Brewers’ 20 Hits Lead To 12-4 Romp

American League

The Milwaukee Brewers again broke loose with the bats Saturday, connecting on 20 hits and routing the Kansas City Royals 12-4 at Kansas City, Mo., for their sixth straight win.

Milwaukee has scored at least eight runs in four consecutive games. The only other time the Brewers have scored eight or more runs in four games in a row was April 7-11, 1978.

Indians 2, Red Sox 1

Cleveland

Jack McDowell pitched a five-hitter over seven-plus innings for his second victory over Boston this week and Julio Franco had a two-run single to lead Cleveland past Boston.

McDowell (2-1), who earned his 13th career shutout in a 8-0 victory on Monday, allowed one run before leaving with two outs and a man on in the seventh.

White Sox 8, Athletics 3

Oakland, Calif.

Tony Phillips homered and drove in four runs in Chicago’s win.

The White Sox won their third in a row and sent the A’s to their fourth straight loss.

Frank Thomas went 0 for 3 with two walks and ended his 15-game hitting streak, the longest at the start of a season by a White Sox player since at least 1952, the first year such statistics were kept.

Rangers 8, Orioles 3

Arlington, Texas

A day after their record-setting 26-7 victory, Texas routed Baltimore again.

Will Clark drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the first, and Juan Gonzalez added a two-run homer.

Yankees 7, Twins 6

Minneapolis

Ruben Sierra homered twice and drove in four runs as New York spoiled Rick Aguilera’s return to the Minnesota starting rotation. Aguilera lasted only three innings in his first start since 1989.

Angels 2, Tigers 1

Anaheim, Calif.

Jason Grimsley allowed six hits in 7-1/3 innings for his first major league win in nearly two years as California beat Detroit.

Grimsley (1-0), recalled from Triple-A Vancouver earlier in the day, held the Tigers scoreless until Travis Fryman homered in the seventh.

Gooden demoted

Dwight Gooden, 0-3 with an 11.48 ERA in three starts for the New York Yankees, was demoted to the bullpen.

Gooden, back in the majors after a 1-1/2-year suspension for violating his drug aftercare program, was dropped from the rotation a day after his worst outing of the season, a 7-1 loss to Minnesota.

“I have no problem with it,” Gooden said. “That tells me a lot of work needs to be done.”

Scott Kamieniecki will replace Gooden in the rotation. He is scheduled to start Wednesday against Cleveland.

Clearing the bases

Cleveland’s Eddie Murray tied Hall of Famer Al Kaline for 11th place in career games at 2,834 and surpassed Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson for ninth place in career at-bats. He now has 10,657.

Kansas City’s Bip Roberts was taken to the hospital for X-rays after sustaining a bruised left leg in a collision at second with Milwaukee’s Kevin Seitzer. The X-rays were negative, and Roberts said he thought he could play today. … Bobby Bonilla’s unhappiness about being Baltimore’s designated hitter has only grown during the Orioles’ hot start, so much so that he is hinting he might leave when he becomes a free agent after this season. “Maybe I’m just a National League player,” Bonilla said.

Oakland first baseman Mark McGwire is hoping to come off the disabled list in time for the Athletics’ next road trip, starting Wednesday in Toronto. … Gerardo Sanchez, playing for Nuevo Laredo, will play in his 1,167th straight game today to set the Mexican League record. Baltimore’s Cal Ripken, who played in his record 2,169th straight game Saturday, sent Sanchez a congratulatory letter . … Texas’ Friday night 16-run bottom of the eighth took 56 minutes to play.