AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Welch Helps Athletics Close In on the Twins, 9-1

Bob Welch is a veteran of pennant races and his experience showed Monday night against the Minnesota Twins.

Welch did not allow a hit until the seventh inning of a 9-1 victory over the Twins at Minneapolis that pulled the A’s to within two games of the AL West leaders.

Terry Steinbach hit a three-run homer against John Smiley (10-5) in the first inning, had two doubles and drove in another run. Randy Ready added his first career grand slam in the ninth against Bob Kipper, his third homer this season.

Brian Harper ended Welch’s no-hit bid with a dribbler just past diving shortstop Walt Weiss. Gene Larkin followed with a ground single off the glove of second baseman Mike Bordick, scoring Kent Hrbek, who had walked.

Welch (8-5) gave up only the two hits in seven-plus innings, walked five and struck out two.

Dennis Eckersley pitched the eighth and Jim Corsi finished as Oakland won its fourth in a row. The A’s moved 17 games over .500 for the first time this season.

“Welch pitched a great game,� Minnesota Manager Tom Kelly said. “We didn’t have much of a chance at all. He dominated.�

Smiley, who had won seven of eight decisions, gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out a season-high nine and walked two.

The Twins lost for only the 10th time in 30 games.

Carney Lansford’s single, a walk to Mark McGwire and Steinbach’s ninth homer put the A’s in the lead.

Eric Fox singled home a run in the second, and Steinbach doubled in a run in the sixth.

Boston 7, Texas 5--Tom Brunansky hit a first-inning grand slam and Herm Winningham added a two-run homer against Kevin Brown, the league’s winningest pitcher, as the Red Sox held on for the victory at Boston.

Brown (14-7), the winning pitcher in the All-Star game, has lost three consecutive starts since the break.

Brunansky’s grand slam, his second this season, gave the Red Sox the major league lead with six. Boston, however, began the game with only 46 homers, fewest in the majors.

Brunansky has hit six of his eight home runs in July, when he has also doubled his RBI total to 46.

Brown entered the game with the best home run ratio in the league, having allowed four in 160 2/3 innings, including one homer in his first 16 starts.

Frank Viola (9-6) gave up four runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Jeff Reardon pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 25 chances.

Milwaukee 4, Cleveland 0--Jaime Navarro (11-6) gave up three hits, walked none and struck out five at Cleveland in his first shutout of the season as the Brewers won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Navarro pitched a two-hitter in his last start and he lost a no-hitter in the eighth inning of the game before that.

He has yielded six hits and two earned runs in his last three starts, covering 26 innings.

Charles Nagy (11-6) allowed four runs and 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings, losing for only the second time in 11 starts at home.