Trachsel Doesn’t Seem to Notice Lively Ball

Steve Trachsel extended his scoreless-innings streak to 17 and Fred McGriff hit a seventh-inning homer as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat Orlando Hernandez and the New York Yankees, 1-0, Thursday night at New York.

It was the second consecutive 1-0 victory for Trachsel (3-2), who gave up three hits, struck out five and walked one in seven innings. In his previous start Saturday, he beat Boston and Pedro Martinez with a complete-game shutout at Fenway Park.

Thursday, Trachsel said he felt his confidence growing as the game progressed.

“When you feel good and you’re hitting your spots, your confidence really builds.”

Trachsel threw 104 pitches, 69 for strikes, but told Devil Ray Manager Larry Rothschild he felt a little tired. Trachsel was relieved by Albie Lopez, who allowed one hit in the final two innings for his first save.

“We just decided it would be better for Albie to go out and start the inning,” Trachsel said. “I told him [Rothschild] I could go out to start it, but I wasn’t sure I could finish.”

McGriff, who had not homered in 67 at-bats, hit a 2-1 pitch from Hernandez (4-2) into the right-center field bleachers with one out in the seventh.

Clay Bellinger, who replaced Derek Jeter at shortstop for the Yankees when Jeter strained an abdominal muscle, gave Trachsel a scare with a drive to the top of the left-field wall in the sixth. Left fielder Greg Vaughn leaped to make the catch.

Cleveland 16, Kansas City 0--Manny Ramirez’s first-inning grand slam got the Indians rolling and Jaret Wright pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings at Cleveland.

The shutout was Cleveland’s most lopsided in 45 years, when the Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 19-0, on May 18, 1955.

Oakland 7, Seattle 6--Jason Giambi homered and drove in five runs for the A’s at Oakland.

Giambi hit a three-run homer, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single and also tripled as the A’s survived a three-run homer by Jay Buhner and solo shots by Alex Rodriguez and David Bell.

Boston 11, Baltimore 4--Andy Sheets drove in the go-ahead run with his first hit of the season during a six-run sixth inning that lifted the Red Sox at Baltimore.

Carl Everett went three for five with a homer and four runs batted in. He leads the Red Sox with 12 homers and 33 RBIs.

Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was replaced by Sheets in the first inning after aggravating a hamstring injury while running out a grounder. Garciaparra missed two games last weekend with a tight left hamstring.