Saberhagan, Vaughn Top A's, 6-3

(AP)  The old Bret Saberhagen was the youngest man to win the AL Cy Young Award. The older Bret Saberhagen looks pretty good, too.

The Red Sox right-hander, who turned 34 over the weekend, continued his comeback from arm surgery on Monday with a 6-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics 6-3 his second win in a row.

"Let's talk about the new Saberhagen. The old Saberhagen has come and gone," he said. "I've had surgery. I can't throw 130 pitches like I used to. ... But when I'm healthy, I can help this team out."

Saberhagen (2-0) sat out all of 1996 after surgery on his right shoulder and spent most of last season in rehabilitation. In all, he went more than two years between his last win for Colorado on Sept. 26, 1995, and his next, on April 5 against Seattle.

The two-time Cy Young winner allowed two hits with two walks while striking out six in six innings. After giving up a two-run homer to Matt Stairs in the first inning, Saberhagen retired 15 of the next 16 batters.

"I thought he got stronger as the game went on," Boston manager Jimy Williams said. "He did a great job. He started a little slow, but then he got loose."

Saberhagen said he talked to pitching coach Joe Kerrigan after his 29-pitch first inning. The advice he got was to stand more upright and stop dropping down on his delivery.

"I fell into a real good groove," Saberhagen said. "I'm very happy I turned things around. After that start, I'm thinking to myself, 'This could be a real short night. ... I'd better get my stuff together real quick or or I'll be sitting up in the clubhouse watching the game."'

Tom Gordon pitched the ninth for his third save as Boston, which swept Seattle over the weekend, started 4-0 at home for the first time since 1978. Oakland lost its fourth consecutive game and has yet to win a game on the road this season.

Kenny Rogers (1-1) gave up five earned runs and 10 hits with three walks in six innings. Meanwhile, the Oakland defense backed him up with three errors.

"What defense?" A's manager Art Howe smirked.

Rickey Henderson walked to lead off the game, but he was picked off by Saberhagen. With two out in the first, Ben Grieve walked and Stairs followed with a homer to make it 2-0.

Boston tied it in the bottom half when Nomar Garciaparra singled, John Valentin doubled and, after Vaughn walked, Jim Leyritz hit into a run-scoring double play. Valentin scored from third on the first of two wild pitches by Rogers to make it 2-2.

"I knew once we we let him back in the game we were in trouble," said Howe, who was a coach with Colorado when Saberhagen pitched there. "He didn't win the Cy Young for no reason."

Jason Varitek doubled and scored on Garciaparra's single in the scond and Vaughn hit a solo shot to make it 4-2 after three innings. Damon Buford added an RBI double in the fifth and Mark Lemke scored from first when second baseman Scott Spezio dropped a popup in the sixth.

Notes: Jason Giambi was a late scratch from the Oakland lineup with lower back stiffness. ... The last time Saberhagen won consecutive starts was in June 1995. ... Garciaparra, who set an AL rookie record with a 30-game hitting streak last year, has hit in 11 consecutive games. ... Helicopters hovered over the park during the fourth inning to film shots for an upcoming John Travolta movie, "A Civil Action." ... Rogers had been 8-1 against Boston in his career.

©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed