Ken Griffey Jr. hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, rallying the Seattle
Mariners past the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 Saturday.Griffey's sixth home run of the season came against David Wells (1-2) and landed in the second deck in right field. The drive gave the Mariners their first lead of the game at 7-5.
Dennis Powell (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win. He gave up a run in the seventh when Pat Borders hit a pinch-double and scored on Roberto Alomar's single.
Mike Schooler got the last three outs for his seventh save of the season.
Wells relieved with one out in the seventh and a runner on first. He gave up an infield single, Harold Reynolds' sacrifice fly and a single by Edgar Martinez before Griffey connected.
Tigers 7, Royals 2
At Kansas City, Mo., Scott Aldred, winless in eight starts with a 7.48 ERA, stopped Kansas City on five hits over 52/3 innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Royals.
Aldred (1-4) walked two and struck out three while picking up his first victory since last Sept. 24. Tom Gordon (0-5) gave up six hits and two runs in 2 1-3 innings and remained winless since last Aug. 14.
Gordon, who left the game in the third inning after spraining his thumb while trying to field a bunt, has not won as a starter since last July 14.
Brewers 5, Rangers 4
At Milwaukee, Nolan Ryan's chance at his first victory of the season slipped away in the ninth inning when the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for two runs against reliever Kenny Rogers and beat the Texas Rangers.
Ryan pitched six strong innings, giving up six hits and leaving with a 4-1 lead in a bid for his 315th career victory. Ryan, who spent most of April on the disabled list, remained 0-1 after five starts.
Ryan struck out six and walked two in matching his longest outing of the season. The 45-year-old right-hander was making his first start at County Stadium since July 31, 1990, when he won his 300th game.
Red Sox 3, Angels 0
At Boston, Frank Viola worked out of two bases-loaded jams in seven scoreless innings and earned his fifth consecutive victory as the Boston Red Sox shut out the California Angels for the second game in a row.
Viola (5-2) allowed only four hits, but walked five while striking out three. It marked the first time Viola has walked five since Sept. 5, 1990, when he was with the New York Mets and pitching in Pittsbugh.
Greg Harris retired the Angels in order in the eighth and Jeff Reardon took over in the ninth for his seventh save of the season and 334th of his career.
Julio Valera (2-2), acquired from the Mets on April 12, had his streak of 13 scoreless innings snapped.
Athletics 6, Yankees 3
At New York, Mark McGwire hit a two-run double and Jose Canseco followed with a two-run single as the Oakland Athletics rallied for five runs in the fifth inning and beat the New York Yankees.
Ron Darling (3-2) pitched in New York for the first time since the Mets traded him to Montreal last July 31 and got the victory despite allowing three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
It was Darling's second victory over the Yankees in seven days. Dennis Eckersley pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 14 chances.
Tim Leary (3-3) dropped to 3-16 lifetime in Yankee Stadium and 0-9 in 10 career starts against Oakland. Leary, who hasn't won at home since April 19, 1991, was wild, walking six in 4 2/3 innings and throwing strikes on just 43 of 88 pitches. He gave up six runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Twins 8, Indians 6
At Cleveland, John Smiley struggled to his third straight victory and Kirby Puckett homered as the Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians.
Minnesota won for the sixth time in seven games. Cleveland has lost six of seven.
Smiley (3-2) benefited from eight early runs and lasted seven-plus innings, allowing five runs and 11 hits, walking none and striking out three. He is 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA in May, after going 0-2 with a 6.84 ERA in five April starts.
The Twins, shut out the night before, supplied him with eight runs in the first four innings, but he needed help from three relievers when Cleveland scored three runs in the eighth. Rick Aguilera got five outs for his 11th save.
Orioles 7, White Sox 2
At Chicago, Jack McDowell lost for the first time in eight starts this season as Chris Hoiles hit a two-run homer and a triple that led the Baltimore Orioles past the Chicago White Sox.
McDowell (7-1) beat Baltimore last week to become the first seven-game winner in the majors. But he lasted a mere three innings this time, surrendering five runs on eight hits and one walk.
The Orioles won for the 13th time in 16 games. They finished with 14 hits, including five doubles. Tim Hulett doubled twice and singled for Baltimore.
McDowell had been off to the best start for a White Sox pitcher since LaMarr Hoyt went 9-0 to start 1982.
Bob Milacki (3-2) gave up two runs and seven hits in eight innings. He walked two and struck out two. The White Sox have scored a total of only five runs in their last four games, losing three of them.