Wells’ Shutout Matches Bunning’s ’64 Feat

New York Yankee pitcher David Wells might not have been perfect, but he was plenty good enough to make the Minnesota Twins the answer to a trivia question.

Wells’ four-hitter against the Twins Tuesday night made him only the second pitcher this century to shut out a team in his first start against them after a perfect game as the Yankees won, 7-0, at New York.

Wells (15-2), who pitched the perfect game at Yankee Stadium on May 17, matched the feat accomplished by Philadelphia’s Jim Bunning against the New York Mets in 1964.

Paul O’Neill homered and Jorge Posada drove in three runs as the Yankees (86-29) moved 57 games above .500 for the first time since 1939. New York, which has won six straight, has held leads in 40 consecutive games, tying the major league record set by the ’32 Yankees. Eric Milton (6-9), traded by New York as part of the Chuck Knoblauch deal, was the loser.

With the win, New York Manager Joe Torre evened his managerial record at 1,168-1,168.

It was Wells’ third shutout this season and upped his home record to 10-0. After Wells retired Otis Nixon on a grounder to second to start the game, Brent Gates doubled just inside the bag at third, ending a run of 28 straight Twins retired by Wells.

Wells, who hasn’t given up a run to the Twins in 25 straight innings over three starts, has won 15 of 16 decisions since losing his first start of the season. The left-hander threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of 30 batters, including 17 in a row. He struck out four and walked none.

Texas 2, Cleveland 1--Esteban Loaiza (1-2), acquired from Pittsburgh on July 17, allowed one run and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings at Cleveland to get his first victory for the Rangers.

Loaiza had only received three runs of support in his previous two losses for the Rangers. “With the pitching and defense we have now, we can win these low scoring games,” Texas Manager Johnny Oates said. “We couldn’t do that earlier in the year.”

Juan Gonzalez, who leads the majors with 119 RBIs, missed his second straight game and eighth in 13 games because of a stiff neck. Mike Simms, his replacement in the lineup, hit his 12th homer. John Wetteland pitched the ninth for his 32nd save. Steve Karsay (0-2) gave up both runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings as Cleveland dropped to 27-28 since June 9.

Tampa Bay 2, Baltimore 1--Bobby Smith singled home the winning run off Armando Benitez (4-3) with two outs in the ninth at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Baltimore lost for only the seventh time in 30 games since the all-star break. Jim Mecir (5-2) got the win, working out of a first-and-second jam with one out in the eighth by striking out Cal Ripken and retiring B.J. Surhoff on a ground ball.

Boston 7, Kansas City 4--Nomar Garciaparra tied the score at Boston with a solo homer in the sixth, then hit a three-run shot in the 10th that raised his season total to 24 for the Red Sox.

It was Boston’s seventh consecutive victory over the Royals, who have lost five in a row overall.

Tom Gordon (6-3) allowed one run and three hits in 2 1/3 innings. Jeff Montgomery (1-4) took the loss.

Oakland 6, Chicago 4--The Athletics’ Bip Roberts had three hits, including a two-run double in the victory at Chicago. Ben Grieve also drove in two runs as the Athletics ended a three-game losing streak. Oakland had lost 17 of its last 24 games.

Tom Candiotti (8-14) won his third straight start, allowing six hits in 7 2/3 innings, and Bill Taylor got the final out for his 24th save. John Snyder (3-1) gave up six runs and eight hits in six innings.