Mulder Gets 8th Win As A's Top Royals 6-1

<br>When it comes to assessing Kyle Snyder's performance, the Kansas City Royals might want to listen to Mark Mulder. After all, he was once a tall, skinny, struggling rookie pitcher, too. <br><br>The

Friday, May 30th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

When it comes to assessing Kyle Snyder's performance, the Kansas City Royals might want to listen to Mark Mulder. After all, he was once a tall, skinny, struggling rookie pitcher, too.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Snyder matched Mulder pitch-for-pitch for five innings Thursday night, but Oakland scored four runs in the sixth inning as the Athletics beat the reeling Royals 6-1.

The 6-6, 202-pound Mulder (8-2) also beat Snyder 4-1 last week in Oakland.

``Snyder's got great stuff,'' said Mulder, who improved to 6-0 against the Royals. ``It just seemed like the one inning was his downfall. But for the most part he did a great job. The Royals have got something there.''

Mulder went from 9-10 with a 5.44 ERA in his rookie season in 2000 to a 21-game winner the next year. Snyder is 0-3 in six starts. He's given up 17 earned runs in 37 innings (4.14 ERA).

On Thursday, Snyder allowed just two hits until Eric Byrnes led off the sixth with a single. He ended up allowing four runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings.

``You're going against Mark Mulder and you give up four runs in one inning, you haven't done your job,'' Snyder said. ``They took advantage of two bad changeups in the one inning.

``This is everyone's ultimate goal to be at the big league level and win,'' he said. ``But we haven't won a game I've started yet. That's disappointing.''

In other AL games Thursday, it was: Anaheim 2, Tampa Bay 1; Texas 8, Baltimore 4; Chicago White Sox 3, Toronto 2; and Seattle 10, Minnesota 6

Oakland has won nine of its last 10 games against the Royals, who are 2-10 at home since starting the season 11-0 in Kauffman Stadium. The Royals (26-25) have lost four straight overall and 12 of 15, and are just 10-22 following a 16-3 start.

Snyder might have gotten out of the sixth unscathed but rookie Ken Harvey failed to turn a double play with one out in the sixth.

After Byrne's single, Scott Hatteberg hit a liner to Harvey, who could have stepped on first base for an inning-ending double play. Instead, he turned and missed a tag attempt on a diving Byrnes.

``Every out is big,'' Oakland manager Ken Macha said. ``That may have been the biggest of the game.''

Miguel Tejada then doubled in Byrnes. Erubiel Durazo's double made it 2-0 and he advanced to third on right fielder Aaron Guiel's throwing error.

Eric Chavez followed with an RBI single and reliever Jason Grimsley forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk to No. 9 hitter Chris Singleton.

Angels 2, Devil Rays 1

At St. Petersburg, Fla., Jarrod Washburn pitched four-hit ball over 6 2-3 innings as Anaheim beat Tampa Bay.

Washburn (5-5) struck out three, walked three and hit two batters in improving to 6-1 against Tampa Bay.

Garret Anderson had an RBI single off Victor Zambrano (1-3) during the Angels two-run, first inning. Anaheim had failed to score in the first in its previous 17 games. David Eckstein scored on an error by Devil Ray's catcher Toby Hall.

Rangers 8, Orioles 4

At Baltimore, Hank Blalock went 3-for-3, walked twice and scored two runs as Texas ended the Orioles' four-game winning streak.

Ruben Sierra hit a two-run homer in the ninth, helping the Rangers to their ninth win in 11 games.

Blalock boosted his batting average to .359, regaining the AL lead from Baltimore's Melvin Mora, who went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. His average fell three points to .356.

White Sox 3, Blue Jays 2

At Toronto, Esteban Loaiza allowed two runs in 7 2-3 innings against his former team as Chicago beat the Blue Jays.

Carlos Delgado hit his 16th homer, but he committed two of Toronto's season-high four errors, including one that led to two unearned runs in the fourth inning.

Loaiza (8-2) allowed five hits and struck out four. His league-leading ERA increased from 1.92 to 1.96.

Mariners 10, Twins 6

At Minneapolis, Bret Boone homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs, and Gil Meche (7-2) pitched seven-plus strong innings as Seattle beat Minnesota in the first game of a four-game series between the division leaders.

The AL West-leading Mariners tied their season high for hits with 18 and won for the 10th time in 13 games.

Boone's two-run homer off Brad Radke (5-5) was the 200th of his 13-year major league career.

Meche (7-2) gave up four runs, six hits, walked one and struck out four.