, Oakland 3--Otis Nixon singled home the winning run in the ninth inning as the Blue Jays defeated the Athletics at Toronto and stopped a three-game losing streak.

Pinch-hitter Carlos Delgado had a leadoff single off Brian Taylor (0-1) and Shawn Green, also pinch-hitting, followed with a routine grounder to second. Scott Spiezio, trying to start a double play, threw the ball over shortstop Rafael Bournigal’s head into left field for an error that allowed Delgado to take third.

Charlie O’Brien was intentionally walked, Alex Gonzalez struck out and Nixon followed with a drive into right-center field.

Milwaukee 7, New York 4--Fernando Vina had three hits, including a tie-breaking two-run single off David Cone, as the Brewers handed the Yankees their fourth consecutive loss at New York.

The Brewers got five scoreless innings from their bullpen, including three by Jose Mercedes (1-0), who won for the first time since defeating Kansas City on July 19, 1994.

After giving up a leadoff double to Paul O’Neill leading off the fifth, Mercedes gave up only one single and struck out three.

Boston 11, Cleveland 6--Mo Vaughn, whose power stroke has been missing most of the season, hit two three-run homers as the Red Sox won at Boston.

Boston went ahead, 5-2, on Vaughn’s first homer in the fourth off Chad Ogea (2-1). Cleveland tied the score in the fifth before the Red Sox got five runs in the sixth, the last three on Vaughn’s liner off Steve Kline that carried into the right-field bullpen.

Matt Williams, who had 247 homers in 10 seasons with San Francisco, ended his drought Wednesday with his first American League homer, a two-run shot that tied the game in the fifth.

Boston’s Steve Avery (1-1) got his first AL victory.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

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Team’s Player Team Performance Result Mo Vaughn Boston 2 for 4, 2 HR, tied career-high 6 RBI Win Matt Williams Cleveland Hit first AL home run, 2 RBI Loss Albert Belle Chicago Broke one for 27 slump--double, HR Win

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PITCHING

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Team’s Player Team Performance Result Randy Johnson Seattle 7 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 10 strikeouts Win Doug Drabek Chicago 8 innings, 3 hits, run Win John Burkett Texas 7 2/3 innings, 9 hits--all singles Win

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