They’re Starting to Look Like ’98 Yankees

Finally, it’s beginning to look like 1998 for the New York Yankees again.

The Yankees, with Sunday’s 6-2 victory at Baltimore, completed a perfect six-game road trip at Tampa Bay and Baltimore to open a small lead in the AL East.

Bernie Williams homered twice and Orlando Hernandez earned his ninth victory as New York improved to a season-high 17 games over .500 (45-28) and two games in front of Boston in the division.

“This is the type of streak we look for, and hopefully we don’t have just one of these,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “We are capable.”

The Orioles, meanwhile, concluded a six-game homestand against Boston and New York with their fifth consecutive loss. Baltimore is 4-17 against AL East teamsthis season, including 1-5 versus the Yankees.

The Orioles’ comeback victory over the Red Sox on Tuesday capped an 11-1 run that brought them within five games of .500. Now, however, the Orioles are 10 games under (32-42) and a season-worst 13 1/2 games out of first place.

“These were big games, without a doubt,” catcher Charles Johnson said. “You want to win these because you have a chance to gain ground without counting on someone else. Point blank, we have to play better baseball against teams in our division.”

Williams hit solo shots in the first and third innings off Sidney Ponson (7-5). It was the eighth two-homer game of his career and the second this season.

Hernandez (9-6) gave up two runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings to improve to 3-0 lifetime against the Orioles. He struck out five and walked three while providing a perfect encore for David Cone, who yielded one run in eight innings Saturday.

New York shortstop Derek Jeter didn’t play for the first time this season because of a hamstring injury he suffered Saturday. Torre said he rested Jeter as a precautionary measure.

Cleveland 6, Kansas City 5--Richie Sexson and Manny Ramirez bailed out Dwight Gooden after the shortest outing of his 15-year career as the Indians rallied for a rain-soaked victory at Kansas City.

Gooden gave up five runs on five hits and a walk and threw only 28 pitches while getting only one out in the first.

But Sexson’s two-run triple off Jeff Montgomery following the second delay in the top of the seventh erased a 5-4 Royal lead and allowed the Indians to avoid their first four-game losing skid since last September.

Ramirez, who didn’t play the previous six games because a bruised finger, had two runs batted in, raising his major league-leading total to 81.

Minnesota 12, Detroit 7--Denny Hocking went five for six with three doubles, Cristian Guzman drove in three runs and Brent Gates homered as the Twins won at Detroit.

The Twins scored five runs in the first and had with 17 hits off seven Tiger pitchers.

Tiger starter Jeff Weaver (6-4), who defeated Minnesota in his major league debut April 14, was tagged for seven runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings.

LaTroy Hawkins (4-8) went five innings to win for the third time in his last four decisions. He gave up four runs and six hits, struck out five and walked one.

Tampa Bay 8, Toronto 0--Bobby Witt pitched a three-hitter for his first win in eight weeks and Fred McGriff homered for the third consecutive game to lead the Devil Rays at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Witt (4-4) ended a streak of nine consecutive starts without a victory by limiting the Blue Jays to two singles after Shannon Stewart led off the game with a double.

The win was the first for Witt since May 1 and the 10th shutout and 45th complete game of his career.

McGriff hit a 455-foot, three-run homer off Kelvim Escobar (7-5), who also gave up a run-scoring double to Wade Boggs and a RBI single to Mike DiFelice during a five-run first inning.

Chicago 7, Boston 6--Craig Wilson hit his first two home runs of the season, including a two-run shot in the ninth inning, to lift the White Sox to a comeback victory at Boston.

One day after scoring 11 first-inning runs in a 17-1 rout of the White Sox, Boston built a 5-0 lead after two innings.

The White Sox scored four runs in the fourth, on a two-run homer by Wilson and solo shots by Frank Thomas and Greg Norton.

Chicago then rallied for three runs in the ninth off Tim Wakefield, who blew his first save in eight chances in place of injured closer Tom Gordon.