For seven straight starts, Jimmy Key was a control pitcherwithout much control.
Key, making only his second start since coming off the disabledlist, gave up three hits and walked none in seven innings Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays beat visiting Milwaukee 3-1.
The Blue Jays won their fourth straight game before ahome-record crowd of 49,457. Toronto won for the ninth time in 11games and stayed 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore in the AL East.
"If I've got my control, I'm usually going to be successful,"Key said. "I've never been a power pitcher. Everybody saw whathappened when I lost my control. I couldn't get anybody out,"
Key had lost seven straight decisions before manager Cito Gastonfigured a rest on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder justmight be the cure.
Key (9-13) struck out six before Tom Henke took over to startthe eighth. Henke finished for his 13th save and fanned three,giving him 35 strikeouts in his last 22 1/3 innings.
Ernie Whitt hit a three-run homer in the third inning off JeffPeterek (0-1).
Orioles 3, Yankees 1: Jeff Ballard became Baltimore's top winnerin three years with relief help from Gregg Olson as the Orioles beathost New York. Ballard (14-6) gave up 10 hits and left after rookiesHensley Meulens' RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning. Olsonretired Steve Sax on a grounder with two runners on base for his 20thsave. Ballard is the first pitcher to strike out the left-handedDon Mattingly three times in a game.
Royals 3, Athletics 1: Mark Gubicza stretched his scorelessstreak against Oakland to 34 innings as host Kansas City beat theA's. Oakland dropped consecutive games for the first time sinceJuly 24-25. Gubicza (12-10) allowed four hits in seven innings,struck out five and walked one as Kansas City won for the 10th timein 11 games. Terry Leach pitched a hitless eighth and JeffMontgomery finished for his 14th save. Montgomery struck out MarkMcGwire, giving the reliever at least one strikeout in 28 consecutiveappearances. Mike Moore (16-7) lost for the second time in 10decisions and fell to 2-6 lifetime against the Royals.
Angels 4, Rangers 1: Slumping Brian Downing broke open ascoreless game with a three-run double in the sixth inning andvisiting California downed Texas. Kirk McCaskill (14-7) pitched 61/3 innings before leaving with an unspecified injury. Greg Mintonfinished with hitless relief for his eighth save as the Angels movedwithin one game of Oakland in the AL West. Steve Buechele broke upMcCaskill's bid for a league-leading fifth shutout with a 445-foothome run with one out in the seventh.
Red Sox sweep Tigers: Mike Greenwell drove in four runs andJody Reed had three hits as host Boston beat Detroit 11-3 andcompleted a doubleheader sweep. Reed also had three hits in thefirst game, including his second home run of the season, as Bostondowned Detroit 4-2. Ellis Burks also homered and Mike Smithson(7-12) allowed one run in seven innings. The Tigers made eighterrors, including five in the first game.
Twins 2, Mariners 1: Mike Dyer allowed four hits in seven inningsand Jeff Reardon got his 25th save as host Minnesota beat Seattle andsent the Mariners to their ninth consecutive loss. Dyer (2-3)struck out seven and walked one. Jeff Reardon got five outs for his25th save.
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