American League Roundup : Steinbach Looks Like All-Star in Oakland Win

As usual, there has been much criticism of the selections for Tuesday’s All-Star game at Cincinnati. A number of people have found fault with the voters and the managers.

Probably the most maligned pick was that of Terry Steinbach, voted by the fans to start as catcher for the American League.

It was pointed out that the second-year catcher of the Oakland Athletics has missed more than half of the games played this season with an injury and hasn’t done much when he has played.

His .215 average is cited as a convincing reason why he should not have been chosen.

But, maybe, Steinbach, who hit his fifth home run in the A’s 8-2 victory at Detroit Sunday, is not such a terrible selection after all. As a rookie last season, he was sensational. He batted .284, hit 16 home runs and cut down half of the runners who tried to steal on him.

This season, while the rest of the Athletics were hot, he was terrible. As his average fell well below .200, he kept talking about a bruised wrist. It turned out he had been playing with torn cartilage. He was out a month. Since coming back he has been slow to get in a groove.

But, as the Athletics are getting back on the winning track, Steinbach is starting to swing the bat well.

After his home run Sunday, he scored again in the third inning when rookie shortstop Walt Weiss hit a grand slam to highlight a seven-run rally that carried the Athletics over the Tigers.

Dave Stewart, with relief help from another former Dodger, Rick Honeycutt, improved his record to 12-7 and the Athletics went into the All-Star break with a 5 1/2-game lead in the West, the biggest of any division leader.

“I’m excited about being selected to start the All-Star game,” the 26-year-old former University of Minnesota star said, “but I’m more excited about the way we’ve turned it around. We go home after a tough trip with a bigger lead than we had when we left two weeks ago.”

Weiss, a 24-year-old rookie from Tuxedo, N.Y., became the Oakland shortstop when the Athletics traded Alfredo Griffin to the Dodgers in the Bob Welch trade. He has struggled, but his first grand slam had him excited.

“The last time I had a grand slam, I think, was in kickball in the fourth grade,” he said. “And that didn’t go into the upper deck.

“After my first homer, the fan that caught it ignored me and wanted Mark McGwire to autograph it. I was afraid they’d want Jose’s (Canseco) this time. I was excited, about as excited as you can get.

“You’re supposed to get weak at the end of the first half (of the season), but I felt pretty strong out there today. I’m having a ball. It’s just a great situation to be in. I’m real fortunate.”

So are the Tigers. With the Yankees slumping, the split of the four-game series left them three games in front in the East.

Kansas City 5, New York 3--Frank White has been in the All-Star game six times. He’s still as good a second baseman as there is in the American League, but, nearing 38, he can use the three-day vacation.

The Yankees probably wish the veteran had started his vacation a day earlier. In the Royals’ final game at Yankee Stadium this season, White snapped a 3-3 tie with a sacrifice fly, then doubled home an insurance run in the ninth.

Winning this series, 2-1, the Royals finished with a 4-2 edge at Yankee Stadium, the first time they have won the New York part of the season series since 1980.

Bo Jackson didn’t get a hit, but he played a prominent part in the victory. He prevented the Yankees from tying the score in the seventh when he leaped above the left-field wall to rob Jack Clark of a home run.

Willie Wilson, who ended an 0-for-18 slump Saturday night, had four hits in this game.

So far, at least, owner George Steinbrenner’s switch in managers hasn’t produced success. Since Lou Piniella replaced Billy Martin as manager, the Yankees are 9-8.

Milwaukee 3, Minnesota 2--Jim Gantner is getting in a rut. The Brewer second baseman who was not selected to start at second in the All-Star game, snatched a victory from the Twins for the second time in a row at Minneapolis.

Saturday night off bullpen ace Jeff Reardon, Gantner hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to give the Brewers a 5-4 win.

In Sunday’s game, the Brewers trailed, 2-1, in the ninth. But two hits and a steal of second by Paul Molitor, the designated hitter who will start at second base in the All-Star game, set it up for Gantner. This time, he doubled off Keith Atherton to give the Brewers a sweep of the three-game series.

Toronto 5, Seattle 0--It may be too late to get them back in the pennant race, but the Blue Jays have their left-handed pitching ace, Jimmy Key back in top form.

Key, who had bone chips removed during spring training and didn’t join the club until June 29, won his third in a row in this game at Toronto.

Key (5-1) gave up five hits in eight innings. The Blue Jays gave him a five-run cushion in the first inning, two coming on a home run by Rance Mulliniks.

Chicago 4, Boston 1--The heat and humidity in Chicago caused left-hander Dave LaPoint (7-9) more discomfort than the Red Sox.

LaPoint held the Red Sox to three hits and no runs in seven innings, then needed help from the bullpen to gain the win.

The White Sox were without shortstop Ozzie Guillen, who has a leg injury. Guillen was replaced on the All-Star team by Kansas City’s Kurt Stillwell.

Baltimore 2, Texas 1--It was 120 degrees on the field at Baltimore, but it didn’t bother Juan Bautista, who is from the Dominican Republic.

Bautista (5-6) held the Rangers to six hits in 7 innings and beat Bobby Witt (0-6).

“I’ve pitched in heat before,” he said. “The cool bothers me.”