Giles’ Slump Ends When He Ends Game

Some of the American League’s top sluggers kept strutting to home plate, taking cuts that grew mightier at pitches that became meatier as the hour got late and the bullpens thin.

Brian Giles, mired in a one-for-26 slump, delivered the game-winning blow at Cleveland, a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 14th inning that gave the Indians a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

“I just went up there looking for a fastball and tried to put a good whack on it,” said Giles, whose ninth homer landed 422 feet away in the center-field picnic area.

Giles ended a tense, four-hour game with the drive off Alan Levine (0-1). It was the first run since the Rangers’ Will Clark tied it, 2-2, with an RBI single in the sixth inning.

“You wouldn’t expect it to go 14 innings with two teams like this,” Texas Manager Johnny Oates said.

Rick Krivda (2-0) worked one scoreless inning for the victory, the Indians’ second in a row after losing six consecutive games. It was Cleveland’s sixth win in its last at-bat at home.

The American League West-leading Rangers, coming off a 7-5, 13-inning victory at New York that lasted four hours, 53 minutes, lost for the second time in eight games and missed a chance to tie the best start through 40 games in franchise history. Texas is 25-15.

Juan Gonzalez got his major league-leading 50th RBI with a groundout in the first inning that scored Tom Goodwin, who walked. Gonzalez is the fastest to reach 50 RBIs since Joe Carter, who also did it in 40 games with Toronto in 1994.

At the season’s quarter-pole, Gonzalez is on pace to drive in 202 runs and break Hack Wilson’s record of 190.

“Everything in this life is possible,” Gonzalez said. “Nothing seems impossible if you play hard and stay positive.”

Starting pitchers John Burkett and Jaret Wright engaged in a splendid duel, and the bullpens were even more dominant.

Cleveland relievers Paul Assenmacher, Jose Mesa, Mike Jackson, Ron Villone, Eric Plunk and Krivda gave up five hits in seven shutout innings and struck out seven.

Before Giles’ homer, Texas relievers Eric Gunderson, Tim Crabtree, Scott Bailes, John Wetteland and Levine had pitched six shutout innings with three hits and seven strikeouts, including the side in the 11th inning by Bailes.

Giles ended an 0-for-17 slump with a hit Thursday night and was hitless in five at-bats Friday night before the game-ending homer.

“I really wanted to do something to help this team win, and to be able to go up there and do that feels good,” Giles said.

Burkett retired 11 in a row after Bell’s leadoff single in the fourth, giving up two runs and five hits in seven innings with three walks and five strikeouts.

Wright, who has been up-and-down in his sophomore season, gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings. He walked four and struck out five.

Tampa Bay 4, Baltimore 1--Wilson Alvarez pitched seven strong innings at Baltimore and won for the first time in five starts.

Alvarez (4-4), who had lost three consecutive decisions, gave up six hits, walked two and struck out three. He had been winless in his previous six starts against the Orioles.

Eric Davis hit a home run, helping Baltimore tie a team record by hitting a home run in 17 consecutive games. The previous marks were set from June 14-July 1, 1994 and Aug. 23-Sept. 9, 1997.

Mike Kelly hit his third homer for the Devil Rays. Roberto Hernandez pitched the ninth inning for his fifth save.

Jimmy Key (4-2) lost for the first time in four starts at Camden Yards. He went 7 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits, walking none and striking out two.

Boston 5, Kansas City 2--Lou Merloni, who grew up half an hour from Boston, homered in his first at-bat at Fenway Park and Tim Wakefield won his fifth consecutive start at Boston.

Merloni, who was called up from triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday because of an injury to Nomar Garciaparra, keyed a five-run second inning with his first homer and only his second major league hit.

Wakefield (5-1) beat the Royals for the second time in a week to snap the Red Sox’s four-game losing streak, their longest of the season. Wakefield gave up seven hits and two earned runs over seven innings.

Dennis Eckersley pitched the ninth for his first save in two chances.

Jose Rosado (0-3), a reliever making his first start of the year for the Royals, gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out two and gave up two home runs.

Chicago 6, Seattle 3--Albert Belle hit a three-run homer and Greg Norton continued his hot hitting with a double and single at Chicago.

Jaime Navarro (4-3) gave up seven hits over 7 1/3 innings to win his third consecutive decision and defeat the Mariners for the first time in nearly five years. His last victory over Seattle came June 1, 1993, when Navarro was with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Keith Foulke relieved Navarro after he walked two in the eighth inning and retired the side. Foulke pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.

Minnesota 7, New York 6--The Twins battered Andy Pettitte at New York for the second time in less than a week, sending the Yankees to consecutive losses for the first time since an 0-3 start.

Pettitte (5-4), who lost, 8-1, at Minnesota last Saturday, gave up all seven runs and 12 hits in seven innings, the most hits he has given up since the Twins had 13 off him last Aug. 1.

Eric Milton (3-4), acquired by Minnesota from New York as part of the Chuck Knoblauch trade on Feb. 6, gave up five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. Milton lost to the Yankees, 7-0, last Sunday.

Marty Cordova drove in three runs as Minnesota extended a winning streak to four for the first time since September.