AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Rivera Pulls an Inside Job on Athletics, 3-2

Luis Rivera put his head down and started running.

Rivera, the Boston shortstop, had just hit a fly ball to right field off Oakland pitcher Mike Moore and he was not going to stop his sprint until he was told to hold up.

But when Oakland right fielder Jose Canseco misplayed the ball and let it skip past him, Rivera circled the bases for a sixth-inning inside-the-park home run that helped the Red Sox beat the Athletics, 3-2, Friday night at Boston.

“When I hit the ball, I thought Canseco was going to catch it,” said Rivera, who last hit an inside-the-park homer in 1985 when he was in Montreal’s minor league system. “When I saw the ball roll by him, I took off, but I wasn’t thinking home run. I just wanted to run until I was held up. But I never got the sign.”

Canseco hit his 16th homer--his seventh in 10 games--leading off the eighth, but declined to talk about Rivera’s homer.

Red Sox left-hander Tom Bolton (7-4) allowed 10 hits, including four by Rickey Henderson, but still improved his record at Fenway Park to 12-2.

Jeff Reardon relieved Bolton after Canseco homered and Harold Baines doubled to start the eighth. Reardon gave up a bunt single to Terry Steinbach, but with runners on first and third he struck out Mark McGwire, then got Ernest Riles to ground into a double play for his 19th save, tying him for the major league lead.

Reardon has 306 career saves, one fewer than Rich Gossage, who is second on baseball’s all-time list. Rollie Fingers is the leader with 341 saves.

Moore (8-6) pitched a six-hitter but walked seven and struck out one as the A’s lost for the sixth time in eight games on their current trip.

The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Jody Reed walked and Wade Boggs singled. Jack Clark drove in Reed with a double and Mike Greenwell beat out an infield single, driving in Boggs.

The A’s got one run back in the third on Rickey Henderson’s single and Dave Henderson’s double.

Chicago 6, Texas 5--Scott Fletcher scored from third base on Lance Johnson’s soft ground ball with one out in the 11th inning to give the White Sox the victory at Chicago.

Fletcher drew a one-out walk off Calvin Schiraldi (0-1), the sixth Ranger pitcher, and took third on Ozzie Guillen’s hit-and-run single. Johnson hit a ground ball to second baseman Julio Franco, who double-pumped before throwing home, and Fletcher easily beat the throw.

Ken Patterson (2-0), the sixth White Sox pitcher, pitched one inning for the victory.

Craig Grebeck and Carlton Fisk hit two-run homers for the White Sox.

Fisk’s homer came with two outs in the eighth off Jeff Russell, who blew his third save in 17 opportunities.

Franco homered for the Rangers.

Nolan Ryan started for the Rangers but left the game after five innings, developing stiffness in his right shoulder. Ryan said a muscle in the back of his shoulder began to ache, the same ailment that forced him to go on the 15-day disable list in May.

Minnesota 5, New York 4--The Twins won for the 18th time in 19 games as Dan Gladden and Chuck Knoblauch each had three hits and two RBIs at New York.

Gladden led off the first inning with his fourth homer and doubled in a run in the Twins’ four-run fourth. Knoblauch’s two-run single capped the fourth-inning rally that made a winner of Mark Guthrie (5-3).

Guthrie gave up nine hits, including a two-run homer to Don Mattingly in the seventh, before being relieved by Steve Bedrosian, who pitched a scoreless eighth. Rick Aguilera got the last three outs for his 18th save.

Toronto 8, Cleveland 4--Joe Carter hit his ninth homer of the month, a two-run shot in the fifth inning, as the Blue Jays beat the Indians at Toronto.

Carter hit Greg Swindell’s pitch over the fence in left for his 15th homer, breaking a 4-4 tie.

The Blue Jays increased their lead in the eighth on a two-run homer by Ed Sprague, who drove in three runs.

Swindell (3-6) gave up eight runs on 12 hits in seven-plus innings as the Indians lost for the 12th time in 14 games.

David Wells (8-4) allowed three earned runs on six hits in eight innings for the victory. After the Indians loaded the bases in the ninth on three walks, Tom Henke struck out the last two batters for his 10th save in 10 opportunities.

Chris James homered for the Indians.

Seattle 5, Milwaukee 1--Randy Johnson limited the Brewers to three hits through eight innings and Pete O’Brien drove in two runs at Milwaukee.

Johnson (5-6), who was 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA in his last five starts, struck out 10 and walked four. After throwing 128 pitches, Johnson gave way to Dave Burba, who surrendered Franklin Stubbs’ fourth homer in the ninth.

Chris Bosio (5-7) took the loss.