Rangers Lose Despite Sele’s 13 Strikeouts

For a change, the Detroit Tigers avoided the big mistake.

Detroit limited the Texas Rangers’ dangerous lineup to five hits and Tony Clark had a home run among his three hits in a 3-1 victory Thursday night at Arlington, Texas.

“For the most part this season we’ve been able to battle for five or six innings,” Clark said. “But then we always seem to fall apart. Tonight we got good starting pitching, a good night from the bullpen and a few clutch hits. That’s exactly the way you draw it up.”

Aaron Sele struck out a career-high 13, the most by a Ranger pitcher in seven years, but Tiger starter Dave Mlicki (7-10) gave up four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He helped Detroit end its five-game losing streak against Texas.

“I didn’t have my best stuff,” said Mlicki, who has won four of his last six decisions. “I had to battle all night against a very good lineup. I’ve been trying not to overthrow. Earlier in the season, I was trying to throw the perfect pitch.”

Reliever Francisco Cordero struck out four consecutive Rangers in the sixth and seventh, Doug Brocail threw a scoreless eighth and Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his 18th save.

Sele (12-7) pitched seven innings and had the most strikeouts for Texas since Roger Pavlik fanned 13 against Seattle on Aug. 7, 1992.

Sele had his five-game winning streak stopped. He gave up three runs and eight hits.

Minnesota 3, Toronto 0--Rookie Joe Mays scattered four singles in seven-plus innings and worked his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh for the Twins at Minneapolis.

Toronto’s lead in the AL wild-card race was cut to a half-game over idle Boston.

Mays (5-4) gave up an infield single to Shannon Stewart leading off the game and a single to Tony Batista in the second before retiring 13 batters in a row.

But leading 2-0 in the seventh, he loaded the bases with no outs by walking Brian McRae and Carlos Delgado around a single by Shawn Green.

Mays induced Darrin Fletcher to foul out to left field, then struck out Tony Batista and Willie Green.

Tampa Bay 7, Kansas City 6--Paul Sorrento went four for four, including a three-run homer for the Devil Rays at Kansas City, Mo.

Sorrento drove in four runs and scored twice as Tampa Bay won for the second time in 10 road games. Kansas City has lost three in a row.

Mike Sweeney had an run-scoring single in the fifth, extending his hitting streak to 24 games, six short of the Royals’ record held by George Brett.