Jays Blank Sox, 1-0, But Magic No. Shrinks

The Boston Red Sox keeps trying to give away the American League East, but there aren't many takers.

Despite a 1-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last night, Boston's magic number for clinching the division was reduced to two as New York also lost.

The Yankees were shutout by last-place Baltimore 2-0 while Detroit lost to Cleveland 4-2, leaving both contenders still 3 1/2 games back.

"Good, we love it, that's the best news we've had," Boston manager Joe Morgan said when told of the New York and Detroit defeats.

Later, Milwaukee beat California 4-3 and got within 2 1/2 games of the lead. But the Brewers have played more games, and Boston's magic number for eliminating them is also two.

The Red Sox stumbled again as Jimmy Key pitched a two-hitter and the Blue Jays parlayed catcher Rich Gedman's error into an unearned run in the eighth inning and a three-game sweep. Bruce Hurst lost despite a five-hitter.

The Blue Jays, eliminated Sunday, won all seven games at Fenway Park this season and went 11-2 against the Red Sox overall. Toronto has won nine straight in Boston since last year and became the first team to sweep the Red Sox at Fenway Park in a season since the Yankees in 1980.

The Red Sox close the season with four games in Cleveland. New York plays three times in Detroit while second-place Milwaukee finishes with three games at AL West champion Oakland.

"We really couldn't mount anything tonight," Morgan said. "Bruce was great and so was the other guy."

"If we had won just one out of these three games we'd be looking good, right? But we didn't, so who knows. I would say we probably have to win two," he said. "The concern is we have to win on the road."

Morgan avoided mentioning the Boston record for the year: 53-28 at home, 35-42 on the road. Against the Indians, Boston is 7-2 and 2-1 in Cleveland.

"I knew we weren't going to get very much off Hurst," Key said. "I had it in my mind I could give up maybe one, possibly two [runs.] As it turned out, I couldn't give up any to win because he pitched a great game."

Hurst, 18-6, walked Rob Ducey--the ninth-place batter in the Toronto lineup--on a 3-2 pitch to start the eighth. With one out and Kelly Gruber batting, Ducey stole second and continued to third when Gedman threw the ball into center field. Gruber then hit a sacrifice fly to center.

Key, 12-5, allowed only a one-out single by Marty Barrett in the first inning and a two-out single by Larry Parrish in the eighth. Randy Kutcher, pinch running for Parrish, was picked off by Key.

Key walked one and struck out three in his second complete game, both shutouts. Hurst struck out eight and walked two.

In the third, Toronto's Jesse Barfield lined a single to left and took second as George Bell beat out a high chopper to the left of the mound. The runners moved up on Fred McGriff's one-out grounder but Cecil Fielder took a called third strike.