AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Yankees’ Barfield Ends Slump With a Homer and Four RBIs

Jesse Barfield hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs Monday night as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers, 8-7, for their fifth victory in six games.

Barfield singled in a run in the first against Brian Bohanon and homered in the fifth off Barry Manuel. He has five hits in 17 at-bats following an 0-for-26 slide.

The score was tied, 3-3, in the fifth when Barfield hit his first home run in 60 at-bats since last July 2. He was leading the Yankees with 17 home runs last July before a season-ending foot injury.

“I’ve had bad starts in April before and gone on to have fine seasons,” said Barfield, who raised his average to .143.

Texas took a 7-6 lead with four runs in the top of the seventh on pinch-hitter Dean Palmer’s two-run homer off Lee Guetterman and Ivan Rodriguez’s two-run single off winner John Habyan (1-0).

Roberto Kelly led off the bottom of the inning against Terry Mathews (1-2) with his first home run of the season. Mel Hall doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored one out later on Kevin Maas’ pinch-hit, opposite-field bloop down the left-field line with the outfielders shifted over to right.

Steve Farr relieved Steve Howe and got the last out for his fourth save as the Yankees sent the Rangers to their fourth loss in six games.

Minnesota 4, Baltimore 1--Bill Krueger (4-0) pitched two-hit ball over eight-plus innings as the Twins won at Minneapolis.

The Twins have won five of their last seven. The Orioles lost for only the third time in 11 games.

The Twins’ Kent Hrbek, activated off the disabled list last Thursday, was back at first base. He had an RBI single in the first and a double in the fifth. He also made a nice scoop on an errant throw in the sixth.

Rick Sutcliffe (3-2) took the loss.