AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Blue Jay Rookie Brings Down Orioles, 4-2

Rookie Doug Linton was thrown into the pennant race and came through like a veteran.

Linton gave up three hits over eight innings in his first major league start and Roberto Alomar’s tiebreaking double in the eighth inning sent the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles Thursday at Toronto.

“It’s a great feeling,� Linton said. “But if we didn’t score two runs in the eighth, I wouldn’t be talking about my first win.�

The Blue Jays salvaged a split of the four-game series and increased their AL East lead over the Orioles to two games.

Devon White opened the eighth with a single off Arthur Rhodes (4-2) and Alomar fouled off two sacrifice attempts before hitting a double to the gap in left-center, scoring White. Candy Maldonado’s single scored Alomar.

Linton, starting in place of injured Dave Stieb, retired 15 consecutive batters between Randy Milligan’s walk leading off the second and Cal Ripken’s leadoff double in the seventh.

He gave up two runs, struck out four and walked one. Tom Henke pitched a scoreless ninth for his 21st save.

Joe Carter hit his 26th home run for Toronto and Glenn Davis had his 10th for the Orioles.

Texas 6, Minnesota 1--Jose Guzman pitched a six-hitter and struck out 11 Twins as the Rangers won at Minneapolis.

Guzman (10-9) gave up only an unearned run in pitching his fourth complete game, dropping Minnesota four games behind Oakland in the AL West.

The Rangers knocked out Scott Erickson (8-9) after 2 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year.

Kevin Reimer hit a two-run homer in the first and Dean Palmer added his 20th homer in the seventh.

Boston 4, Cleveland 2--Roger Clemens kept the Red Sox out of the AL East cellar by beating the Indians at Cleveland.

Clemens (14-7) won his fourth in a row and ended Boston’s four-game losing streak, preventing what would have been the Indians’ first four-game sweep of the Red Sox since 1960.

He gave up eight hits and struck out nine in eight innings, keeping his league-leading ERA at 2.20. His career record against the Indians is 18-2.