Royals Don't Want Part of This History

L.A. Times Archives

July 14, 1997 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

It has taken two weeks, but the Kansas City Royals have made history by losing their 12th consecutive game, the longest streak in the 29-year history of the franchise.

With Frank Thomas homering for the third consecutive game, the Chicago White Sox held on for a 7-6 victory Sunday at Kansas City.

“In the downest of down times, people show their true colors,” Kansas City Manager Tony Muser said. “We’re down. And I haven’t seen any bad colors.”

Muser is 0-4 since replacing the fired Bob Boone on Wednesday.

Kansas City rebounded from a 5-0 deficit, but stranded 14 runners, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth. The Royals erased the previous record of 11 consecutive losses, set June 27-July 8, 1986, the year after Kansas City won the World Series.

“We didn’t expect this at all,” said third baseman Bip Roberts, who was left on base in the ninth. “That’s why it’s so dumbfounding. We get down, we come back. We get down, we come back. But we always lose.”

Albert Belle hit a three-run home run as the White Sox won their seventh in a row and swept a four-game series in Kauffman Stadium for the first time. Chicago won despite walking 10 and remained 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.

Thomas, the AL’s batting leader, was nine for 17 in the series, drove in three runs in each game and raised his average 10 points to .378.

“I’d have to say this was one of my better series in a while,” he said. “We’re playing good baseball right now.”

The Royals, who dropped to 36-50, haven’t won since beating Milwaukee, 16-3, on June 27.

“That seems like a long, long time ago. But you look back over the streak, I don’t think you’ll find a single time when we’ve given up,” said shortstop Jay Bell, who was three for four. “But we’ve played just well enough to lose.”

Muser was the Chicago Cubs’ hitting coach when they started this season 0-14.

“There were games in Chicago when they quit,” he said of the Cubs. “But these guys are busting their tails. Even with some confusion and a manager change and a couple of new coaches coming in, they come to win every day. I’ve got to manage better. Coaches have to coach better. Players have to play better. We’ve all got to take this personally.”

Milwaukee 6, Baltimore 4--Dave Nilsson and Jack Voigt homered off Mike Mussina as the resurgent Brewers completed their first three-game sweep at Baltimore since 1987.

Roberto Alomar homered for the Orioles, whose six-game losing streak is their longest since an identical skid in April 1996. Baltimore led in the series and went two for 18 with runners in scoring position.

Mussina (10-3) gave up five runs, eight hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. Mussina is 10-1 since April 6.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Brewers, matching their season high.

Toronto 3, Boston 2--Toronto outfielder Shawn Green homered to back another strong pitching performance--this time by Woody Williams--and the Blue Jays won at Boston.

A day after Roger Clemens struck out 16 Boston batters in his return to Fenway Park, Williams (4-8) gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings. But he gave up a solo home run to Mike Stanley in the fifth and left after Reggie Jefferson hit another home run in the seventh to make the score 3-2.

Rookie Kelvim Escobar--the sixth Blue Jay pitcher--got the final two outs for his first career save.

Detroit 3, New York 1--At New York, Bobby Higginson went four for five and Willie Blair pitched seven strong innings as the Tigers ended a 10-game losing streak.

Higginson homered and drove in all three runs for the Tigers, who avoided being swept in the four-game series with their first win over New York since last Aug. 10.

Tino Martinez went two for four with a triple for the Yankees.

Brian Hunter stole three bases and scored twice, and Raul Casanova had three hits for the Tigers.

Cleveland 12, Minnesota 5--Jim Thome drove in three runs with a home run and a double and Brian Giles added a two-run home run for Cleveland at Minneapolis.

Bartolo Colon (2-2), recalled from triple-A Buffalo before the game, gave up three runs and three hits over five innings before being replaced by David Weathers. Colon struck out four and walked three as the Indians took three of four games from the Twins.

Thome gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his 26th home run. His two-run double in the third off LaTroy Hawkins (1-5) gave Cleveland a 3-0 lead.

The Indians made the score 5-0 in the fourth on Pat Borders’ RBI triple and Omar Vizquel’s bloop single. Thome scored on Giles’ fifth-inning single to make the score 6-0.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: B. Higginson

Team: Detroit

Performance: 4 for 5, double, home run, 3 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

Player: Brian Giles

Team: Cleveland

Performance: 3 for 4, home run, 3 RBIs, 2 runs

Team’s Result: Win

Player: Frank Thomas