Yankees’ Johnson Falls to the A’s, 6-1

Missing three big hitters, Oakland still knocked Randy Johnson around, and Athletics starter Danny Haren came up with a six-hitter for his first complete game of the season in a 6-1 victory Sunday over the host New York Yankees.

Johnson (5-4) has struggled so much recently that the Yankees had sent him for an MRI exam after his previous outing to make sure he wasn’t injured. Sunday, he improved, but fell behind 3-0 in the first and gave up four runs and eight hits over six innings. He threw 72 of 106 pitches for strikes but still was a bit “erratic with his slider,� according to Yankees Manager Joe Torre.

Said Johnson: “You walk the leadoff batter, [Mark] Kotsay hits a first-pitch home run and you’re down 2-0 when you’re still trying to get into the flow of the game. Is it a step in the right direction? If I could have the first inning over, yes.�

Jay Payton also had a home run for the A’s, who ended a four-game skid despite playing without Eric Chavez, Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley.

Detroit 3, Cleveland 2 -- Tigers starter Mike Maroth (5-2) pitched six strong innings to improve his record at Jacobs Field to 6-0, and Detroit completed its first three-game sweep at Cleveland in nearly 16 years. The last time they swept a series in Cleveland was June 5-7, 1990. The Tigers also improved their road record to 16-7.

Toronto 8, Tampa Bay 3 -- The Blue Jays’ Josh Towers got his first victory of the season, snapping a personal seven-game losing streak, as he gave up three runs and five hits in eight-plus innings at St. Petersburg, Fla. Towers (1-7) had not won since a 10-1 victory Sept. 30 against Kansas City.

Baltimore 8, Kansas City 7 -- Orioles pinch-hitter Kevin Millar capped a four-run ninth inning with a two-out, run-scoring single at Baltimore. The Orioles walked 12 and fell behind 7-4, then rallied when Kansas City’s Ambiorix Burgos (1-1) began the ninth by walking the bases loaded.

Texas at Boston, ppd., rain -- No makeup date has been announced, but it may be added to the June 9-11 series, which already has one doubleheader because of Saturday’s rescheduled game.

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Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts has abandoned his bid to leave the disabled list after a minimum 15-day absence. Roberts went on the disabled list April 30 with a strained groin and was eligible to return today.

The Orioles will probably hold off activating him until Friday.