Unlike Ripken, Clemens Keeps Streak Going

Roger Clemens earned his 20th victory, winning his 15th consecutive decision and striking out 15 in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night at Toronto.

Toronto moved within 3 1/2 games of Boston in the American League wild-card race after the Red Sox split a doubleheader with Tampa Bay. The Blue Jays have five games left, Boston six.

“It’ll be like catching lightning in a jar to get into this playoff situation,” Clemens said.

Clemens (20-6), bidding for his record fifth Cy Young Award, has the longest winning streak in the majors since Gaylord Perry won 15 in a row in 1974 for Cleveland.

Clemens, a five-time 20-game winner, tied Atlanta’s Tom Glavine for the major league lead in victories and leads the AL in ERA (2.58) and strikeouts (260). Last season, he became the first AL pitcher to lead the league in all three categories since Detroit’s Hal Newhouser in 1945.

Cal Ripken returned to the Oriole lineup a day after ending his playing streak at 2,632 games. He went two for four and passed Babe Ruth for 34th on the career list with 2,875 hits.

“It really felt good being back,” Ripken said. “I enjoyed scratching and clawing in my at-bats against Clemens, he’s the best.”

After starting the season 5-6, Clemens is unbeaten in 21 starts dating to May 29.

Clemens pitched eight innings, giving up seven hits and three walks. He struck out 14 in the first seven innings.

Boston 4-4, Tampa Bay 3-8--The Red Sox kept crawling toward a wild-card berth, splitting a doubleheader at Boston when Bubba Trammell drove in five runs to give the Devil Rays a victory in the second game.

The Red Sox have lost four of their last five games and are 7-14 in September.

In the opener, Keith Mitchell singled in the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning for his first run batted in of the season. Tom Gordon got his 43rd save by working out of a one-out, two-on jam in the eighth and retiring the side in order in the ninth.

In the second game, Terrell Wade allowed three runs and five hits in five innings in winning his first game in the majors since May 20, 1997, when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

The Devil Rays, at 63-93, avoided a 100-loss season. They have six games left and, by winning all of them, would fall one short of the record for victories by an expansion team set in 1961 by the Los Angeles Angels.

Cleveland 4, New York 1--Enrique Wilson hit his first grand slam in the majors, helping Charles Nagy and the Indians to victory in a matchup of AL division champions at New York.

The Indians, who beat New York in the first round of the playoffs last year, are unlikely to meet the Yankees in the opening round this season.

While Nagy (15-10) pitched well for eight innings, giving up five hits, Andy Pettitte (16-11) struggled. Pettitte gave up eight hits and four runs in seven innings. He has lost four of his last seven starts, giving up 35 runs in 43 innings.

Chicago 7, Minnesota 1--Former Angel Jim Abbott remained unbeaten in his major league comeback with the White Sox at Minneapolis.

Abbott improved to 4-0, his first four-game winning streak in the majors since 1991.

The 31-year old left-hander gave up a first-inning run but settled down, walking two and striking out three in six innings as the White Sox won their fourth consecutive game.

Chicago’s Ray Durham scored three runs to take over the AL lead in runs scored with 123.

The Twins have lost 11 of their last 12 games.

Detroit 7, Kansas City 5--Joe Randa scored the go-ahead run on Scott Service’s wild pitch in the eighth inning at Kansas City as the Tigers won for the fourth time in five games.

Carlos Beltran tripled twice for Kansas City, which had four triples--one short of the team record. The Royals had their season-high home winning streak end at four games.