Strong Tiger Start Rips Rangers Apart
American League
Travis Fryman and Bobby Higginson hit first-inning home runs Wednesday night as Detroit beat visiting Texas 4-2 and handed Rangers starter Roger Pavlik his fourth straight defeat.
Pavlik (12-6), who was selected for the All-Star Game, is 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his last four starts.
John Cummings (1-0) pitched two innings in relief for the Tigers, who have won nine of 13.
Curtis Pride led off the bottom of the first with a triple to center and scored on Fryman’s 16th homer. Higginson followed one out later with his 18th home run to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Twins 4, Angels 0 Anaheim, Calif.
Rich Robertson pitched a four-hitter for his third shutout of the season and Chuck Knoblauch hit a pair of RBI singles as Minnesota whipped California.
Robertson (5-10), the only Twins pitcher to throw a shutout this year, struck out seven and walked four en route to his fifth complete game of 1996.
Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 0 Boston
Tom Gordon pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout in almost six years and rookie Tony Rodriguez hit his first major-league home run in Boston’s rout.
Gordon (9-5) struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter for the first time in his career. He carried a perfect game into the fifth inning.
Orioles 12, Brewers 2 Milwaukee
Jeffrey Hammonds and Roberto Alomar hit consecutive homers to lead Scott Erickson and Baltimore to victory.
Rafael Palmeiro added a solo homer for the Orioles, who routed the Brewers 13-3 on Tuesday night.
Royals 7, Athletics 0 Kansas City
Kevin Appier pitched a two-hitter to extend his scoreless streak to 24 innings as Kansas City drilled Oakland.
Appier gave up a single to Tony Batista leading off the third, and a single to Geronimo Berroa to open the eighth.
Batista was thrown out trying to steal, and no Oakland runner reached second base as the A’s lost for the 10th time in 13 games.
White Sox 8, Yankees 4 (10) New York
Harold Baines’ one-out RBI single in the top of the 10th inning ignited a decisive five-run Chicago rally.
Roberto Hernandez (3-1) pitched the final two innings for the victory, allowing only one hit, an RBI double to Wade Boggs.
Clearing the bases
From baseball’s Like-father-like-son Department comes word that Prince Fielder, the 12-year-old son of Cecil Fielder, is 5-foot-8 and weighs 180 pounds. … The Orioles have hit back-to-back home runs 10 times this season. … Milwaukee’s Fernando Vina expects to be out three to five days after being hit on the right ankle last night by Orioles reliever Archie Corbin. … Boston’s Tim Naehring was scratched with inflammation behind his right knee. … Chicago’s Frank Thomas was ejected by home-plate umpire Brian O’Nora for disputing a called third strike in the eighth inning.