AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Witt Beats Mariners to End Long Drought

It was the first step in what Mike Witt hopes is a long journey.

Witt won for the first time in three seasons, pitching three-hit ball for seven innings Saturday to lead the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners, 6-2, at New York.

“I think I’m a ways from where I want to be,� said Witt, who missed the second half of 1991 and all of 1992 because of an ailing elbow. He began this year on the disabled list because of a groin injury.

Witt (1-0), who made his first start of the season last Sunday, had not won since Sept. 23, 1990, when he defeated Boston.

He struck out three and walked three Saturday in leading the Yankees to their fifth victory in six games.

He gave up Jay Buhner’s home run in the sixth inning, Buhner’s third homer of the season.

John Habyan came on in relief, giving up Tino Martinez’s fifth home run of the year in the ninth inning.

Randy Johnson gave up six runs and 11 hits in six-plus innings. He walked three and struck out three.

New York went ahead in the third inning on singles by Randy Velarde and Don Mattingly, and a sacrifice fly by Danny Tartabull.

Milwaukee 4, Texas 3--Tom Brunansky, batting only .125, hit his first home run of the season with two out in the 12th inning at Arlington, Tex.

The Rangers blew a bases-loaded, no-out threat in the 10th inning and left the bases loaded in the 11th when Juan Gonzalez struck out.

Graeme Lloyd picked up his second win in as many games by pitching 2 1/3 innings. Josias Manzanillo got one out for his first major league save.

Texas scored in the ninth inning to tie it, 3-3. Ivan Rodriguez singled and pinch-runner Doug Dascenzo scored on a pinch-double by Doug Strange.

In the 10th, Texas loaded the bases, but Dean Palmer popped out and Gary Redus and Dascenzo grounded out.

Minnesota 5, Detroit 2--The Twins ended an eight-game losing streak, their longest in three seasons, by winning at Detroit.

Shane Mack drove in three runs for the Twins.

Kevin Tapani ended his seven-start winless streak, winning for the first time since last Sept. 26, when he defeated Kansas City. He gave up two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out four and walked two.

Rick Aguilera pitched the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances.

Minnesota had been outscored by Detroit, 53-10, in four games and was blanked by Baltimore on Thursday and the Tigers on Friday. The Twins got to Tom Bolton for four runs--two unearned--and four hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Cleveland 1, Oakland 0--Jose Mesa gave up four hits over 8 1/3 innings and Albert Belle doubled home a run in the first inning at Cleveland as the Indians ended a four-game losing streak.

Mesa struck out five and walked three. He gave up a third-inning single to Rickey Henderson, a leadoff double to Dave Henderson in the fifth and singles to Ruben Sierra in the sixth and ninth.

After Sierra’s second single, Derek Lilliquist relieved and retired Lance Blankenship on a flyout. Eric Plunk walked Mark McGwire, then misplayed Terry Steinbach’s ball for an error that loaded the bases. Plunk finished the game by striking out Dave Henderson on three pitches for his first save.

Chicago 8, Toronto 2--Joey Cora’s two-run single started a five-run fifth inning against Jack Morris, and the White Sox got their sixth consecutive victory.

Cora also had a single during a three-run sixth at Chicago. He is batting .364 in his last 10 games.

Wilson Alvarez gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three. He had pitched 19 scoreless scoreless innings until Joe Carter led off the sixth with his seventh home run.

Morris, who took an 11.50 earned-run average into the game, was the victim of three unearned runs in the fifth. Morris (1-4) left in the sixth after giving up eight runs, five of them earned, on six hits.

The game was scoreless when the White Sox loaded the bases in the fifth. Cora singled home two runs and another run scored when second baseman Roberto Alomar made an errant force on an attempted force play. George Bell drove in one run with a grounder, and a wild pitch made it 5-0.

Morris’ second wild pitch scored another run in the sixth. Morris was replaced by Mark Eichhorn, who gave up run-scoring singles to Cora and Lance Johnson.