AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Muscle Pull Causes Ryan to Leave Game

Nolan Ryan has never had much luck in Baltimore, and the streak continued Saturday.

Ryan pulled a muscle in the left side of his rib cage in the Texas Rangers’ 6-5 loss in 12 innings to the Orioles. Ryan left the game after giving up four runs in three innings.

“The next 48 hours will probably tell whether I have to miss a start or whether it’s something we can treat and get to the point I can throw again,” he said of the injury.

The 46-year-old right-hander, in his final season, has already been on the disabled list on two occasions. Saturday’s game marked his last appearance in Baltimore, where he was 5-10 during his 27-year career.

Ryan gave up only one hit--Mike Pagliarulo’s fifth career grand slam in the first inning. Pagliarulo, obtained from Minnesota on Aug. 15, was playing his first game at Camden Yards as a member of the Orioles.

Ryan’s injury came one day after another aging Ranger starter, Charlie Leibrandt, was put on the 15-day disabled list with stiffness in his shoulder.

“To lose your two starters is really tough right now,” said Texas manager Kevin Kennedy. “It’s pretty frustrating to lose your two veterans.”

Jack Voigt opened the 12th with a walk off Tom Henke (5-4). Craig Lefferts relieved and gave up a sacrifice bunt to Brady Anderson before Mark McLemore lined an RBI single to left, giving the Orioles their ninth consecutive victory at Camden Yards.

Cleveland 10, Boston 5--The Indians scored the winning run on a ninth-inning error by the Red Sox for the second straight game at Boston, and Roger Clemens, winless for a month, gave up five runs in six innings.

Sandy Alomar scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error by reliever Greg Harris as the Indians scored five runs in the ninth.

Friday night, Cleveland won, 7-6, when Albert Belle’s grounder went under the gloves of two infielders, allowing two runs to score with two out in the ninth.

Saturday, the ball went over the gloves of two infielders.

Alomar led off the ninth with a single and scored when Harris (6-4) threw Wayne Kirby’s sacrifice bunt over the heads of first baseman Carlos Quintana and second baseman Scott Fletcher, who was backing up on the play.

One out later, Carlos Baerga singled to score Kirby. After Belle was hit by a pitch--the fourth Cleveland player hit by a pitch in the game--Paul Sorrento doubled for another run. Candy Maldonado followed with a two-run single.

Seattle 5, Toronto 2--Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 34th home run, leading Dave Fleming and the Mariners at Toronto and leaving the Blue Jays tied for first place in the American League East.

The Blue Jays’ loss, coupled with New York’s victory over Kansas City, dropped Toronto into a tie with the Yankees.

Fleming (9-2) gave up two runs on eight hits in seven innings as Seattle won for the seventh time in nine games.

Trailing, 4-2, the Blue Jays loaded the bases with none out in the eighth on singles by Rickey Henderson and Devon White and a walk to Paul Molitor.

Jeff Nelson replaced Fleming and struck out Joe Carter. Reliever Erik Plantenberg gave up a run-scoring groundout to John Olerud and then retired Tony Fernandez on a grounder to end the inning.

New York 3, Kansas City 2--Scott Kamieniecki extended his home winning streak to 12 as the Yankees won at New York.

Mike Gallego had three hits for the Yankees, including a tie-breaking RBI single in the sixth inning. Gallego also made two sensational defensive plays at shortstop.

Kamieniecki (9-4) gave up two runs and five hits in eight innings to improve to 8-0 at Yankee Stadium this season.

Detroit 4, Oakland 3--Alan Trammell singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning after an intentional walk to Cecil Fielder to give the Tigers the victory at Detroit.

Kelly Downs (3-8) retired the first two batters in the seventh before Travis Fryman doubled. Fielder, leading the majors with 103 RBIs, was walked, and Trammell spoiled the strategy with a single up the middle.

Chicago 9, Minnesota 4--Tim Belcher allowed five hits in 7 1/3 innings and Dan Pasqua homered and drove in three runs for the White Sox at Minneapolis.

Tim Raines led off the game with a home run as the first-place White Sox kept their lead at four games in the American League West.