American League Roundup : Canseco, Kingman Lower Boom-Boom on Clemens as A’s, LaRussa Win

Rookie Jose Canseco and veteran Dave Kingman shelled Roger Clemens with consecutive home runs in the sixth inning Monday night as the Oakland A’s marked Manager Tony LaRussa’s debut with a 6-4 victory over the Red Sox in Boston.

The A’s, who won for only the third time in their last 22 road games, handed Clemens his second consecutive loss since he built a 14-0 record, the fifth-best start in major league history.

In losing for the fourth time in the last six games, Boston’s American League East lead was trimmed to seven games over the New York Yankees.

Clemens allowed seven hits and six runs, one unearned, before being knocked out with no one out in the sixth. He struck out five, raising his American League-leading total to 138, but his earned-run average jumped from 2.34 to 2.58.

Oakland led, 3-1, in the sixth when Carney Lansford beat out a grounder to deep short and Canseco followed with his 20th homer, a drive into the screen in left-center field. He also has 70 runs batted in, tops in the majors.

Two pitches later, Kingman, who struck out his first two at-bats, hit a tremendous shot over the screen for his 18th homer. That finished Clemens, who threw 93 pitches. It was his earliest departure this season.

Dave Stewart (1-0), pitched six solid innings to pick up his first victory since September of 1984, when he was with the Texas Rangers. Stewart allowed eight hits, including a two-run homer by Dwight Evans, his 11th, in the sixth inning, before needing help from Dave Von Ohlen with none out in the seventh.

Toronto 7, Seattle 5--Jimmy Key scattered eight hits over seven innings, struck out a career-high 10 batters and picked off two base-runners to lead the Blue Jays at Toronto.

The victory was the fifth in a row for Key (8-5), who got off to an 0-3 start. Bill Caudill, who came on with two out in the eighth and the tying run at third, worked the last 1 innings for his first save since Aug. 3, 1985.

The Mariners, who are the runaway leaders in the American League with 626 strikeouts, were fanned 14 times Monday, the 17th time this season they’ve reached double figures.

The Blue Jays scored one run in the first and took a 3-0 lead in the third. They made it 6-1 with a pair of runs in the sixth.

Seattle closed to 6-5 with three runs in the eighth, keyed by a two-run pinch-hit single by Scott Bradley. Caudill replaced reliever Tom Henke and induced Bob Kearney to pop out to catcher Ernie Whitt in foul territory to end the threat. He struck out the side in the ninth.

Baltimore 8, Kansas City 1--The Orioles’ Cal Ripken, Fred Lynn and Floyd Rayford each hit home runs at Kansas City to help extend the Royals’ losing streak to 10 games.

The world champions, who staggered home Monday from an 0-9 road trip and a club-record nine consecutive defeats, dropped eight games below .500 at 37-45.

Mike Boddicker (11-4) scattered eight hits in snapping a three-game losing streak. The Royals’ only run came on a fifth-inning homer by Steve Balboni after the Orioles took a 5-0 lead against Charlie Leibrandt (8-6), who lasted only into the fourth inning.

Rayford hit a solo home run in the third. In a three-run fourth inning, Lynn opened with a single and Ripken followed with his home run over the 385-foot sign in left field to put the game away.

New York 14, Texas 3--Dave Winfield came off the bench to drive in four runs and record his 2,000th career hit and Rickey Henderson’s two-run single capped a five-run third inning to propel the Yankees at Arlington, Tex.

Scott Nielsen, making his major league debut, went seven innings and scattered nine hits to get the victory. Called up from Columbus of the International League on July 4, Nielsen struck out five and and walked one.

The Yankees chased Charlie Hough (8-4) in the third when they scored five runs, highlighted by Claudell Washington’s leadoff home run, to take a 7-1 lead. It was Washington’s third home run since being acquired from Atlanta June 29. He had five homers with the Braves.

Winfield did not start the game and reportedly was furious before the game, apparently believing that Yankee owner George Steinbrenner ordered his benching. With two out in the fifth, he recorded his 2,000th hit, a triple high off the right-field wall that knocked in Henderson.

Pete Incaviglia hit his 16th home run in the fifth to pull the Rangers to within 8-3, but Winfield doubled in three runs with two out in the sixth, capping a five-run inning that boosted New York’s lead to 13-3.

Chicago 4, Cleveland 3--Greg Walker’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth scored Julio Cruz to snap the Indians’ seven-game winning streak.

Cruz opened the ninth with a single off Ernie Camacho (1-2). John Cangelosi sacrificed Cruz to second and Ozzie Guillen singled him to third.

Harold Baines, who earlier had three hits, including the 1,000th of his career, was walked intentionally, filling the bases before Walker delivered his game-winning sacrifice fly.

Bob James (4-4), Chicago’s third pitcher, was the winner although he failed to protect a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth.

Minnesota 10, Detroit 8--Kent Hrbek hit his 20th home run of the season and Kirby Puckett had a single, double and triple in the Twins’ victory at Minneapolis.

Mike Smithson (8-7) got the victory despite allowing seven runs, including a pair of solo homers to Lou Whitaker. Keith Atherton relieved Smithson in the Tigers’ four-run seventh inning and earned his sixth save.

Detroit starter Randy O’Neal (1-4) lasted 3 innings. The Twins scored twice in the third inning to tie the score, 3-3. Greg Gagne was safe on shortstop Alan Trammell’s throwing error and scored on Puckett’s triple. Puckett scored on Randy Bush’s grounder.

Minnesota scored twice in the fourth inning to go ahead for good, 5-3. Steve Lombardozzi was hit by a pitch and scored on Gagne’s double. Puckett’s single scored Gagne.