Roger Clemens is the last hope for the Red Sox. Never before in franchise history has Boston been swept in a season series, but that's what will happen tonight unless it can beat the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park.
The Indians defeated Boston for the 14th straight time - including 11 in a row this year - behind Orel Hershiser, 4-0 Tuesday night."I don't think there's any way to explain it," Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove said. "These things happen. I think you just ride them out the best you can when they happen to you, and enjoy them when they happen for you."
The streak started last year with the Indians' three-game sweep of Boston in the AL playoffs.
"It's already been a disaster against Cleveland," Boston manager Kevin Kennedy said. "It's important to win just from the standpoint of winning. It doesn't matter who we're playing."
The Red Sox lost 17 consecutive regular-season games to Minnesota in 1965-66. The major league mark for consecutive wins by one team over another is 23, set by Baltimore against Kansas City in 1969-70.
In other games, Detroit downed Oakland 10-8, Texas beat Baltimore 5-2, Chicago defeated California 3-2, Toronto topped Seattle 8-7 and Milwaukee beat Kansas City 5-3. New York split a doubleheader with Minnesota, losing 6-1 and then winning 6-2.
Hershiser (8-4) shut out the Red Sox for seven innings. He won his fourth straight decision, including a win over Boston last week, and lowered his ERA to 0.66 in that span.
"I'm glad I'm pitching a lot better, because it's not, `Oh, no, we lost four in a row, and we've got Orel going out there,' " Hershiser said. "I didn't feel like I had to be a stopper. But I did feel more comfortable, because I've been pitching well."
The Indians, coming off a four-game sweep at home by New York, got back in the win column as Eddie Murray, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome homered. Murray hit his 489th career home run.
Tigers 10, Athletics 8
Mark McGwire hit his 300th career home run, but Bobby Higginson, Cecil Fielder and Alan Trammell enabled Detroit to overcome Oakland. Higginson homered, doubled twice and drove in a career-high five runs. Fielder hit his 18th homer and Trammell became the 10th Tigers player to reach 1,000 RBIs.
McGwire, meanwhile, became the 73rd player in major league history - 10 of them active - to hit 300 homers. He reached the milestone in the second inning and connected again in the seventh.
Jason Giambi homered twice and drove in five runs for the host Athletics.
Twins 6, Yankees 1, 1st game
Yankees 6, Twins 2, 2nd game
Bernie Williams homered in both games at the Metrodome.
Williams connected for the Yankees' only run in the opener, then went 3-for-5 in the second game. His RBI double in the fifth gave New York a 4-2 lead.
Marty Cordova extended his hitting streak to 20 with hits in both games for Minnesota.
Ramiro Mendoza and Brian Boehringer became the first Yankees rookies to start both games of a doubleheader since Dave Eiland and Clay Parker in 1989. New York manager Joe Torre wound up coaching third base in the second game after coaches Don Zimmer and Willie Randolph were ejected in the ninth inning.
Rangers 5, Orioles 2
Ivan Rodriguez hit two home runs and Texas beat Baltimore for the ninth time in 12 games.
Brady Anderson hit his 26th homer, most in the majors, for the Orioles. He has homered eight times against the Rangers, one away from their single-season record for an opponent, set by Reggie Jackson in 1974.
Kevin Gross (8-5) pitched 8 1-3 innings as Texas improved to 19-4 at home against AL East teams.
Blue Jays 8, Mariners 7
Jacob Brumfield hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Brumfield was hitless in four at-bats when he connected after Norm Charlton (2-2) walked Tomas Perez. Blue Jays starter Erik Hanson did not get a decision for the first time in 17 games this season. Tim Crabtree (3-2) wound up with the win.
The crowd of 31,420 boosted the Blue Jays' home attendance over the 1 million mark in 33 dates.
White Sox 3, Angels 2
Kevin Tapani pitched well for eight innings, and Chicago won at home. Frank Thomas hit three singles for the White Sox, drove in one run and scored one. Lyle Mouton drove in a run and also made a diving catch in right field that robbed Chili Davis of extra bases in the seventh. Angels rookie Darin Erstad, the No. 1 pick in the June 1995 draft, extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Brewers 5, Royals 3
Greg Vaughn homered for the seventh time this season against the Royals, and Milwaukee improved to 5-0 at Kansas City.
Vaughn's 22nd home run landed in the left-field water fountains. It gave the Brewers homers in 14 straight games, one short of the team record set in 1982.