Key Gives Thoughts to Victory

Jimmy Key never thought about his three-game losing streak or the sore left hamstring that cut his last start short.

Instead, Key pitched eight effective innings for his first win since June 13 as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-1, at Detroit for their fourth consecutive victory.

Key (12-4) limited the Tigers to five hits, striking out three and walking two. His shutout bid was spoiled in the eighth when Raul Casanova homered.

Key was pitching for the first time since a left hamstring strain caused him to leave a June 28 start against Toronto after four innings.

“I really wasn’t worried about my leg,” Key said. “It never entered my mind.”

Jeffrey Hammonds homered, doubled twice and matched a career high with four RBIs as the Orioles supported Key with 15 hits.

Minnesota 8, Milwaukee 5--Scott Stahoviak hit a 455-foot homer off Jeff D’Amico, and Brad Radke stretched his winning streak to six games at Milwaukee.

Radke (10-5) scattered four hits and gave up three runs, two earned, in seven innings.

The Twins erased a 2-0 deficit when Matt Lawton hit a run-scoring single before Paul Molitor doubled him home in the fourth. Molitor advanced to third on a fly out, then scored when Brewer catcher Kelly Stinnett overthrew D’Amico--who is 6 feet 7--after a pitch to Terry Steinbach with two outs.

New York 3, Toronto 1--David Wells gave up five hits over 7 1/3 innings and the Yankees tied a season high with their fourth consecutive road victory.

Wells (9-4), who gave up five runs over three innings in his last start, gave up one run, struck out six and walked three as the Yankees improved to 13-3 at the SkyDome since 1995.

Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton each got one out in the eighth and Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his league-leading 27th save.

Joe Girardi had three hits, drove in one run and scored another, and Chad Curtis had two hits, scored once and drove in a run for New York.

Woody Williams (3-8) gave up three runs and eight hits over six innings with one walk and four strikeouts. The Blue Jays’ offense, which ranks last in the American League, has averaged fewer than three runs in Williams’ 16 starts.

Boston 4, Chicago 1--Nomar Garciaparra led off the game with a homer and later scored the tiebreaking run at Chicago.

Aaron Sele (10-6) gave up seven hits in his first complete game since last Sept. 22. He struck out six, walked none and sent Chicago to its fourth straight loss.

Garciaparra homered on the fourth pitch of the game from Doug Drabek (6-6).

It was Garciaparra’s 13th homer this season, three of them leadoff shots.