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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE (AP) -- All of a sudden, Will Clark is hitting the ball
like Mark McGwire. And just that quickly, the Baltimore Orioles are
within striking distance of the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.
|  | | Will Clark watches his third homer in three days leave Camden Yard. |
Clark hit his third homer in three games, a tiebreaking
434-foot, solo shot in the eighth inning that carried the Orioles
past Toronto 3-2 Sunday.
Clark, who had two homers all season before Friday, hit a 2-1
pitch from Paul Quantrill (0-3) over the wall in center.
The last time he homered in three straight starts was in August
1995.
Clark credits his power surge to sessions with Orioles batting
coach Terry Crowley, but would that's as far as he'd go in
explaining why he has three homers in three games after hitting
just two in his first 55.
"I ain't going to tell you a darn thing," he said. "Those
guys over there (in the Toronto clubhouse) are listening, too."
Clark said he correctly played a hunch as he prepared for
Quantrill's delivery.
"Paul Quantrill throws a very good sinker and relies on it
quite a bit. I was looking for it, he happened to get it out over
the plate and I got a pretty good piece of it," Clark said.
The Orioles started the four-game series 10½ games behind
Toronto in the AL East, but the deficit now stands at only 7½.
"We needed to show well against these guys," Baltimore manager
Mike Hargrove said. "This series could have buried us."
Mike Trombley (4-2) got out of a jam in the Toronto eighth and
Alan Mills got three outs for his first save since joining the
Orioles on June 13.
Raul Mondesi homered for the Blue Jays, who dropped the opening
two games of the series by a combined 20-8 score. Toronto had won
13 straight against Baltimore before coming to town.
The Blue Jays now must rely on ace David Wells to avoid a
four-game sweep Monday.
"Every time we've needed him this year, he's come through,"
said Toronto's Brad Fullmer.
The Blue Jays blew a chance to take the lead in the eighth. With
runners on first and third and one out, Buddy Groom retired Fullmer
on a popup and Tony Batista looked at a third strike from Trombley.
"We got blown out a couple of games and we had a chance to win
this one," Toronto manager Jim Fregosi said. "We just didn't pick
up the runs when we had a chance."
Fullmer, who went 0-for-4, shouldered the brunt of the blame.
"I had the opportunity and I didn't get the job done," he
said. "I got a pitch or two to hit and I didn't get that run in
from third."
Toronto starter Kelvim Escobar, 5-0 lifetime against Baltimore,
allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. It was only the
second time in 17 starts he did not receive a decision.
Mike Mussina gave up one earned run and five hits in seven
innings. His most costly mistake was a hanging slider to Mondesi,
the 19th homer he's allowed this season.
After an error by Orioles second baseman Delino DeShields,
Mondesi hit a 428-foot drive to center to put Toronto up 2-0 in the
first inning. It was his 20th homer, the second in two games, and
third in five career at-bats against Mussina.
Baltimore got a run in the third when Jeff Conine doubled and
Brady Anderson ended a 6-for-52 skid with a two-out RBI single. The
Orioles put a runner in scoring position in the third and fourth
innings but failed to score.
Toronto had runners on second and third with one out in the
fifth before Mussina retired Craig Grebeck on a comebacker and
Mondesi on a popup.
"He made good pitches when he had to," Fregosi said of
Mussina.
Albert Belle and B.J. Surhoff hit successive one-out doubles to
make it 2-2 in the sixth.
Game notes
For the first time, Toronto has three players with 20
homers by the All-Star break (Mondesi-20, Carlos Delgado-27,
Batista-22). ... Mussina has allowed only two earned runs in his
last 14 innings, but has a no-decision in his last two starts. The
Orioles have scored three runs or less in 10 of his 18 starts. ...
Delgado ended an 0-for-12 streak with a sixth-inning single.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Baltimore Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 7
Minnesota 1
NY Yankees 5
Tampa Bay 2
Baltimore 3
Toronto 2
Chi. White Sox 8
Boston 2
Detroit 2
Kansas City 0
Oakland 10
Anaheim 3
Seattle 11
Texas 4
Atlanta 10
NY Mets 2
Florida 2
Montreal 1
Philadelphia 9
Pittsburgh 1
Milwaukee 4
Chicago Cubs 2
Houston 6
St. Louis 3
Cincinnati 14
Arizona 2
Colorado 3
San Diego 2
San Francisco 6
Los Angeles 5
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