AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : A’s Moore Defeats Guzman, 3-1

Juan Guzman made it to the All-Star game in his first full season in the major leagues. Mike Moore has made it only once in 10 seasons in the American League.

Moore, a 32-year-old right-hander, will go into the All-Star break after a victory over Guzman, who probably has earned the starting assignment for the American League on Tuesday in San Diego.

Moore (10-7) gave up two hits in eight innings Saturday at Toronto and the Athletics beat the Blue Jays, 3-1, to hand Guzman only his third defeat in 24 decisions in the last year.

Rookie Eric Fox tagged Guzman (11-2) for his first major league hit, a solo home run in the third inning that broke a 1-1 tie. It came on his seventh at-bat since coming up from double A to replace injured Jose Canseco earlier in the week.

Moore, who gave up a second-inning home run to John Olerud, also gave up a two-out double to Roberto Alomar in the sixth inning. Dennis Eckersley retired the Blue Jays in order in the ninth for his 30th consecutive save.

Fox bragged to Toronto’s David Wells on Friday night that he would get his first hit against Guzman.

“We were playing pool and I popped off,� Fox said. “I didn’t know who he was. When I found out, I apologized and asked him not to tell Juan. I didn’t want a fastball in the ribs.�

Guzman, whose 1992 unbeaten streak ended at seven when Minnesota scored seven runs against him on June 3, gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings.

“I can’t go seven innings and give up one run every time,� Guzman said. “I was proud of the way I pitched after the third, but Moore was so good, our guys couldn’t get anything off him.�

Moore, who won his first four decisions this season, pitched so poorly in June that Manager Tony La Russa considered removing him from the rotation. But he couldn’t find a healthy replacement, and Moore lost four games in a row. Bt in July, he is 3-0. This was easily his best game of the season.

“I had three good pitches today,� Moore said. “My mistake was a get-over-the-plate slider, not a good one, to Olerud.�

Boston 11, Chicago 2--With 41 home runs, the Red Sox, despite playing in Fenway Park, have the fewest in the American League.

It’s another story when the bases are loaded, however. Tom Brunansky hit a grand slam during the sixth inning at Boston to cap the team’s biggest run production of the season.

It gave them grand slams in consecutive games and five for the season, tying Baltimore for the league lead.

Mo Vaughn had a three-run home run for the Red Sox, and Bob Zupcic, who hit a grand slam Friday night, had three hits to increase his average to .331.

Seattle 5, New York 3--Omar Vizquel bounced a hard single off first baseman Don Mattingly’s glove to drive in Dave Cochrane with the go-ahead run in the 12th inning at New York.

“The ball was hit very hard and it took a bad hop on him,� said Vizquel, whose one-out grounder between first and second seemed to give Mattingly a chance at a double play.

Relievers Brian Fisher and Russ Swan each pitched three hitless innings before the Mariners put together three hits in the 12th to beat John Habyan.

Juan Agosto, making his first start since 1986 after 405 relief appearances, got help from Rich DeLucia during the third. DeLucia struck out Danny Tartabull with two on and two out.

Texas 5, Cleveland 1--Kevin Brown, who won only nine games all last season, became the major leagues’ first 14-game winner with a six-hitter at Arlington, Tex.

By winning his fifth consecutive start, Brown (14-4) kept interim Manager Toby Harrah unbeaten (3-0).

Brown lost his shutout early. Carlos Baerga, the third batter he faced, hit his 12th home run. Baerga is batting .667 for the series.

Minnesota 6, Baltimore 5--Shane Mack hit a home run and drove in two runs and Kent Hrbek had three hits at Baltimore as the Twins built a 6-0 lead behind Bill Kruger through six innings.

Although he fell apart in the seventh, Krueger (9-2) improved his road record to 7-1. Rick Aguilera worked the ninth inning for his 26th save.

Krueger had a two-hitter for six innings, but Tim Hulett’s three-run home run sparked the five-run rally that merely made it close.

Milwaukee 5, Kansas City 1--Bill Wegman gave up 13 hits, four to Wally Joyner, but he won for the first time in three weeks, a complete game at Milwaukee.

It was a tight game until the seventh inning when the Brewers put it away with three runs. The big hit was a two-run double by rookie Pat Listach.