AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Darling Leads A’s Past Mariners, 7-2

Ron Darling held the Seattle Mariners hitless until the seventh inning before combining with Jeff Parrett and Dennis Eckersley on a five-hitter in the Oakland Athletics’ 7-2 victory Monday night at Oakland.

Darling (7-4) faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings--his one walk was erased on a double play--and then walked Harold Reynolds with one out in the seventh before Edgar Martinez’s sharp single to right field.

Eckersley worked 1 2/3 innings for his 24th save, which leads the major leagues. It was also Eckersley’s 28th consecutive successful save opportunity over two seasons--an ongoing major league record.

Erik Hanson (4-10) was victimized by five Mariners’ errors, three by right fielder Dave Cochrane, the most in one game by a Seattle outfielder. Hanson became baseball’s first 10-game loser on a team that has also produced a 10-game winner, Dave Fleming.

Earlier this season, Darling took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss at Kansas City. He left the game Monday night after giving up a leadoff double to Cochrane in the eighth.

Mark McGwire’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning put Oakland ahead, 4-0.

Toronto 16, Texas 7--At Arlington, Tex., Dave Winfield had five RBIs and one of four Blue Jay home runs.

Toronto’s 20-hit attack backed starter Jack Morris (9-3), who won his fifth consecutive game despite allowing nine hits and giving up all seven runs. The Blue Jays remained a game ahead of Baltimore in the AL East.

A lot of the damage was done against Jose Guzman (6-5), one of six Texas pitchers, who gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings for his shortest outing since Aug. 3, 1987. A solo home run by John Olerud and a two-run double by Winfield keyed a six-run second inning as the Blue Jays sent up 10 batters and wiped out a 2-0 deficit.

Toronto had nine extra-base hits. All nine starters had at least one RBI.

Morris gave up home runs to Kevin Reimer and Rafael Palmeiro but was ahead, 10-2, after three innings.

Candy Maldonado had four hits, including his fourth home run this season. Devon White hit a two-run home run (his ninth) and Winfield’s three-run home run (12th) came in the seventh.

Baltimore 5, New York 4--Even blowing a four-run lead did not stop the Orioles from coming back in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Yankees at Baltimore when Mike Devereaux singled in the winning run.

With his team trailing, 4-2, Roberto Kelly hit a two-run home run off Baltimore’s Gregg Olson (1-2) to tie the score in the ninth.

But in the bottom of the inning, Tim Burke (0-1) allowed a leadoff walk to Leo Gomez, who stole second, moved to third on Mark McLemore’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Devereaux’s single.

Mike Mussina held the Yankees to five hits and two runs before being replaced by Mike Flanagan after eight innings. Mel Hall singled off Flanagan before Olson gave up Kelly’s home run, ending Olson’s string of 19 consecutive saves since April 10. Instead, Olson got the victory.

Mike Gallego hit his third home run in the sixth inning, only the second home run against Mussina in his last 56 innings.

Chicago 7, Cleveland 1--George Bell, who had not hit a home run since May 5, hit two to help the White Sox at Chicago.

Charles Nagy winning streak ended at five games. Nagy is 9-4. It was Cleveland’s third consecutive loss. Chicago has won three in a row.

Charlie Hough (3-4) struck out seven and walked one for his 198th victory and his 105th complete game. He lost the shutout on three ninth-inning singles, the last an RBI hit by Glenallen Hill.

Bell’s 384-foot home run in the fourth inning put Chicago ahead, 4-0. His two-run homer in the eighth was his seventh this season.

Detroit 4, Boston 2--At Detroit, Mickey Tettleton’s two-run home run in the 11th inning--his third game-winning homer this season--and some sparkling plays from the Tiger outfield dealt the Red Sox their fifth consecutive loss.

Travis Fryman opened the inning with a single off loser Danny Darwin (3-4), the fourth Boston pitcher, before Tettleton crushed a 1-and-1 pitch for his 16th home run. The ball carried on a line and bounced off a pillar in right-center field, by the 415-foot mark in Tiger Stadium.

Rookie Kurt Knudsen (2-0) worked the final inning for Detroit.

The Red Sox led, 2-0, in the second inning on four successive one-out singles. The Tigers tied it in the seventh when Tettleton singled and scored on a double by Skeeter Barnes.

The Tigers made a couple of great plays: In the first inning, Milt Cuyler soared above the fence in front of the 365-foot mark in left-center field to rob Jack Clark of a two-run home run; and in the seventh inning Dan Gladden leaped in front of the auxiliary scoreboard in left field for a catch off Ellis Burks.

Boston starter Frank Viola worked eight innings, walked one and struck out three. He gave up seven hits in eight innings.