Pitching Duel Favors Kansas City

American League

Mark Gubicza pitched two-hit ball for seven innings in outdueling Wilson Alvarez, and the Kansas City Royals ended Chicago’s seven-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory Friday night over the White Sox at Kansas City, Mo.

The Royals, who had scored just three runs in their three previous games, stopped a season-worst four-game losing skid.

Brewers 12, Yankees 6

Milwaukee

Joe Oliver homered and drove in five runs as Milwaukee ended a sevengame losing streak with a win over New York. Leading 7-5 in the fifth, the Brewers sent 11 men to the plate and scored five more times.

Tigers 7, Red Sox 6

Boston

Travis Fryman’s RBI single broke an eighthinning tie and gave Detroit a lead it could hold. Detroit led 3-0, 5-1 and 6-3 before Jose Canseco answered a brushback pitch with a solo home run in the sixth.

Indians 4, Twins 1

Minneapolis

Dennis Martinez (7-0) gave up five hits in eight innings and Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 20th save in Cleveland’s win on the night Eddie Murray recorded his 3,000th hit.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 5

Toronto

Alex Gonzalez singled home the deciding run with one out in the ninth inning in Toronto’s win, its first three-game winning streak of the year.

Never had the Blue Jays gone longer at the start of a season without winning three in a row.

Athletics 8, Angels 5

Oakland, Calif.

Mark McGwire hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off Lee Smith to rally Oakland. McGwire, leading the majors with 22 home runs, sent an 0-1 pitch deep into the left-field seats. The blown save was the second in a row for Smith, who had converted 19 straight chances before giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night in Texas.

Signings

One day after he signed a minor league contract and just 12 weeks after he left Cuba, Ariel Prieto became a member of the Oakland Athletics.

Prieto, a right-handed pitcher who was the Athletics’ first pick in the June 1 amateur draft, was called up to replace righthander Jim Corsi, on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his shoulder.

Toronto signed its first-round pick from the June draft, pitcher Roy Halladay from Golden, Colo.

The Red Sox signed first-round draft pick Corey Jenkins, an 18-year-old outfielder from Columbia, S.C.

Clearing the bases

Yankees ace Jimmy Key, already on the disabled list with an injury to his left shoulder, failed to complete a pitching session in Tampa, Fla., for the second time in four days. He is sidelined with inflammation and rotator tendinitis in his shoulder. To make matters worse on the Yankees’ pitching crew, right-hander Melido Perez left Friday night’s game in the third inning with a stiff right shoulder.… . Royals left fielder Vince Coleman was ejected by home plate umpire Jim Joyce in the sixth for arguing balls and strikes.