Morgan Helps Rangers Avoid Sweep in Oakland

It was turn back the clock day for Mike Morgan at Oakland on Sunday.

Returning to the mound where he began his career 21 years ago as a high school phenom, Morgan pitched his best game in nearly a decade.

“What keeps me going? The phone keeps ringing,” the 39-year-old Morgan said after pitching the Texas Rangers past the Oakland Athletics, 6-2, to avoid a three-game sweep.

Morgan is 3-0 for the first time since 1990.

“Until somebody doesn’t need me it’s, ‘Have Arm, Will Travel,’ ” Morgan said. “When I do retire, I’m going to leave it between the lines. But it’s not quite over yet.”

Morgan took a three-hitter into the seventh and gave up both runs and five hits in six-plus innings. He is the only Texas starter with a victory--he has two--in the team’s last six games.

“He calls somebody every year and begs for a job,” Texas Manager Johnny Oates said with a grin, “and fortunately we’re the ones who got him this year. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

Morgan has two wins as a starter this season and one in relief.

“He wouldn’t let us put any hits together,” Oakland Manager Art Howe said. “They gave him runs to work with early and that made a big difference.”

Todd Zeile and Lee Stevens hit consecutive home runs, and Rafael Palmeiro went four for four with two runs batted in.

Oakland starter Mike Oquist (1-1) left after 2 1/3 innings when Rusty Greer’s line drive struck him on the left wrist, causing a bruise. The A’s don’t think Oquist will miss any starts.

“That’s one I probably should have [caught],” Oquist said. “I jabbed at it. I just jabbed too far.”

Detroit 5, New York 1--This year’s Yankees have already matched the 1998 team in one category--longest losing streak of the season.

Dave Mlicki won his Detroit debut and the Tigers completed an improbable three-game sweep in Detroit by sending the World Series champions to their fourth loss in a row.

Chicago 7, Kansas City 5--Magglio Ordonez, a ninth-inning hero the previous day, homered and drove in four runs to send the White Sox over the Royals at Kansas City.

Ordonez hit a three-run homer in the first inning and singled home an insurance run in the ninth.

Cleveland 3, Minnesota 2--Manny Ramirez hit his fourth home run of the season and had a two-run single as the Indians won at home.

Ramirez, who has hit in all 11 games this season, is hitting .419 (13 for 31) with 14 of his major-league-leading 22 RBIs against the Twins.

Tampa Bay 5, Boston 1--Jose Canseco homered for the second day in a row, his sixth of the season, and Bobby Smith and Dave Martinez also connected as the Devil Rays won at Boston.

The Devil Rays won two of three in the series after Boston took two of three at Tampa Bay last weekend.