MLB News

Texas' Washington: Feliz wasn't mentally ready

2011-11-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

Ben and Skin catch up with Rangers skipper Ron Washington and get his thoughts on losing the World Series, the leaked clubhouse tape and how the team will move on should they lose C.J. Wilson to free agency. More Podcasts " "We'll just say that he was really upset and his state of mind at the time wasn't where we felt like he could go out there and get it done," Washington told the Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. "And the lineup set up perfectly for Darren Oliver, and he didn't get it done. "So it wasn't like we didn't get it done because Neftali didn't go back out there. I still feel like that lineup set up perfectly for who we put out there and the job just didn't get done. The end result is we just didn't get it done." After taking a two-run lead in the 10th inning, the Rangers again were just one strike from winning the World Series. Instead, the Cardinals tied it again off Oliver before eventually winning the game in the 11th to force a deciding Game 7.

Stark: Exploring the market for Pujols and Fielder

2011-11-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

• How about this for an international incident waiting to happen: Manny Ramirez in Japan? A source with ties to Japanese baseball tells Rumblings that Manny had a Florida tryout for a Japanese team (the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) a couple of weeks ago, but "it didn't go well." And what was the hang-up? "The Japanese don't like 'baggage' in a player," the source said, "no matter how talented he might be." Wait. Manny has baggage? Never noticed. • If this labor deal ever gets done, the schedule is about to undergo a dramatic change. We'll be heading for 15 teams in each league, five teams in each of the six divisions and an interleague game every day. But the biggest change could be nearly TWICE as many interleague games, because every team in a division would play exactly the same schedule. Here's the new format we've heard is on the drawing board: Eighteen games against each of the other four teams in your division; six games against each of the other 10 teams in your league; three interleague games against each of the five teams in the corresponding division in the other league (i.e., AL East versus NL East); three more interleague games against each team in one of the other two divisions (i.e., AL East versus NL Central one year, NL West the next). three interleague games against two divisions in the other league Add that up and you get 72 intra-division games, 60 more intra-league games and 30 interleague games a year -- up from the current 15 to 18 interleague games a year. The other net result of that change: Only three "rivalry" games (Mets-Yankees, Cubs-White Sox, etc.) every season instead of six. • Despite all the predictions we've heard that Fielder could eventually wind up in Washington, teams that have spoken with the Nationals report they seem much more focused on finding A) a veteran starting pitcher and B) a center fielder who could lead off. Their center-field expedition could take them in all kinds of directions. But on the pitching front, one exec who spoke with them says he believes that in a perfect world, they'd prefer Mark Buehrle over either C.J. Wilson or Roy Oswalt, the two starters they've been most linked to on the rumor mill. They're not expected to make a big push on Yu Darvish. • And while we're on the subject of Darvish, the longer he waits to announce he's ready to come to America, the more some teams are beginning to wonder if he's heading this way at all. He still hasn't been posted by his team in Japan, remember. And even that posting just launches a bidding duel among U.S. teams, which is followed by a negotiating period with the player. So even if he's posted tomorrow, interested teams wouldn't know their fate until at least late December. "We're already into free agency," one AL executive said. "So when is he going to post? If he waits much longer, by the time he's ready to negotiate, teams won't have any money to spend." • The Marlins may not have officially announced which free-agent position player ranks No. 1 on their shopping list, but they've already made it fairly clear. Their owner (Jeffrey Loria), president (David Samson) and president for baseball operations (Larry Beinfest) were spotted in a New York hotel bar, meeting with Jose Reyes and his agents just after midnight last Thursday, minutes after the free-agent negotiating period had begun. Any more questions? • Michael Cuddyer isn't the only longtime Twins player the Phillies are pursuing. We're hearing they're also in on Jason Kubel. They've also checked in on Grady Sizemore, but sounds as if they're mostly kicking tires at this point. • One friend of Jimmy Rollins tells Rumblings he has more than a half-dozen teams interested in him. An educated guess on five of them: Phillies, Cardinals, Brewers, Braves and Giants. Jurrjens • Teams that have spoken with the Braves report they're continuing to "float" Jair Jurrjens' name, even after their potential deal to send him to Kansas City fell through. "They're not really pushing him. They're floating him," said an executive of one team that spoke with them. "The impression we got is they've got to unload money. They want to get a bat, and the only way to do it is to unload money. The one guy they'd move, no problem, is Martin Prado. He seems like he's fallen from grace over there." • Speaking of Kansas City, teams that have been in touch with the Royals say they're no longer looking to make a deal for a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, now that they've traded for Jonathan Sanchez. At this point, the Royals prefer to hang onto their prospects and fish for back-of-the-rotation options in the free-agent pool. One potential option if they can't re-sign Bruce Chen: Chris Capuano.

Bowden: Pricing the top free agents

2011-11-04T16:15:00.001-07:00

Albert Pujols 1B 31 9 $243M $27M Analysis: Pujols is the Babe Ruth of this era. Don't be surprised if a team such as the Washington Nationals makes a stealth offer of 10 years at $300 million, but I still think he will return to the Cardinals for less. Agent Dan Lozano's goal is to surpass Alex Rodriguez 's 10-year, $275 million extension signed back in 2008 with the New York Yankees. However, with the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies not expected to bid, this seems unlikely. Best fits: St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs For a full breakdown of how much former MLB GM Jim Bowden would pay for the top free agents, become an ESPN Insider. Already an Insider? Sign in below: Username Password Sign In with Facebook ESPN The Magazine subscribers Activate your Insider account " Need more information? View Insider Benefits " ... or become an today 1 Year Membership - $3.33 a month Includes a 1 YEAR subscription to ESPN The Magazine - Over 50% off the monthly price! 2 Year Membership - $2.50 a month (Best Value) Includes a 2 YEAR subscription to ESPN The Magazine - Over 63% off the monthly price! Monthly Membership - $6.95 a month Offseason Buyer's Guide Prince Fielder headlines the 2011 free agent class, but who are the other players who could be changing teams this winter? Rankings Nov. 3: Law: Top 50 free agents | Tracker Nov. 4: Bowden: Projected value rankings Reaction Oct. 31: Law: Lowe can help Tribe Oct. 31: Bowden: Yankees had to pay Sabathia Buyer's Guide Nov. 4: Buyers Guide: First basemen/DH Nov. 7: Buyers Guide: Middle infielders Nov. 8: Buyers Guide: Outfielders Nov. 9: Buyers Guide: Third basemen Nov. 10: Buyers Guide: Starting Pitchers Nov. 11: Buyers Guide: Relief Pitchers Nov. 12: Buyers Guide: Catchers Features Oct. 30: Perry: Five biggest holes Oct. 31: Cameron: Five must moves Nov. 1: Meyers: Beware of C.J Wilson Nov. 2: Goldstein: Winter League solutions Nov. 4: Olney: Strong maket for Buehrle Nov. 7: Jedlovec: Finding hidden value FAs Nov. 8: Szymborski: Shopping in the $0.99 bin Nov. 10: Fangraphs: Coming from Japan

Cubs' Epstein: Francona a top skipper option

2011-11-03T16:16:00.001-07:00

ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian says the Cardinals should look at Terry Francona to fill their managerial opening. Plus, Kurkjian says he hopes Bobby Valentine will be interviewed for openings in Boston and Chicago. More Podcasts " Epstein's list of managerial candidates understandably has some overlap with Boston's process. The Red Sox have also been granted permission to interview Maddux, the older brother of former Cubs and Braves great Greg Maddux. "Mike is in a key role for us and has had a prominent hand in our success the past few years," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said on Thursday. "But this is a unique opportunity to discuss a coveted position with two storied franchises, and we believe in allowing our people to pursue opportunities that they're interested in. It reflects well both on Mike and our organization that he's under consideration."

Yanks, Sabathia reach five-year, $122M deal

2011-11-01T16:12:00.001-07:00

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney says Tony La Russa is the best manager of his generation. Plus, Olney says Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia wasn't going to get a better offer anywhere else besides New York. More Podcasts " The two sides never met face to face, but an offer was "transmitted" Friday to Peters that was "close" to the final deal. Peters, who flew to New York this week and stayed at Sabathias's home in North Jersey, came back with a counteroffer and "a lot of ground was covered between 5 and 6 p.m. on Monday," a source told ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews. According to the source, the Yankees were "surprised" that Sabathia chose not to opt out, but added, "I think there were other teams that might have matched the $92 million the Yankees owed Sabathia on existing contract, but I don't think there were many that would have guaranteed him $122 million." In 2008, Sabathia's $161 million deal to join the Yankees was the largest ever for a starter. However, the Philadelphia Phillies gave Cliff Lee an average annual salary of $24 million for five seasons. On his original contract, Sabathia's average salary was $23 million per season. The Yankees originally put in the opt-out clause to give Sabathia an escape hatch in case he did not like the Bronx. At the time, there was a strong feeling throughout the industry that Sabathia wanted to play in his home state of California. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Sabathia and his wife, Amber, often have spoken of their affection for New York City and their desire to remain here. This past spring training, however, he hedged on that pledge, then declined to answer questions about it throughout the season. Monday night, Sabathia said the key for him was his family "and making sure everything was kosher with them" with living in the New York area. Then he learned what it was like pitching in the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium. "The energy, what you get coming out the bullpen, the fans," he said. "Everything it is it is to be pitching in New York, in the Bronx. It's just so much fun. To be part of this organization is just a dream for me." If Sabathia had opted for free agency, he clearly would have been the top starting pitcher on the market. After Sabathia, the Rangers' C.J. Wilson, Japanese standout Yu Darvish, Chicago White Sox's Mark Buehrle and the Phillies' Roy Oswalt are some of the other top free-agent starters. A team first will have to win the posting to Darvish's Japanese team before it can negotiate with the right-hander. Sabathia went 19-8 for the Yankees in 2011 and has won 59 games for them in three seasons, including 21 in 2010. But his effectiveness diminished in the second half of this past season and he was unable to win a ballgame in the ALDS, which the Yankees lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers. Still, it was imperative for the Yankees that Sabathia return to their rotation, because they have only two other established starters, Ivan Nova and A.J. Burnett, in the fold for 2012, and only one -- Nova -- is considered reliable. Sabathia, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner as a member of the Cleveland Indians, has thrown an average of 240 innings in each of his past five seasons and has one of the most durable arms in baseball. Sabathia entered spring training this year looking much trimmer -- which he attributed in part to cutting down on Cap'n Crunch -- but by the end of the season appeared heavier, and his conditioning was questioned. Sabathia had offseason knee surgery last year, but has not been hurt in the regular season as a Yankee. Sabathia said he plans on losing weight. "It's something I do regardless, and be proactive," he said. "I just need to go out and be healthy and try to do what I can to be up there for every start for this team. For me, that means losing weight, so that's what I'll do." Sabathia's first three years, in the words of manager Joe Girardi, have been "spectacular." He and the Yankees wanted them to continue -- and now they will. Information from ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Cards complete improbable run, win 11th Series

2011-10-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols thrust both arms high in the air, even before he reached home plate.It was only the first inning, and already it felt as if the St. Louis Cardinals were home free. Because after they had overcome so much just to get this far, what could stop them? The Cardinals won a remarkable World Series they weren't even supposed to reach, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night with another key hit by hometown star David Freese and six gutty innings from Chris Carpenter.Pushed to the brink, the Cardinals kept saving themselves. A frantic rush to reach the postseason on the final day. A nifty pair of comebacks in the playoffs. Two desperate rallies in Game 6."This whole ride, this team deserves this," said Freese, who added the Series MVP award to his trophy as the NL championship MVP.A day after an epic game that saw them twice within one strike of elimination before winning 10-9 in 11 innings, the Cardinals captured their 11th World Series crown."It's hard to explain how this happened," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.Following a whole fall on the edge, including a surge from 10½ games down in the wild-card race, La Russa's team didn't dare mess with Texas, or any more drama in baseball's first World Series Game 7 since the Angels beat Giants in 2002. Freese's two-run double tied it in the first, with Pujols celebrating as he scored. Good-luck charm Allen Craig hit a go-ahead homer in the third.Given a chance to pitch by a Game 6 rainout and picked by La Russa earlier in the day to start on three days' rest, Carpenter and the tireless St. Louis bullpen closed it out.No Rally Squirrel needed on this night, either. Fireworks and confetti rang out at Busch Stadium when Jason Motte retired David Murphy on a fly ball to end it. "We just kept playing," Cardinals star Lance Berkman said.Said La Russa: "If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back."The Rangers, meanwhile, will spend the whole winter wondering how it all got away. Texas might dwell on it forever, in fact, or at least until Nolan Ryan & Co. can reverse a World Series slide that started with last year's five-game wipeout against San Francisco. "We were close. Two times. Game 6. That's it," Texas pitcher Colby Lewis said.Ryan left tightlipped. When a reporter tried to ask the Rangers president and part-owner a question, someone in his entourage said: "He's not talking."Texas had not lost consecutive games since August. These two defeats at Busch Stadium cost manager Ron Washington and the Rangers a chance to win their first title in the franchise's 51-year history.Instead, Texas became the first team to lose the Series two straight years since Atlanta in 1991-92. "Sometimes when opportunity is in your presence, you certainly can't let it get away because sometimes it takes a while before it comes back," Washington said. "If there's one thing that happened in this World Series that I'll look back on is being so close, just having one pitch to be made and one out to be gotten, and it could have been a different story."Added Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre: "We tried to come back today, but the momentum just took them."It's not a nice feeling, you know, being one strike away twice. I guess it's probably easier to lose four games in a row in a World Series, but being a strike away it's something that will be hard to forget." This marked the ninth straight time the home team had won Game 7 in the World Series. The wild-card Cardinals held that advantage over the AL West champions because the NL won the All-Star Game -- Texas could blame that on their own pitcher, C.J. Wilson, who took the loss in July.A year full of inspiring rallies and epic collapses was encapsulated in Game 6. Freese was the star, with a tying triple in the ninth and a winning home run in the 11th. His two RBIs in the clincher gave him a postseason record 21.The Cardinals won their first championship since 2006, and gave La Russa his third World Series title. They got there by beating Philadelphia in the first round of the NL playoffs, capped by Carpenter outdueling Roy Halladay 1-0 in the deciding Game 5, and then topping Milwaukee in the NL championship series."I think the last month of the season, that's where it started," Pujols said. "Different guys were coming huge, getting big hits, and we carried that into the postseason and here we are, world champions."By the time Yadier Molina drew a bases-loaded walk from starter Matt Harrison and Rafael Furcal was hit by a pitch from Wilson in relief, the crowd began to sense a championship was near.The Cardinals improved to 8-3 in Game 7s of the Series, more wins than any other club. Yet fans here know their history well, and were aware this game could go either way -- Dizzy Dean and the Gas House Gang won 11-0 in 1934, but Whitey Herzog and his Cardinals lost 11-0 in 1985.On this evening, all the stars aligned for St. Louis.Starting in place of injured Matt Holliday, Craig hit his third homer of the Series and made a leaping catch at the top of the left field wall. Molina made another strong throw to nail a stray runner. And Carpenter steeled himself to pitch into the seventh, every bit an ace."It was in our grasp and we didn't get it," Washington said, referring to Game 6. "Tonight we fought hard for it and the Cardinals got it."Pujols went 0 for 2, walked and was hit by a pitch in what could have been his last game with the Cardinals. Many think the soon-to-be free agent will remain in St. Louis. "You know what? I'm not even thinking about that. I'm thinking about, you know, we're the world champions and I'm going to celebrate and whenever that time comes, you know, then we'll deal with it," he said.Pujols did plenty of damage. His three-homer job in Game 3 was the signature performance of his career and perhaps the greatest hitting show in postseason history.Dismissed by some as a dull Series even before it began because it lacked the big-market glamour teams, it got better inning by inning. Plus, a postseason first: A bullpen telephone mixup played a prominent role."I told you it was going to be a great series, and it was," Texas slugger Josh Hamilton said."I don't care what other people remember. We fell a little bit short. Hats off to the Cards, they did a great job, especially last night. It was actually fun to watch and fun to see. You hate it but it happened."Craig hit a solo home run in the third, an opposite field fly to right that carried into the Cardinals bullpen and got their relievers dancing. The super-sub put St. Louis ahead 3-2 with his third homer of the Series. He was in the lineup only because Holliday sprained his right wrist on a pickoff play a night earlier and was replaced on the roster.By then, the largest crowd at 6-year-old Busch Stadium was buzzing. The fans seemed a bit drained much earlier, maybe worn out from the previous night.They grew hush in the first when Hamilton and Michael Young hit consecutive RBI doubles. Texas might have gotten more, but Ian Kinsler strayed too far off first base and was trapped by Molina's rocket throw.Freese changed the mood in a hurry as St. Louis tied it in the bottom half. Pujols and Lance Berkman drew two-out walks and pitching coach Mike Maddux trotted to the mound while Freese stepped in to a standing ovation.Freese rewarded his family and a ballpark full of new friends by lining a full-count floater to the wall in left center for a two-run double. Harrison was in trouble, and Wilson began warming up after only 23 pitches.Carpenter wasn't sharp at the outset, either. All over the strike zone, he started seven of the first 10 batters with balls. Pitching coach Dave Duncan made a visit in the second to check on the tall righty, lingering for a few extra words."I was hoping to have an opportunity to go ahead and pitch in that game and fortunately it worked out," Carpenter said. "It started off a little rough in the first. But I was able to collect myself, make some pitches and our guys did an awesome job to battle back. And I mean, it's just amazing."Game notes Texas set a Series record by walking 41 batters, one more than Florida in 1997. Of the 34 runs the Cardinals scored, 11 reached on walks and two more on hit batters. ... The crowd was 47,399. ... The Cardinals will play the first game of the 2012 season in North America, opening the Miami Marlins' new ballpark on April 4.

Lucchino viewing free agency with 'skepticism'

2011-10-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

Boston's recent big-ticket free-agent signings have not worked out as planned. John Lackey's second year of a five-year, $82.5 million contract was a colossal disappointment (12-12, 6.41 ERA) and ended with him needing Tommy John surgery. And Carl Crawford's first season of a seven-year, $142 million deal was a major letdown, as well (.255 average, 11 homers, 56 RBIs).

Rangers' Harrison to start Game 7 despite delay

2011-10-27T15:14:00.001-07:00

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney says the Game 6 rainout Wednesday doesn't change much in Game 6, but could have a big impact on Game 7. Plus, Olney says Cardinals manager Tony La Russa could use pitcher Chris Carpenter in an emergency. More Podcasts "

New Cubs president Epstein: 'Truly feels great'

2011-10-25T15:21:00.001-07:00

ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine discusses the expectations for Theo Epstein in Chicago, Carlos Zambrano's future with the Cubs and more. More Podcasts "

Holland stars as Rangers blank Cards, tie series

2011-10-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

ARLINGTON, Texas -- So close to a World Series shutout, Derek Holland did everything he could, trying to convince Texas manager Ron Washington to let him finish. There they stood on the mound, two outs to go in the ninth inning, the pitcher pleading his case as the crowd chanted his name."He was begging," Washington said. Or, as Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler described it: "A lot of profanity, we sounded like sailors out there."Washington listened, then signaled for closer Neftali Feliz. Holland had done his job in Game 4, and then some. He had kept Albert Pujols in the ballpark and the Rangers in this Series.In a title matchup that's getting more interesting with every game, Holland put the emphasis back on pitching. Given a pep talk by Washington minutes before the game, Holland threw two-hit ball for 8 1/3 innings to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Sunday night and even things at 2-all.Holland struck out seven, walked two and never was in trouble against a team that erupted for 16 runs the previous night. He came within two outs of pitching the first complete-game shutout in the World Series since Josh Beckett's gem for Florida to clinch the 2003 title at Yankee Stadium."I was very focused. I knew this was a big game for us," said Holland, who was 16-5 with 3.95 ERA and four shutouts in the regular season. "I had to step up and make sure I was prepared."Hobbled Josh Hamilton put Texas ahead with an RBI double in the first inning. Then Mike Napoli broke it open with a three-run homer in the sixth that set off a hearty high-five in the front row between team president Nolan Ryan and former President George W. Bush. And just like that, for the first time since 2003, the World Series stood at two games apiece. Now the whole season is down to a best of three, with the outcome to be decided back at Busch Stadium.Game 5 is Monday night at Rangers Ballpark. It's a rematch of the opener, when Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter topped C.J. Wilson.A day after Pujols produced arguably the greatest hitting show in postseason history, tying Series records with three home runs, six RBIs and five hits during the Cardinals' romp, Holland emerged as the unlikely star.Holland got a big cheer when he took the mound in the ninth and was still throwing 96 mph. After he walked Rafael Furcal with one out, Washington strolled to the mound."I was begging to stay out there," Holland said. "I said, 'I'll give it everything I've got. I can get the double play.'"When I came off the field my arm hair was sticking up -- not like I have much."Holland tipped his cap and waved to the fans as he walked off. His outing was the longest scoreless appearance by an AL starter in the Series since Andy Pettitte also went 8 1/3 at Atlanta in 1996.Feliz took over and closed. He walked Allen Craig, then retired Pujols on a fly ball and struck out Matt Holliday to end it.Pujols finished 0 for 4 and hit the ball out of the infield only once."I wanted him to see my 'A' game," Holland said.Said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa: "Well, I would just say he worked us over. Give him credit.""Good pitching is always going to stop good hitting," he said.Holland was in tune all evening with Napoli, his pal and catcher. Much better than the battery for the pregame ceremony -- Bush tossed a wild pitch that glanced off the catcher's mitt Ryan wore."I should've gone with the regular glove," Ryan said with a chuckle.The bounce-back Rangers managed to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since Aug. 23-25, a streak that's kept them out of trouble in the postseason.The Rangers also completed a Sunday sweep in the matchup of teams from St. Louis and the Dallas area. Earlier in the afternoon, the Cowboys beat the Rams 34-7 right across the parking lots. Hamilton and Lance Berkman served as honorary captains for the pregame coin toss, wearing their baseball uniforms.Many fans might remember Holland from last year's World Series. He's the reliever who came in against San Francisco, walked his first three batters and promptly got pulled.Maybe that guy was an impostor. Because this 25-year-old lefty with the sorry little mustache was completely poised, with pinpoint control. Perhaps it was the talk he got from Washington near the dugout shortly before taking the mound.Washington put both hands on Holland's shoulders and talked to him tenderly, like a dad about to send his teenage son off to college. Holland kept nodding, and Washington finished up with a playful pat to Holland's cheek."It was just a general message that he's capable of going out there and keeping us in the ballgame. That's all it was," Washington said. "I talk with Derek like that all the time, it just happened to catch me on TV."Added Holland: "He shows that he cares about all his players, and he definitely showed that when he talked to me."After that, Holland was in total command in his first Series start, and improved to 3-0 lifetime in the postseason. The only hits he allowed were by Berkman: a double in the second and a single in the fifth. Holland got even later, getting Berkman to look at a strike three that left the St. Louis star discussing the call with plate umpire Ron Kulpa.Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson kept his team close despite a wild night. He walked seven, and eventually they caught up with him.It was 1-0 when La Russa yanked Jackson after two one-out walks in the sixth and signaled for reliever Mitchell Boggs. Napoli was up, and the sellout crowd chanted his name as he stepped into the batter's box.Boggs stayed in the stretch for an extra beat while Furcal ducked behind Nelson Cruz from shortstop. When Boggs finally threw a 95 mph fastball with his first pitch, Napoli whacked it.Napoli stood at the plate for a moment as the ball sailed deep, just inside the left field line. Boggs could only contort his body, seeing the game get out of hand.Hamilton forced the Cardinals to play catch-up for the first time in a while. St. Louis had scored first in 10 straight postseason games, one shy of the record set by Detroit during a span from 1972-84.Elvis Andrus singled with one out in the Texas first and sped home when Hamilton doubled into the right field corner. The reigning AL MVP has been slowed by a strained groin, part of the reason he hasn't homered in 57 at-bats this postseason.Game notes Napoli became the first catcher to hit two homers in a Series since Mike Piazza of the Mets in 2000. ... Kinsler and St. Louis C Yadier Molina played a little game of back-and-forth in the second. Kinsler robbed Molina of an RBI single with a nice stop up the middle to end the top half. In the bottom half, Molina made a snap throw that trapped Kinsler off first base for the last out. ... Mitch Moreland batted last for Texas. It's the sixth time a starting first baseman in the World Series had hit ninth in order, four by Moreland.

Pujols belts 3 HRs as Cards take 2-1 Series lead

2011-10-23T15:19:00.001-07:00

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Albert Pujols began the game hoping to shake his slump and maybe get a hit.He did that, and a whole lot more: He produced the defining game of his career, and perhaps the greatest hitting performance in World Series history. Pujols launched three impressive homers, drove in six runs and finished with five hits -- tying a Series record with each accomplishment -- as the St. Louis Cardinals romped past the Texas Rangers 16-7 on Saturday night for a 2-1 edge."Just pretty special," he said.The three-time NL MVP matched Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a game. Pujols added two singles and set a Series mark with 14 total bases."Hopefully, at the end of my career, I can look back and say, 'Wow, what a game it was in Game 3 in 2011,'" Pujols said.And to think, his night began with a groundout that left him 0 for 7 against Texas."I mean, with Babe and Reggie, that's pretty good company right there," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.The outburst by Pujols came a day after he was barbed by the media for not sticking around to talk about a Game 2 error and loss. This time, everyone was talking about him."When the opportunity presents itself to put him on the bag, I'm not going to let him swing the bat," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "But tonight, we just couldn't get the ball out of the middle of the plate and up, and he just didn't miss."I saw him on TV but I'll tell you, tonight was something special."The Cardinals mashed their way to the highest-scoring game in their storied postseason history, breaking away after first base umpire Ron Kulpa's admitted blown call.

Rangers rally in ninth off Motte, tie Series 1-1

2011-10-21T15:10:00.001-07:00

ST. LOUIS -- Jason Motte stood in front of his locker in the quiet Cardinals clubhouse and said the same thing over and over: "I didn't do my job." Three outs from taking a 2-0 World Series lead to Texas, St. Louis instead finds itself tied with the Rangers at a game apiece.Motte allowed consecutive singles to open the ninth inning, and sacrifice flies by Josh Hamilton and Michael Young lifted the Rangers to a 2-1 victory Thursday night."It was almost a great story for us," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Turned out to be a greater one for them."In a virtual repeat of the opener, pinch-hitter Allen Craig put the Cardinals ahead with a seventh-inning single off Alexi Ogando.St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia allowed three hits in seven shutout innings before Fernando Salas and Marc Rzepczynski combined for a hitless eighth. But a day after Motte finished off a 3-2 win with a 1-2-3 ninth, Ian Kinsler blooped a leadoff single to left, just beyond the reach of shortstop Rafael Furcal. Kinsler then stole second, narrowly beating Yadier Molina's throw."I mean, my hand just barely got in there. It took everything I had," Kinsler said. "Yadier made an unbelievable throw, quick, on the money, and I was just able to get my hand in there."Elvis Andrus, who saved a run in the fifth with an amazing glove flip from shortstop, singled to center for his first hit in seven at-bats in the Series. Kinsler took a wide turn, then retreated to third, and Andrus advanced when Jon Jay's throw got past cutoff man Albert Pujols."It stinks. It's one of those things," Motte said. "I went out there and made a good pitch to Kinsler, and he did a good piece of hitting and got enough on it to get it out of the reach of Furcal. The next one, I threw another cutter, and it just wasn't a good pitch. It moved, came back, just stayed middle and spun up there."More than an hour after the game, the three official scorers decided to charge Pujols with an error."I should have made a better throw right there. It was the big part of the game," Jay said. "It was off-line a little bit."After making all the right moves in the opener, La Russa brought in lefty Arthur Rhodes to face Hamilton, who is hitless in 16 consecutive World Series at-bats dating to Game 3 against San Francisco last year. La Russa decided against an intentional walk. "Load the bases, that's a really difficult thing to do," La Russa said. "I don't think walking him there would have made it easier for us. I think it would have made it tougher."Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP, drove home Kinsler with a fly to right."It would have been a grounder if I would have kept it down," Rhodes said.Lance Lynn relieved, and Young hit a fly to center that scored Andrus with the go-ahead run.Motte took the loss, and Mike Adams got the win with a scoreless eighth. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for the save, walking Molina before striking out Nick Punto and Skip Schumaker. Furcal flied out to end it."It's baseball. That's the way this game is," Motte said. "You're going to have good days, bad days."When the Series shifts to Texas on Saturday night, Matt Harrison starts Game 3 for the Rangers against Kyle Lohse. Derek Holland goes for Texas in Game 4 on Sunday and Edwin Jackson for the Cardinals.While Pujols dropped to 0-for-6 in the Series and Matt Holliday fell to 1-for-6 (.167), David Freese sparked the Cardinals in the seventh when he singled with one out against Colby Lewis. Punto, the No. 8 batter, hit a single off the glove of Young -- who played first only 36 times during the regular season.That knocked out both starters, with Ogando coming in to face Craig for the second straight night.Craig fouled off a pitch, then lined a single to right-center that sent Freese home and energized a sellout crowd of 47,288 at Busch Stadium."Kind of deja vu," Craig said.Two innings earlier, Furcal came up with two on and two outs and hit a one-hop smash to the shortstop side of second, but Andrus ranged over to make a diving stop. From his knees on the outfield grass, he flipped the ball with his glove to Kinsler, who just beat a sliding Garcia to second base."The play was ridiculous," Kinsler said. "It doesn't get any better than that."Game notes Texas has not lost consecutive games since Aug. 23-25 at Boston and avoided a repeat of last year, when the Rangers went to San Francisco and were beaten by the Giants 11-7 and 9-0 in the first two games. The Giants went on to win the Series in five games. ... Teams winning the opener have won seven of the last eight titles, 12 of the last 14 and 19 of the last 23. Of teams that won Game 2 to even the Series, 29 of 54 have gone on to win -- but just two of the last seven, the 2002 Angels and the 2009 Yankees. ... A night after a cold, rainy opener, it was slightly warmer, with a game-time temperature of 50 degrees. ... Stan Musial, the Cardinals Hall of Famer who turns 91 next month, attended the game at Busch Stadium.

Rangers' Hamilton (groin) playing through pain

2011-10-20T15:08:00.001-07:00

How hampered is Josh Hamilton right now? The Rangers outfielder says he's at 50 percent. Ben and Skin weigh in. More Podcasts " The Rangers said Hamilton will shift over to left field for Game 2 on Thursday night. Craig Gentry will start in center field against the St. Louis Cardinals. "It's obvious he's got discomfort but not enough to take him out of the lineup," manager Ron Washington said Thursday afternoon, adding that the injury only bothers Hamilton on check swings. Asked if Hamilton would be on the disabled list if this was the regular season, Washington paused. "I don't know," the manager said. "Maybe. Maybe not. But it's not the regular season. It's six games left." Hamilton was seen wincing during at-bats and in the field during Game 1 on Wednesday. During one at-bat, he was seen reaching for the area after an off-balance swing. After the game, Hamilton spent a lot of time in the trainer's room getting treatment and, consequently, wasn't available to speak to the media. The 2010 AL MVP has 45 postseason at-bats and is still looking for his first home run. He hasn't hit a long ball since Sept. 23, but he's still contributing in the No. 3 spot, hitting .267, with five of his 12 hits going for extra bases. "He's been battling through it basically since the end of the season," second baseman Ian Kinsler said after the Rangers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2. "The cold weather is never good. He's battled through it and he's going to do the same thing [Thursday]."

Ryan: Rangers to beat Cardinals in six games

2011-10-17T15:13:00.001-07:00

Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan predicts Texas will beat St. Louis and win the World Series in six games. More Podcasts " "I think we'll get it done in six," Ryan said. Ryan has a knack for predicting Rangers wins. He set the goal of 92 wins in 2010, and the club got to 90 wins. He said 90 to 95 wins in 2011, and the Rangers set a club record with 96 wins.

Cruz sets HR record; Rangers return to Series

2011-10-16T15:09:00.001-07:00

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After waiting until their 50th season to reach their first World Series, the Texas Rangers are going right back.Nelson Cruz had one more big blast, Michael Young caught the final out long after hitting a pair of doubles in one of the highest-scoring postseason innings ever and the Rangers became the American League's first repeat champion in a decade.The team that lost Cliff Lee in free agency and held onto Young after his offseason trade request finished off the Detroit Tigers with a 15-5 romp Saturday night to win the AL championship series in six games, "This a great trophy, we're real proud of it," Young said. "But we're looking forward to the one with all the flags on it. ... Happy, but not satisfied."Cruz was selected ALCS MVP after his postseason-record sixth home run of the series, and he also had a record 13 RBIs. Young hit a pair of two-run doubles in a nine-run third inning that sent the Rangers on their way to becoming the AL's first consecutive pennant winner since the New York Yankees won four in a row from 1998-01."We wanted to get to the World Series. But the bottom line is getting to the World Series and winning it. We feel pretty confident about ourselves," manager Ron Washington said. "More than anything else, the commitment they made in November after San Francisco sent us home, they held true to it."Texas will open the World Series on Wednesday night at St. Louis or Milwaukee, seeking the first title in the history of a franchise that started play in 1961. The World Series returns deep in the heart of Texas with Game 3 next Saturday night.Young, who also homered and had five RBIs in the finale, caught Brandon Inge's game-ending popout in short right field and pumped a right hand into the air signaling "No. 1" while fireworks and confetti filled the sky, then ran toward the middle of the field to celebrate with his teammates.Cruz threw both hands in the air and briefly knelt to a knee in the outfield before running to the infield for the ginger ale-spraying celebration, and a banner was unfurled high over center field declaring the Rangers 2011 AL champions. The postgame celebration included Cruz getting the AL MVP trophy."It was fun to watch," last year's AL MVP Josh Hamilton said of Cruz. "It's one thing to be in the stands. But when you're down here on the field with him, you can see the intensity, see the focus. To watch him do that was incredible."With former President George W. Bush seated in the front row alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, part of the ownership group that took over the team last year, Washington was at the edge of the dugout wildly waving his arms and shouting encouragement as the big inning unfolded.All Tigers manager Jim Leyland could do was take off his cap and scratch his head as the Rangers kept reaching base off starter Max Scherzer and three relievers."He was out of whack for the most part all the way. His control was not good from the get go, really. And he had a tough time. And we just couldn't stop the bleeding," Leyland said. "As the game went on, obviously, it really wasn't fair."A franchise that began as the expansion Washington Senators and moved to Texas in 1972 had failed to reach the World Series before losing to the Giants in five games last year. The Rangers had never even won a postseason series before last season."As soon as the season began, we were hungry, we were hungry to get back," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said.Texas overcame a 2-0 deficit by sending 14 batters to the plate against Scherzer (0-1) and three relievers in the highest-scoring postseason inning since 2002.Alexi Ogando (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his second win in the series.While Young became only the fourth player in postseason history with two extra-base hits in the same inning -- first a tying double into the left-field corner and then one down the right field line for a 9-2 lead -- every batter in the Texas lineup reached base at least once in the third. By the time all the fireworks was over, the Rangers scored the most runs ever in a postseason game against the Tigers and the most in any postseason contest since the Yankees routed Boston 19-8 in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS.Also among the sellout crowd of 51,508 was Dirk Nowitzki, MVP of the NBA Finals won by the Dallas Mavericks in June.Now the Rangers get another chance to bring another championship to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.In his 11th season in Texas, Young had played in 1,508 regular-season games before finally getting into the playoffs last year. He added a huge exclamation point to his already big night when he led off the seventh with a 416-foot homer to straightaway center.His five RBIs matched the Rangers postseason record, set by Cruz in Game 2.Last winter, Young had requested a trade after the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre and acquired Mike Napoli, moves that led to Young becoming primarily a designated hitter and first baseman, a position he had never played. He had already been a starting second baseman and an All-Star at shortstop and third base.Young's two doubles came in the highest-scoring inning in a postseason game since the Angels matched a playoff record with 10 runs in the seventh inning of Game 5 during the 2002 ALCS against Minnesota.Texas' big inning started when Andrus drew a one-out walk, and Josh Hamilton blooped an opposite-field single to left. After Young tied it, Beltre hit a go-ahead single under the leg of Scherzer, who was gone after consecutive walks to Napoli and Cruz.Cruz fought back from an 0-2 count for his walk. On a checked swing on a 2-2 pitch, Scherzer and Leyland both reacted in disbelief when first base umpire Tim Welke signaled no swing. When the next pitch was ball four, Cruz flipped his bat away and quickly clapped his hands.David Murphy hit a two-run single off Daniel Schlereth, facing his only batter in his only appearance of the series. Game 4 starter Rick Porcello took over and pinch-hitter Craig Gentry reached on a fielder's choice as Murphy beat the throw to second. Ian Kinsler's two-run single made it 7-2, and Young's second double boosted the margin to 9-2.When Ryan Perry finally induced Beltre to hit an inning-ending flyout, fans roared in anticipation of a World Series berth that wouldn't be official for five more innings. Most wildly waved white rally towels, and another behind the Rangers dugout swayed a Texas state flag back-and-forth high in the air.Detroit had already avoided elimination twice this postseason, winning Game 5 of the AL division series at Yankee Stadium and then extending the ALCS with a 7-5 win at home Thursday.Derek Holland allowed solo homers to Miguel Cabrera in the first and Jhonny Peralta in the second as Detroit, seeking its first Series title since 1984, tried to force a Game 7."I don't think I've ever been prouder of a team than I am of this team," Leyland said. "They gave everything they had."Game notes Holland, who didn't make it out of the third inning in Game 2, gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings. He left after Austin Jackson's two-run homer in the fifth.

Cardinals take 3-2 lead, push Brewers to brink

2011-10-15T15:13:00.001-07:00

ST. LOUIS -- The way the Milwaukee Brewers bumbled defensively, another short start didn't slow the St. Louis Cardinals.Milwaukee made four errors that led to three unearned runs, and the Cardinals' bullpen pitched brilliantly again to survive an early exit by Jaime Garcia in a 7-1 victory Friday night that gave St. Louis a 3-2 NL championship series lead.The wild-card Cardinals have two tries in Milwaukee to return to the World Series for the first time since 2006. "It's a nice win," St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said. "But we need one more."Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday had three hits each for St. Louis, which burst to a 3-0 lead in the second when Molina doubled in a run and third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. allowed Garcia's grounder to go through his legs. Holliday capped the scoring with a two-run double in the eighth.Milwaukee's infield nearly had a cycle of errors, with second baseman Rickie Weeks and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt also committing miscues along with reliever Marco Estrada."We can play better than we have," said Zack Greinke, who took the loss. "And I'm sure we will."Weeks had committed the Brewers' only two errors in the first four games of the series."It's definitely not focus," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "These games, we do have them once in a while. We had one a couple days ago. I'm confident we'll play a good game on Sunday."St. Louis can wrap up the best-of-seven series and its 18th NL pennant then. Edwin Jackson goes for the Cardinals against Shaun Marcum in a rematch of pitchers from Game 2, won by St. Louis 12-3 as neither starter received a decision."I haven't really analyzed it. I try and stay in the moment, bro," Prince Fielder said. "I'm not really looking back or forward, just trying to stay game to game. We have to win both of them, but we've got to win first." The NL winner hosts the World Series opener against Detroit or Texas on Wednesday."We're having a good series right now and, hopefully, we can do it for one more game," Molina said.Led by Jason Motte, the Cardinals' fifth closer of the season, the St. Louis bullpen is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA in 22 2/3 innings in the series. St. Louis starters are 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA.Only one St. Louis starter has lasted long enough to qualify for a victory, with Chris Carpenter working five innings in Game 3. The previous team to have a starter not pitch into the sixth in the first five games of a postseason series was the 1984 San Diego Padres in the World Series, according to STATS LLC."We're just trying to win," Holliday said. "If the spot calls for it, our bullpen's been incredible," Holliday said. "They're really fit into roles and it's been fun to watch."The Cardinals have won 14 straight games on getaway days, a run that began on Aug. 7 at Florida. The win gave players another opportunity to chant "Happy Flight! Happy Flight!"Milwaukee had not made more than three errors in a game during the regular season, but the Brewers' sloppiness reached a near-record level. Milwaukee was one shy of the LCS record for errors in a game, shared by the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers and 1976 New York Yankees, according to STATS LLC. "You've taken so many ground balls your whole life, you know what a ground ball is going to do," Hairston said. "And then when it just shoots down and scoots and once it hits that lip, it's just shock."Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had a quick hook once again. Garcia opened with four scoreless innings, then allowed three hits and a sacrifice in a span of four at-bats in the fifth as Corey Hart singled in a run. With two and on and two outs, Octavio Dotel relieved and struck out Braun."There's a lot of conversation about Game 1 and how quickly they put some runs on the board," La Russa said.Garcia was understanding."He's been doing this for so long and he's been so successful and he's got his reasons," the pitcher said.Dotel (1-0) struck out two in 1 1/3 hitless innings, combining with three other relievers for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief. Motte got four outs for his second save of the series,"I'm just out there doing my thing," Motte said.With Milwaukee down 5-1 and trying to rally with two on and two outs in the eighth, lefty Marc Rzepczynski relieved and struck out Fielder. Against Rzepczynski, Fielder is 0 for 4 with four strikeouts and two walks."With two strikes I said I'm just going to bounce at it and see if he swing," Rzepczynski said. "And today, he did."Greinke left pitches over the plate in some key spots and allowed five runs -- just two earned -- and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with no strikeouts and two walks."I made several mistakes that ended up costing us," Greinke said. "I definitely could have done better and made it a better game."St. Louis had been hitless in 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position -- and 22 at-bats with runners on base -- before Molina's RBI double off the right-field fence. Hart just missed on a leaping attempt at the right field fence.Hairston saved at least one run at third base with a spectacular diving catch to his left on Nick Punto's low liner for the second out. But when he botched Garcia's easy grounder, St. Louis was up 3-0. Garcia's RBI groundout made it 4-0 in he fourth, the first RBI by a Cardinals pitcher in the postseason since Jeff Suppan homered in the 2006 NLCS against the Mets.Albert Pujols had an RBI single in the sixth to chase Greinke.Now it's on to Milwaukee, where the Brewers were a major league-best 57-24 at home during the regular season."They're really tough up there in their ballpark," Lance Berkman said. "It's certainly more feasible for us to have to win one of two than to win both."Game notes Braun doubled in the first and has reached base safely in the opening inning of nine straight games, going 7 for 7 with a walk and hit by pitch. He has 22 hits in the postseason, matching the franchise record by Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. ... Chuck Berry, a St. Louis musical icon, performed the national anthem with his daughter, Ingrid. Wearing his trademark sailor's cap and a No. 84 Cardinals jersey (his age), Berry mostly watched and threw in occasional harmony. ... Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith threw a one-hop first pitch with injured St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright on the receiving end for the third straight night.

Verlander, Tigers top Rangers, avoid elimination

2011-10-14T15:10:00.001-07:00

DETROIT -- One moment, Justin Verlander and the Tigers were on the verge of watching their season slip away.After a double play and a lucky bounce, they were headed back to Texas. Verlander helped save Detroit's season with a gutsy effort and the Tigers hit for a sudden cycle to break away in a 7-5 victory Thursday that cut the Rangers' lead to 3-2 in the AL championship series.Delmon Young hit two of Detroit's four homers and Miguel Cabrera had a tiebreaking double in the sixth inning -- thanks to a bizarre bounce off third base."I have that bag in my office right now. And that will be in my memorabilia room at some point in my life, I can promise you," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.After building a five-run cushion, Detroit held on despite Nelson Cruz's record fifth home run of the series. With closer Jose Valverde unavailable for the Tigers, Texas cut it to 7-5 in the ninth and had Cruz on deck when Phil Coke retired Mike Napoli on a game-ending groundout with two runners on.Coke got five outs for his first career postseason save."Cokie came through for us," Leyland said. "A little different situation for him obviously, but he was up to the challenge."The Rangers get another chance to reach the World Series for the second straight season in Game 6 Saturday night at home. Derek Holland will start for Texas against Max Scherzer.A swift turn of events in the sixth helped Detroit pull ahead. The Tigers turned a bases-loaded double play to keep the score tied at 2, then opened the bottom half with a single, double, triple and homer -- in order -- to take a 6-2 lead.It was the first time four consecutive batters on one team hit for a "natural" cycle in a postseason game, according to STATS LLC. The Rangers were the ones who seemed on the verge of breaking the game open in the sixth, loading the bases with one out. But then Ian Kinsler hit a grounder right to third baseman Brandon Inge, who merely had to step on the bag and throw to first for a double play."We had him right there in the sixth. He got out of it," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "We missed a home run by inches, and they opened the game up by inches. Got a groundball double play, hits the bag, and from that point on, you know, boom, bam. Put up four runs."Ryan Raburn led off the bottom half with a single, and what looked to be a routine grounder by Cabrera bounced high off third base and down the line, putting Detroit ahead 3-2."We were lucky, but we need lucky times right now," Cabrera said. "Hopefully we're lucky Saturday."Victor Martinez followed with a rare triple down the right-field line, scoring another run, and Young added a two-run homer.Raburn homered in the seventh to make it 7-2.After using Valverde and Joaquin Benoit for three straight days, Leyland announced before Game 5 that neither reliever would be available. He was hoping to make it through the day with just Verlander and Coke, and that's exactly what happened."Well, it's what we said before the game. So it gave everybody a chance to get all their second-guessing ready about it," Leyland said. "That's just the way it had to be today. We talked about it before the game and we did exactly what we felt we had to do to give ourselves any chance to win the series." Verlander allowed four runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings, throwing a career-high 133 pitches. He struck out eight and walked three."I want the ball. I want to go as deep as possible," Verlander said. "It was a battle for me, all night."Verlander reached 100 mph on the stadium radar gun with pitch No. 133. Cruz, however, caught up to that fastball and sent it down the left-field line for a two-run homer, chasing Verlander and setting a record for homers in a league championship series."He struck me out twice with curveballs, so I was glad he threw me a fastball, even if it was 100 (mph)," Cruz said. "I think I might have had streaks like this in the minors, maybe, but I've never hit this many homers this fast in the majors."Cruz became the fifth player to hit five homers in a postseason series. Reggie Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Juan Gonzalez and Chase Utley were the others.Verlander left the game after Cruz's homer, raising his glove to acknowledge the cheering fans."I don't like to do that in the middle of a ballgame, but when they show their support that way, you can't help but give them a little tip of the cap or a wave or something," Verlander said. "They've been tremendous all year."After winning 24 games and leading the American League in ERA and strikeouts, Verlander hadn't had much of a chance to shine this postseason. Two of his first three playoff starts were ended early by rain delays.He didn't have to worry about that Thursday. Game 5 began under a cloudy sky with the sun peeking through over Comerica Park, and the threatening sky later didn't amount to anything until a misty rain began to fall over the field -- after the game was over.This time, the Rangers were Verlander's biggest obstacle. With two strikes on Kinsler in the first, Verlander went to his sweeping breaking ball, and the Texas second baseman pulled it to left field for a double. After going to third on a groundout by Elvis Andrus, Kinsler came home on Josh Hamilton's sacrifice fly to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead."I kind of haven't had my rhythm," Verlander said.Texas starter C.J. Wilson was sharp at the start, retiring his first seven batters.Alex Avila tied it with an opposite-field homer to left in the third. The Detroit catcher has taken a beating behind the plate all year and has had a miserable postseason, going 2 of 33 before the homer.Young was actually left off Detroit's ALCS roster because of an injury, but he returned before Game 2 after Magglio Ordonez re-fractured his ankle. Young's homer over the fence in left-center gave Detroit a 2-1 lead in the fourth.Hamilton's RBI single in the fifth tied the game at 2."This has been a tremendous, tremendous series in my opinion," Leyland said.Wilson, a left-hander who has struggled in three playoff starts this year, was done in by Detroit's rally in the sixth and came out after that inning. He allowed six runs and eight hits, striking out five and walking two.With two outs in the ninth, Hamilton doubled and Michael Young drove him home with a single that made it 7-5. After a walk to Adrian Beltre, Napoli grounded into a forceout, sending the series back to Texas."The Detroit Tigers are here for a reason. Tonight their backs were against the wall. They did what they had to do -- catching a break included," Washington said. "Now we go home. We still feel good about ourselves."Game notes According to STATS, the last pitcher to throw 133 pitches in the playoffs was Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs, who threw the same number in a 2003 NL division series game against Atlanta. ... Delmon Young has five homers in the AL playoffs. He hit three during the division series against the New York Yankees. ... Avila hit only three of his 19 homers during the regular season off left-handers. ... There were a few empty seats visible when the teams took the field for the late-afternoon start.

Bullpen picks up Carpenter as Cards lead NLCS

2011-10-13T15:27:00.001-07:00

ST. LOUIS -- Chris Carpenter needed a pick-me-up in the worst way. A bullpen that just sat back and watched the last time the St. Louis Cardinals ace pitched was ready for extended duty.Albert Pujols hit an RBI double off Yovani Gallardo during a four-run first inning and four St. Louis relievers combined for four perfect innings Wednesday night for a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and a 2-1 edge in the NL championship series. Suddenly, the wild-card Cardinals are front-runners. And against the team that put them away early en route to the NL Central title."I think our ballclub, no matter leading or behind, it doesn't really matter to be honest with you," Carpenter said. "We have battled for the last two months or however long it's been."We have nothing to lose."The Brewers have lost eight in a row on the road in the postseason, a stretch that extends to Game 1 of the 1982 World Series in St. Louis on a shutout by Mike Caldwell. It's the longest current streak in the majors."I think regardless of whether we're winning or losing the series, we recognize what's at stake," Brewers star Ryan Braun said. "We're going to prepare ourselves just like we've been doing and expect to win tomorrow and hopefully get off to a good start."In a matchup of star pitchers, neither starter made it past the fifth inning. Gallardo tied an NLCS record with three wild pitches, while the one-run lead Carpenter handed over to the relievers was just enough to put the Cardinals ahead in the best-of-seven series.It was a game played in a steady drizzle but with no squirrel sightings -- at least not on the field. In the previous playoff game at Busch Stadium, a squirrel scampered across home plate while the Cardinals were hitting. The careening critter quickly became a favorite in St. Louis as the Rally Squirrel. The Cardinals' marketing department capitalized, too, giving away 40,000 rally towels with a squirrel theme, telling fans to "Go Nuts" on the video board and dressing up someone in a squirrel costume to entertain the fans between innings.There was at least one squirrel sighting in the stands. One rodent got stuck underneath a vendor's station just outside the press box before the game, leaping to safety and up the steps to the upper deck after a worker opened a side compartment.Kyle Lohse, pitching on 12 days' rest, starts Game 4 Thursday for the wild-card Cardinals against Randy Wolf."You never know how it's going to work out," Carpenter said. "That's what's so fun about this game and that's what's so fun about pitching. Our guys did a fabulous job."Fernando Salas, Lance Lynn, Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte shut down the Brewers to close out the victory. Motte, who had two saves lasting more than inning in September and another in the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia, got four outs for this save and fanned pinch hitter Casey McGehee to end it."We've won games in several ways," Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman said. "Tonight's was the bullpen's night to shine."Carpenter won his seventh postseason game to tie Bob Gibson's franchise record, but with none of the brilliance of his three-hit shutout over Roy Halladay and the favored Phillies in the deciding game of the division series. He lasted only five innings, with nearly half of his 89 pitches for balls. The starters' ineffectiveness was surprising considering their track records.Carpenter has been clutch throughout his career in the postseason, going 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 12 games. Gallardo allowed only two runs in 21 innings, a minuscule 0.86 ERA, before Game 3.The Cardinals have scored in the first inning in their last five games, and batted around against Gallardo in the first. Pujols delivered an RBI double after starring in a Game 2 win with a home run and three doubles, and then singled in the second to give him six hits in a stretch of seven at-bats.St. Louis had its chances to break away later, but hit into three double plays and stranded nine runners. The Cardinals broke their own National League record for double plays this season.Mark Kotsay started ahead of slumping Nyjer Morgan and homered for the Brewers. Yuniesky Betancourt had two singles and an RBI and Gallardo, a .221 hitter with a homer and four RBIs, had a sacrifice fly in the second.Jon Jay and David Freese added RBI doubles in the first for St. Louis, which was 3 for 4 with runners in scoring position to start the game but 0 for 7 the rest of the way.Gallardo, who's 1-7 with a 5.66 career mark against the Cardinals, trailed 2-0 after his first 12 pitches and barely made it out of the first trailing 4-0. The right-hander walked three, one of them intentional, and the Brewers had Chris Narveson up in the bullpen before Yadier Molina grounded into a double play, scoring the fourth run, for his first outs.Gallardo trudged to the dugout after his 33-pitch ordeal. He was looking forward to another chance at St. Louis."Yeah, I mean, of course," Gallardo said. "I look forward to it. I can't wait and hopefully we'll get another shot at it."Luckily for the Brewers, Carpenter didn't have his "A" game, either. By the third, the lead was down to one run. The Cardinals' ace walked none in his brilliant three-hit shutout in Game 5 of the NLDS, but had a walk and a hit batsman in the Brewers' first three plate appearances.Carpenter escaped with help from Kotsay, who strayed too far off second on Prince Fielder's lineout to center and was doubled off the bag by Jay's strong throw to end the inning. But Carpenter didn't look comfortable in the second or third, either.The Brewers opened the second with three straight singles with Betancourt getting the RBI. Gallardo, who batted .221 with a homer and four RBIs this season, added a sacrifice fly that cut the deficit to 4-2.Kotsay got a spot start, partly because he's 4 for 11 against Carpenter. Kotsay hit his second career postseason homer leading off the third. Morgan flied out to start the seventh as a pinch hitter and was roundly booed throughout the at-bat.Kotsay just missed a diving catch on Jay's bloop double to left-center in the first, a play manager Ron Roenicke said Carlos Gomez would have made. But Roenicke said Gomez was never a consideration for the lineup.Game notes Hall of Famer Stan Musial made a pregame appearance at home plate via golf cart, accompanied to music from "The Natural," and was flanked by fellow Cardinals Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst. ... Two stars from the Cardinals' 2006 World Series title team collaborated on the first pitch. Jeff Suppan, the NLCS MVP that year, threw to injured pitcher Adam Wainwright, who got the last out of the '06 NLCS when he froze the Mets' Carlos Beltran for a called third strike. Suppan played his last seven seasons with the Cardinals and Brewers. ... Pujols has 16 postseason walks, moving past Jim Edmonds for the franchise record. ... Betancourt singled his first two trips and had been on a 10-for-18 run before a flyout in the sixth. ... Braun has hit in seven of eight postseason games this season, going 14 for 29 (.483) with two homers and eight RBIs.

Pujols, Cards batter Brewers to knot NLCS at 1

2011-10-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Leave "Beast Mode" to the guys on the other team. Albert Pujols was just a monster.The St. Louis slugger had one of the biggest postseason nights of his career in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, going 4 for 5 with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs to lead the Cardinals past the Milwaukee Brewers 12-3 on Monday.Pujols belted a two-run homer in the first, a two-run double in the third and an RBI double in the fifth, then added another double in the seventh. The crowd cheered sarcastically when the Brewers finally retired him in the eighth. "Sometimes when they come, they come in a bunch," Pujols said.His big hits came one night after Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder bashed the Brewers to a 9-6, come-from-behind victory in Game 1.This time, the big bats couldn't bring Milwaukee back -- even at Miller Park. Milwaukee was the best home team in the majors all season and the Brewers had won all four home games in the playoffs until Monday.The Cardinals' commanding victory temporarily silenced the boisterous Brewers and their trademark "Beast Mode" celebration gesture."It wasn't joyful," Fielder said. "You've just got to deal with it and move on."The series now shifts to St. Louis, where Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter faces Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo in Game 3 on Wednesday night."Our attitude was we've got to win a game to make it a series," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said.Pujols can become a free agent after the World Series, so a big postseason could raise his price. The three-time NL MVP was 1 for 4 in Sunday night's loss, hitting into a double play with runners on first and third in the seventh inning. A run scored on the play, but it seemed to be an indication that Pujols wasn't quite on his game. He came into Monday with only one RBI in the Cardinals' first six postseason games."You learn from the mistakes that you made," Pujols said. "Yesterday was just so tough. Going to bed, I was just thinking about some of the opportunities I had to help our ballclub win. I turned that page, knowing today was a new day." Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, of course, has seen such things from Pujols before."The last time we saw them at their place he was swinging the bat just like this," Roenicke said. "You can't make mistakes to him. You have to hit spots. You have to keep it down in the zone. He doesn't miss too many mistakes."Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer in the fourth for Milwaukee, then was involved in a disputed play in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Weeks grounded into a double play, though replays showed he was safe.Weeks -- hobbled by the lingering effects of a midseason left ankle injury -- appeared to beat the throw to first base and seemed upset when he was called out."Big part in the game, whether he's safe or out," Roenicke said. "You guys saw the replay. That was a big play."But it didn't matter much after the Brewers gave up four runs in a backbreaking seventh inning. Fielder homered in the eighth, well after the outcome had been decided.Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson went 4 1/3 innings, giving up Weeks' home run. Lance Lynn got the win.It was a short and ugly start by Milwaukee's Shaun Marcum, who gave up five runs on seven hits in four innings and took the loss. Marcum, obtained in an offseason trade with Toronto, struggled mightily in the final month of the season. After a rough outing in Game 3 of the NL Division Series against Arizona, his place in the Brewers' postseason rotation might come into question."We'll see how it goes," Roenicke said, adding later: "As far as I'm concerned right now he's pitching again."St. Louis got started early when Jon Jay bunted for a one-out hit in the first. Pujols came to the plate and delivered what amounted to a warning shot, hitting a long fly just foul. Then he zeroed in on Marcum's offering, smacking it to left field for a home run.Pujols stood at the plate and admired his shot for a moment, flipped his bat away and trotted around the bases."He's a great offensive player. He's a heads-up defensive player. He's a heads-up baserunner. This is a great baseball player," Roenicke said.St. Louis added two more runs in the third. Jackson's single fell in when center fielder Nyjer Morgan got a bad break on the ball, tried to make a diving catch and then dropped it. With one out, Jay sneaked a single down the third-base line, again setting the stage for Pujols.Pujols hammered a pitch deep to center, Morgan missed a chance at what would have been an acrobatic catch, and two runs scored to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. Pujols pointed to the sky upon arriving at second base, then clapped his hands."Heck, you know at some point he's going to assert himself," teammate Lance Berkman said. "Certainly tonight that was the case. He got some good pitches to hit and he crushed them."The Cardinals added another run in the fourth. Yadier Molina doubled, advanced on a groundout and scored when Nick Punto dribbled a single up the middle with the infield in to give St. Louis a 5-0 lead.Milwaukee finally got to Jackson in the fourth, when Fielder led off with a double and Weeks hit a two-run shot to left to cut the Cardinals' lead to 5-2. A one-out single by Yuniesky Betancourt threatened to keep the rally going, but Jonathan Lucroy grounded into a forceout and Casey McGehee tapped back to the pitcher to end the inning.Brewers reliever Marco Estrada took over in the fifth, but the Cardinals kept on swinging.Jay led off with a double and Pujols laced a ball into the gap in right-center for an RBI double. Pujols advanced to third on a groundout, then scored when a ball slipped through Lucroy's legs for a wild pitch. Lucroy found the ball and made a quick throw to Estrada at the plate, but it wasn't in time."The bullpen didn't do so well, either," Roenicke said. "We didn't pitch well today."Game notes Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers attended the game, getting a huge cheer from the crowd when he was shown on the stadium video board in the middle of the second inning. Rodgers has developed a friendship with Braun. ... A foul popup dropped between Pujols and Molina in the second inning, leaving them staring blankly at each other. ... Attendance was 43,937.

Braun, Brewers bash Cards for Game 1 victory

2011-10-10T15:06:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Even before the first pitch, the Milwaukee Brewers took a swing at the St. Louis Cardinals.Come Sunday, the Brewers swapped their barbs for bats -- and just kept bashing.Needing a comeback in the NL championship series opener, Milwaukee turned to its power duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, then got a clutch hit from Yuniesky Betancourt to beat the Cardinals 9-6.The Brewers celebrated wildly as the big hits came during a rapid-fire rally. "It's the playoffs, bro," Fielder said. "You've got to let it all out."Braun launched a two-run, 463-foot homer in the first inning and added a two-run double during a six-run burst in the fifth. Fielder hit a two-run homer and the typically light-hitting Betancourt added a two-run homer to cap it.The midgame turnaround came so fast that the crowd wasn't done cheering Braun's big hit when Fielder went deep."I don't even know if I heard the ball come off Prince's bat," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "I knew it was a good swing and came off nice, but when you can't hear the ball, the sound of it, because of all the people yelling. I wasn't sure what was going to happen there until I saw the ball flight."At least for one game, the bitter NL Central rivals avoided any on-field confrontations in their first postseason matchup since the 1982 World Series.That's despite an already tense atmosphere that gained some steam when Brewers starter Zack Greinke let it slip on Saturday that some of his teammates don't like the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter -- a comment that drew a stern rebuke from Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.Greinke hinted that he heard a few comments from the Cardinals' dugout Sunday, but he said it was nothing out of the ordinary."They're yelling from the dugout some, but most teams do that," Greinke said. "Everyone always makes fun of me grunting when I throw a fastball. It's kind of funny sometimes, but no big deal."The atmosphere was tense even before the first pitch, as La Russa was showered with boos during pregame introductions. He calmly tipped his cap to the crowd.La Russa said afterward that he hoped the tension wouldn't overshadow the competition -- although he said he had a sense that some fans and media members would be disappointed if there aren't any repeats of the on-field confrontations the teams have had in the recent past."I don't want our players and their players to be egged on, and I don't think they will," La Russa said. "We're going to play as hard and good against each other as we can."Greinke struggled at times, but reliever Takashi Saito got Cardinals star Albert Pujols to ground into a key double play in the seventh. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a hitless eighth and closer John Axford threw a hitless ninth for a save. Game 2 is at Miller Park on Monday night. Shaun Marcum starts for the Brewers against Edwin Jackson."We'll come back out," Cardinals star Lance Berkman said. "The same thing happened to us in the first game against Philly. We were able to regroup."David Freese hit a three-run homer off Greinke in the fourth, and the Cardinals led 5-2 in the fifth.But Milwaukee made it tough on Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia, who left after giving up Fielder's homer. Garcia, who hit Fielder with a pitch earlier in the game, gave up six runs and six hits in four-plus innings with three walks. He took the loss.Greinke earned the win despite his uneven outing, giving up six runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. He left the game to a standing ovation after giving up a leadoff single to Rafael Furcal in the seventh.The Cardinals took a three-run lead into the fifth before Garcia allowed a leadoff single to Corey Hart and a double to Jerry Hairston Jr. Braun hit a two-run, ground-rule double to right and with the crowd still saluting him, Fielder hit the first pitch from Garcia deep to right for a two-run homer, giving the Brewers the lead.Fielder then showed off his repertoire of celebrations, giving the team's "Beast Mode" gesture upon his arrival at home plate and exchanging mock knockout blows with Braun as he trotted back to the dugout.That was it for Garcia, who left with no outs in the fifth and his team down 6-5. It that wasn't the end of trouble for the Cardinals, though.Reliever Octavio Dotel fielded Rickie Weeks' grounder and threw the ball away, allowing Weeks to go to second on the error.Betancourt -- who batted .252 in the regular season with 13 homers -- then sent a 2-1 pitch from Dotel deep to left, where it flew into the Brewers' bullpen and was fielded on the fly by Milwaukee bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel. Hanel pumped his fist, Betancourt circled the bases and the crowd continued its inning-long eruption.Betancourt has taken plenty of criticism this season, but might be among the rare group of athletes who say they don't pay attention to the critics and actually mean it. Through an interpreter, Betancourt said he manages to avoid criticism because he doesn't speak much English."I don't really pay attention to what the critics say," Betancourt said.With the score 8-5, Pujols came to the plate with runners on first and third and no outs in the seventh. Pujols broke his bat on a double-play grounder -- a run scored, but the Brewers had limited the damage.Betancourt doubled in the seventh and scored on a single by Jonathan Lucroy.Axford sported a heavily bandaged right forearm in the clubhouse after being hit by Jon Jay's liner on the final play of Sunday's 9-6 victory. X-rays taken afterward were negative."Everything is good," he said.The Brewers and Cardinals split an 18-game series evenly this season, a sign of what has been one of baseball's most intense rivalries in recent years. The Cardinals' success against the Brewers in the final month of the season was one of the main reasons they climbed back into playoff contention.St. Louis won six of its last seven games against Milwaukee, including a three-game sweep at Miller Park.The animosity between the two teams spilled into this week, when Greinke told reporters Saturday that some of his teammates don't like Carpenter because of his "phony attitude."La Russa said he got an umpire's warning after Garcia hit Fielder with a pitch in the first inning, right after Braun's homer. But the Brewers said they didn't think the pitch was intentional, and La Russa said the team's recent history probably affects the umpires' attitudes."I certainly can't fault the umpire," La Russa said. "But, you know, you can't go out and argue those things, or you get thrown out. I didn't say anything. What I would have said is, if you watched the way Jaime pitched that whole inning, every fastball he threw was in that same area, out away from the right hander or in on Fielder. They just looked bad, but he was just trying to get the ball somewhere near the glove."Game notes Jackson struggled in his first outing with the Cardinals against the Brewers, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) in seven innings at Milwaukee Aug. 3. But he was better in two subsequent starts against the Brewers, allowing four runs (three earned) in 13 innings. ... Marcum is coming off a rough outing in the Brewers' Game 3 NL division series loss at Arizona, giving up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Cruz's homer gives Rangers Game 1 of ALCS

2011-10-09T15:14:00.001-07:00

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A few minutes past midnight, the Texas Rangers had one more victory over Justin Verlander -- and the Detroit Tigers lost yet another wet playoff opener started by their ace."If anywhere in the country has a drought, just bring me in and I'll fix that," Verlander said after the Rangers beat him 3-2 Saturday night in Game 1 of the AL championship series opener.Before the game was interrupted twice by rain for a total of 1 hour, 50 minutes in the top of the fifth inning, Nelson Cruz broke a postseason slump with a home run and the defending AL champions scored all of their runs off Verlander. His final pitch came long before the last out was made at 12:03 a.m. CDT. "He's throwing 100 miles an hour. You're just up there battling against a guy like that," David Murphy said. "We didn't have a lot of hits against him, but our at-bats were awesome. We were having five-, six-, seven-pitch at bats. We got hits when we needed to, and the bullpen made it stand up."Murphy had an RBI triple and scored on Ian Kinsler's single in the second, and Cruz had a leadoff homer in the fourth for a 3-0 lead.Texas faced Verlander only once during the regular season, a 2-0 Rangers' win on April 11 when Verlander lost despite pitching a six-hitter.The likely AL Cy Young Award winner was 24-5 during the regular and had been 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three previous career starts at hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark, allowing three runs in 21 innings. Texas matched that run total in four innings when it counted most."I just didn't have it. My location wasn't very good at all," Verlander said."He didn't really have his curveball going for strikes," manager Jim Leyland said. "He had a tough time with it. I think probably trying to overthrow it a little bit."In between the delays, Austin Jackson doubled in a run and scored on a wild pitch by Rangers starter C.J. Wilson. Alexi Ogando, who got all three of the Rangers' regular-season wins over Detroit this year, pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Neftali Feliz, clocked at up to 101 mph, worked the ninth for his fourth save this postseason.Game 2 is Sunday night. Derek Holland starts for Texas against Max Scherzer, who pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief for the Tigers in their AL division series clincher Thursday night against the New York Yankees.Verlander threw one inning and 25 pitches in the division series opener at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30 when that game was suspended by rain. Under a rules change adopted two years ago, postseason games are suspended when called instead of being cut short or wiped out.Verlander came back and started Game 3, winning as he threw 120 pitches with 11 strikeouts over eight innings.He threw 82 pitches in four innings against the Rangers before the first delay. He struck out five, including Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre in the first without allowing a run after his only two walks.Leyland planned for Verlander to stay in after the first delay. That changed during the second delay, which lasted 1:09."That was a no brainer," Leyland said. "I think that this was a little bit of a weird night, obviously."Cruz was in an 0-for-10 postseason slump before his drive to left for his Rangers-record seventh postseason homer, one more than two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez."Definitely important to get it going," Cruz said. "As soon as I hit the homer, I thought it should be good enough, the way C.J. was throwing."Mike Napoli had a leadoff single in the second for the Rangers, in their second consecutive ALCS after never winning a postseason series before last year. He scored when Murphy got the head of his bat on a low pitch and pulled it into the right-center gap, where the ball one-hopped the wall.But before the fifth inning, Rangers Ballpark groundskeeper Dennis Klein went out and spoke with plate umpire Tim Welke about the weather.After Ramon Santiago led off the fifth with a double and while Brandon Inge was batting with a 1-0 count against Wilson, play was stopped for 41 minutes. When the game resumed, the teams got only 13 minutes in before the tarp came out again.The rain delays were the first at Rangers Ballpark since May 24. This season was played during one of the hottest and driest summers ever in North Texas, including 27 games when the temperature was 100 degrees or more at first pitch.Wilson, who had thrown 72 pitches before the first delay, made 24 more during the short resumption.On the first pitch after play resumed, Inge grounded out. Jackson followed with a double that rolled into a puddle by the wall in right-center field and scored Santiago. Jackson eventually scored on a wild pitch while Wilson loaded the bases on three walks before heavy rain started falling again.Michael Gonzalez replaced Wilson after the second delay and needed only two pitches to induce an inning-ending groundout by Alex Avila.Ogando, a reliever-turned-starter back in the bullpen in the playoffs, struck out three over the sixth and seventh innings."What a weapon to have," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.Santiago led off the ninth with a bunt single before Feliz struck out the next three batters.Rick Porcello, Detroit's scheduled Game 4 starter, had two scoreless innings after replacing Verlander. Leyland said the Tigers could alter their planned rotation.Wilson escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first when Magglio Ordonez hit a chopper over third base. Adrian Beltre stepped on the bag and threw across the diamond for an inning-ending double play."C.J. made a great pitch on Magglio, cut a fastball in," Leyland said. "That was obviously a huge inning. The ninth inning we always talk about, but tonight's game might have been the first."Game notes This was the ninth one-run game already in this postseason, the most since there were 11 two years ago, according to STATS LLC. ... Jackson, who was born and still lives in nearby Denton, had a tough start. After striking out on three pitches opening the game, he struggled with a wind-blown flyball in the bottom of the first. He went back, came in a few steps and the ball hit off the heel of Jackson's glove as Elvis Andrus reached second on the error.

Morgan lifts Brewers past D-backs, into NLCS

2011-10-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Nyjer Morgan denounced his "haters." He suggested he might celebrate by taking a nice, relaxing bath. Then he erupted with a cackle.All while wearing a helmet in his postgame news conference. After delivering an RBI single in the 10th inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 Friday in Game 5 and send the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL championship series, Morgan was taking it all in and letting his oversized, oddball personality out."It's a lot, man," Morgan said. "Basically just everything that I've had to overcome, just the stuff that people go out there and perceive about me, everything. Just all my haters. I just wanted to show them that I can play this game, even though I have a fun, bubbly personality. I still come to win, and I'm a winner."The Brewers would expect nothing less from their rabble-rousing, run-producing force who often refers to himself by the name of his self-created alter ego, "Tony Plush." Morgan might have worn out his welcome with other teams, but he's winning over the Brewers and their fans."He's a joy to have, I'll tell you," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "I don't care about all the little issues we have. This guy, I love him on this team. I like him as a really nice young man. He came through big, again, when we needed him."Next, the Brewers face NL Central nemesis St. Louis after the wild-card Cardinals beat Philadelphia 1-0 in Game 5 of their series Friday night. Milwaukee will open at home against St. Louis on Sunday. With the game tied at 2 in the 10th and Carlos Gomez on second base with one out, Morgan hit a grounder up the middle and Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz tried in vain to stop it with his leg. The ball went into center field and Gomez sailed across home plate as a wild throw home went awry.Gomez was surprised when one of the first people to greet him on the field at raucous Miller Park was Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio. "You have to be smart," Gomez said. "You have to get to the boss first, and then your teammates."Morgan was mobbed by the Brewers near the mound after the latest dramatic finish for baseball's best home team gave Milwaukee its first victory in a postseason series since it won the AL pennant in 1982."We've heard all about 1982, so it's nice to start our own legacy," slugger Ryan Braun said.Next, the Brewers move on to face the St. Louis Cardinals. The NLCS begins Sunday, with the Brewers opening at home.Arizona did all it could to extend its surprising season. Center fielder Chris Young made a jaw-dropping catch in the sixth and the Diamondbacks had one last comeback left in the ninth."I'm not ready to go home yet," Young said. "I'm not hanging my head because I think we could have done anything different. I'm hanging my head just because I want to keep playing and I don't want the season to be over yet."Willie Bloomquist drove in the tying run with a safety squeeze, but Arizona was unable to forge ahead against closer John Axford."This was a great baseball game today. I'm not happy to be on this end of it. Yet I'm proud of my team and they played true to the way they played all year," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said."And the Brewers, they cashed in on their opportunities, what can we say? We had tons of opportunities."Morgan was a critical addition for the Brewers this year and had several clutch hits, winning fans along the way."Nyjer got the biggest hit of his life, one of the biggest hits in Brewers history," Braun said. "We're all proud, man. It's pretty cool."But Morgan wasn't having a particularly productive series until his big moment in the deciding game -- although he bristled at the suggestion that he was struggling."What struggles?" Morgan said. "It's baseball, man."Afterward, the Brewers spent more than an hour celebrating with thousands of Miller Park fans who stuck around. Attanasio ran out onto the field immediately after Morgan's game-winning hit and grabbed Gomez."I've never done that," the owner said. "I was so excited. I could not contain myself."Then, the principal owner who bought the team from the Selig family in September 2004, continued to party by high-fiving fans while standing on top of the first-base dugout."It's emotional, man," Prince Fielder said. "You just feel the work and everything. Everything is paying off."The party continued for even the youngest Brewers.The sons of Fielder, Yovani Gallardo and Corey Hart all pumped up the crowd, waving their arms for more noise before doing the "Beast Mode" celebration that the Brewers have rallied around.The scene was similar exactly two weeks earlier when Milwaukee captured its first division title since winning the AL East in 1982.That was also the last time Milwaukee won a round in the postseason, when it captured the American League pennant before losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.With a 2-1 lead and their tough 1-2 bullpen combination of Francisco Rodriguez and Axford lined up for the eighth and ninth Friday, the Brewers appeared to have their ticket punched to the NLCS.But the Diamondbacks had the most comeback victories in the majors this season (48) and weren't about to go away easily.They nearly got the best of Rodriguez in the eighth. He loaded the bases with two outs for Ryan Roberts, one of two Diamondbacks players to hit a grand slam in the series. But Rodriguez got Roberts to ground into a forceout at second base, ending the threat.Axford pitched the ninth, allowing a leadoff double to Gerardo Parra. The reliever nearly hit Sean Burroughs with a pitch, then Burroughs blooped a single to put runners on first and third.Bloomquist pushed a bunt to the right side and Fielder nearly collided with Axford while fielding the ball. Fielder stumbled and was unable to get off a throw to the plate as the tying run scored.Justin Upton grounded into a forceout at second and Henry Blanco hit a grounder to shortstop. Yuniesky Betancourt fielded the ball and barely beat Upton to second base to end the inning -- although Betancourt paid for it, getting spiked in the leg.Axford ended the regular season with 43 straight saves, and saved Game 1 of the series. He had not blown a save chance since April 18 at Philadelphia.Gallardo gave up one run in six innings. The right-hander threw 112 pitches, allowing six hits while walking two and striking out five.Axford got the win despite a rough outing. Putz took the loss."We've had great comebacks all year. Unfortunately tonight, we weren't able to finish it off," Gibson said.After finally edging Arizona, the Brewers sprayed bubbly in the clubhouse and waited to find out who their next opponent would be. The Cardinals' win meant the first game of the NL championship series will be Sunday at Miller Park."I think we've done all our celebrating," Roenicke said. "I know I have. So, yeah, I'll sit back and watch what's going on with those games to see if we're staying here or we're going on the road tomorrow."Game notes Despite 78-degree temperatures and sunny conditions at game time, the retractable roof to Miller Park was closed. Both managers said before the game that they didn't care whether the roof was open or closed, although Roenicke said he didn't mind having similar conditions to the previous games in the series. ... Upton's home run was his second in the series. ... Attendance was 44,028, a sellout.

Long ball lifts D-backs past Brewers, to Game 5

2011-10-07T15:14:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX -- Counted out by most everyone else, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in position to complete another comeback. And this one could be the greatest of the bunch.Ryan Roberts hit a grand slam, Chris Young had the first two-homer game in Arizona's postseason history and Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-6 Wednesday night to force Game 5 in the NL division series. "We're not going to give up, even when we're down 2-0," said Young, who drove in three runs. "In the clubhouse, we still believed we could do it. At the time our goal was to get back to Milwaukee. We've reached that, so it's a toss-up now. We're going to be ready to go."A day after rolling over the Brewers 8-1, the Diamondbacks struck quickly and often in Game 4, scoring five runs in the first inning off Randy Wolf. The Diamondbacks became the second team -- with the 1977 Dodgers -- to hit grand slams in consecutive playoff games.Arizona evened the series at 2-all and sent it back to Milwaukee for the decisive game Friday. It will be a rematch of Game 1 between 21-game winner Ian Kennedy of the Diamondbacks and fellow right-hander Yovani Gallardo.Written off by many after being outscored 13-5 in the first two games, baseball's best rally team -- 48 comeback wins during the regular season -- has put itself in position to become just the eighth team overall to win a best-of-five series after trailing 0-2."We had confidence all year, we had confidence when we were down 0-2," Roberts said. "Anything can happen, that's why you play this set of five."Aaron Hill hit a solo shot for Arizona's first four-homer game in the postseason. Pinch hitter Collin Cowgill added a two-run single and the bullpen held on after a less-than-crisp outing by starter Joe Saunders, preventing Milwaukee from winning a postseason series for the first time since reaching the 1982 World Series.Of the four opening-round playoff series, three are going to Game 5. Detroit visits the New York Yankees on Thursday night and St. Louis is at Philadelphia on Friday night. The only other time a trio of division matchups went the distance was 2001, the year Arizona won the World Series. "This team is resilient," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "We're going to play hard and I expect this team to have a real good game on Friday."The NL West champion Diamondbacks punctuated their worst-to-first finish with grand slams in their final two home games of the regular season, then kept slamming 'em at Chase Field in the playoffs.Paul Goldschmidt was the star in Game 3, becoming the third rookie ever to hit a grand slam in the playoffs. He had the crowd buzzing when he strode to the plate against Wolf with the bases loaded in the first inning. He couldn't come, through; Wolf struck him out looking.Roberts sure did, though, lining his second grand slam in four home games over the wall in left. The shot had the crowd roaring and got his teammates out of the dugout doing "The Snake," a Miguel Montero-created move that involves cupping the right hand and making a striking motion -- like, well, a snake head.Roberts' drive made Arizona the first team in major league history to hit grand slams in four straight home games (regular and postseason), according to STATS LLC and the SABR home run log."In that situation, I just wanted to get on base, not try do anything too much," Roberts said. "Just see a pitch in that I could drive and put a pretty good swing on it."Young followed with a shot to give the Diamondbacks back-to-back homers for the first time in their postseason history, then celebrated with a snake strike after putting Arizona up 5-1.Wolf, 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in two starts against Arizona during the regular season, lasted just two more innings after allowing seven runs on eight hits."I don't think it has anything to do with the D-backs," Roenicke said. "I think Wolfy, when he gets in trouble, his location isn't there, and you saw that in the first inning."Cowgill pushed Arizona up 7-3 with a two-run single in the third, Hill hit his solo homer in the sixth and Young lifted a two-run shot in the seventh.Carlos Gomez hit a two-run homer off David Hernandez in the eighth to cut Arizona's lead to 10-6, but it was too late for the Brewers.Game notes With a solo homer in Game 1 and a grand slam in Game 2, Goldschmidt joined Shane Spencer (Yankees, 1998) to hit homers in his first two postseason games, according to information provided to the Diamondbacks by the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Despite a cool night outside -- 79 degrees at game time -- the roof at Chase Field remained closed. ... Ron Cey and Dusty Baker hit grand slams for the Dodgers in games 1 and 2 of the 1977 NLCS. ... The most recent team to rally from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series was Boston against Oakland in the 2003 ALDS.

Freese's 4 RBIs help Cards even series vs. Phils

2011-10-06T15:19:00.001-07:00

ST. LOUIS -- Big swings by a slumping hitter, clutch innings by a journeyman pitcher. Suddenly, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking very dangerous.As for the Philadelphia Phillies? Things have turned downright squirrelly.David Freese, shut down by Phillies aces the first three games, became a hometown star Wednesday night. He homered, doubled and drove in four runs as the Cardinals defeated nemesis Roy Oswalt and forced a deciding fifth game in their NL playoff series by beating the favored Phillies 5-3. "This is what you worked for," said Freese, a local prep star who came to the Cardinals in a trade for Jim Edmonds after the 2007 season. "Just to do this in front of the fans of St. Louis and a bunch of friends and family, it's amazing."Center fielder Jon Jay made a sliding catch on Placido Polanco's soft fly for the final out, and was already pointing his index finger before he got to his feet."We're not looking at this like we're just happy to be here and it's David and Goliath," Cardinals slugger Lance Berkman said.Now it's back to Philadelphia for Game 5 on Friday night. Roy Halladay, who won the opener for the Phillies, will face St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter -- they played together in Toronto for five years."They're good friends and old teammates, and Carp was really chomping at the bit for this opportunity to pitch against Roy on full rest in a huge Game 5," Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday said. "It should be quite a battle and then it'll be fun to watch two great competitors go head to head and two great teams get after it."Phillies manager Charlie Manuel agreed."Might be fitting that it goes down to the fifth game," he said. "It's up to us to go get it. It's sitting right there for us. We've got our ace going, and we're at home, and so everything is sitting right there." The 102-win Phillies were picked by many to win it all. But first they must dispose of the wild-card Cardinals, who clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the season and have gotten the best of two members of the Phils' star-studded rotation.An omen, maybe: Right after Oswalt threw a pitch in the fifth, a squirrel darted across the plate.Oswalt argued, unsuccessfully, that the creature's dash had distracted him on a pitch called a ball."I didn't want to stop in the middle of my motion, so I threw it," Oswalt said. "I was wondering what size of animal it needed to be for it not to be a pitch."Manuel argued, to no avail."Of course, being from the South and being a squirrel hunter, if I had a gun there, might have did something," Manuel said. "I'm a pretty good shot." Albert Pujols was hitless in four at-bats in what could have been his final home game with the Cardinals. He received thunderous cheers every trip to the plate from a standing room crowd of 47,071, second-largest at 6-year-old Busch Stadium.Pujols made his presence known on defense, catching Chase Utley going for an extra base in the sixth. Utley drew a leadoff walk and kept running on Hunter Pence's grounder to short, but Pujols alertly jumped off first base to catch the throw and made a sharp relay to third for the out."This is obviously the playoffs, but that's a play I can make in the regular season, too," Pujols said. "If I would have stayed on the bag, it was going to be tough to get the runner at third. Obviously, that killed the rally right there."Edwin Jackson recovered from a rocky beginning to win his first playoff start. After giving up two runs on his first five pitches, he wound up throwing six solid innings. Jason Motte worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the series.Phillies cleanup hitter Ryan Howard, like Freese a St. Louis product, was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He is 0 for 8 the last two games with five strikeouts and has hit only one ball out of the infield."I think I've been a little bit anxious trying to go up and trying to make things happen instead of letting things happen," Howard said. "Right now I'm just kind of jumping, so just try to recognize pitches better."Oswalt had been 5-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 previous postseason starts, the biggest closing out old Busch Stadium and the Cardinals in 2005 to get Houston to its first World Series. The right-hander also worked seven shutout innings against St. Louis in the Phillies' NL East division clincher in mid-September."It's good to get some early runs, for sure," Oswalt said. "I felt pretty comfortable after that. Just two bad pitches."The biggest jolts for the Cardinals came from their seventh-place hitter. Freese was 2 for 12 the first three games with one RBI before punishing the fourth of the Phillies' aces.Freese's two-run double down the third-base line in the fourth put St. Louis up 3-2. His two-run homer to straightaway center in the sixth whipped the crowd into a towel-waving frenzy.Oswalt walked Berkman and hit Holliday, making his first start of the series, to start the fourth. Pence made a fine running catch on the right field warning track to rob Yadier Molina of extra bases, but Freese jumped on a hanging curveball with a drive down the left-field line.Holliday singled with one out in the sixth and Freese hit a 1-0 pitch to the pasture in straightaway center, not far from where a squirrel made an early appearance, for a three-run cushion. In Game 3 Tuesday, a squirrel was seen scampering in foul territory along the third base line.Five pitches into the game, the Phillies had a 2-0 lead with an assist from the late-afternoon playing conditions.Jay, standing in bright sunshine while shadows, took one step in on leadoff man Jimmy Rollins' drive on the first pitch of the game and retreated too late for a ball just over his glove that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.Utley tripled just inside the first-base line three pitches later and Pence lined an RBI single on the next pitch.Game notes 2B Skip Schumaker was taken out with a left hamstring cramp after a flyout in the fifth -- the same at-bat the squirrel made its appearance. After disrupting play, the squirrel scampered through the stands. Schumaker is 5 for 8 in the series. ... Rollins doubled and had an infield hit his first two trips and has nine hits in the series. He has 14 multihit games in the playoffs, passing Howard for most in franchise history. ... The Cardinals became the second team to reach 100 postseason victories, trailing only the Yankees' 220.

Rangers ride Beltre's 3 home runs to next round

2011-10-04T15:07:00.001-07:00

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Texas Rangers are headed back to the AL championship series, thanks to a power surge by Adrian Beltre that few players in major league history have matched. Beltre hit three straight home runs and the defending AL champions advanced again, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in Game 4 Tuesday to win their playoff matchup.Texas ended the Rays' remarkable run to the AL wild-card spot, and will play for the pennant against the winner of the Detroit Tigers-New York Yankees series.Beltre became just the seventh player to homer three times in a postseason game, and the first since Adam Kennedy of the Angels in 2002. Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and George Brett also are on the list.The Texas slugger connected in his first three at-bats. Given a chance to tie the big league record of four homers in a game, Beltre hit a routine flyout in the eighth.Neftali Feliz gave up a run in the ninth inning before closing for his third save of the series.Texas won for the fifth straight time on the road overall -- all at Tropicana Field -- in the opening round. The Rangers eliminated Tampa Bay in five games last year. Ian Kinsler led off the game for Texas by homering on the second pitch from rookie Jeremy Hellickson.Then it was Beltre's turn. He came into the game in a 1-for-11 slump in this series before breaking loose."The first couple games their pitching was really good," Beltre said. "Today something changed, I felt more comfortable at the plate, and I did something to help my team win."Beltre hit solo shots off Hellickson in the second and fourth innings, and added another solo drive against Matt Moore during the seventh. The Rays weren't the only ones who had trouble keeping up with Beltre -- a television cameraman trying to run alongside Beltre to capture the image as the star jogged home did a face-first pratfall.Beltre signed with Texas in the offseason after playing last year in Boston. He and Kinsler tied for the team lead with 32 homers, and Beltre had been on a late-season tear going into the playoffs."That's one of the main reasons I came to this team. We're looking good right now, but we still have a long way to go," he said.

Cards rally past Lee to even series with Phillies

2011-10-03T15:11:00.001-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- Jon Jay flipped Carlos Ruiz, then Albert Pujols delivered the knockout blow.These feisty St. Louis Cardinals aren't backing down from the mighty Phillies. Pujols hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning after Cliff Lee blew a four-run lead, and the Cardinals rallied past Philadelphia 5-4 Sunday night to even their NL playoff matchup at one game each.Down early, Jay jolted Philadelphia's catcher on a bruising play at the plate. Jay was out, ending the fourth inning. The Phillies, however, couldn't block the Cardinals' path to victory."I thought that was my only option," Jay said. "I thought I got him all right, and I was hoping that the ball would come out, but it didn't. He did a good job of holding onto the ball."The NLDS shifts to St. Louis for Game 3 on Tuesday. Cole Hamels will be the third straight All-Star pitcher to face the Cardinals, who'll send Jaime Garcia to the mound.The wild-card Cardinals, who got into the postseason only after the Phillies beat Atlanta in Game 162, got the split they were looking for on the road against the team that had the best record in the majors.Lee hardly looked like the guy who used to be so dominant in the postseason. He gave up five runs and 12 hits, striking out nine in six-plus innings, to lose his third straight playoff start."I wasn't able to make my pitches, so I take full responsibility," Lee said.Pitching on three days' rest for the first time in his career, Chris Carpenter struggled for the Cardinals.But one reliever after another did the job for manager Tony La Russa. Six Cardinals relievers combined to toss six shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Jason Motte finished for a four-out save."We've been doing this all year. We don't give up," Motte said. "People counted us out, (but) we kind of went out there and just kept playing hard."After chipping away for a few innings, the Cardinals took the lead in the seventh. Allen Craig led off with a triple off center fielder Shane Victorino's glove. A three-time Gold Glove winner, Victorino misplayed the ball. He had to go a long way to make the catch, but overran it and the ball bounced off his glove.Pujols, who struck out in his previous two at-bats, lined a single over drawn-in shortstop Jimmy Rollins to give St. Louis a 5-4 lead.Cardinals players jumped up and cheered wildly in the dugout, while Phillies fans sat silently in disbelief. The red-clad faithful had their hearts broken already once Sunday.Just a few hours earlier, the Eagles blew a 20-point lead and lost 24-23 to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL game across the street.Many fans walked over to watch the two-sport doubleheader, and the crowd of 46,575 was the largest in the eight-year history of Citizens Bank Park.For a while, it seemed the Phillies had this one under control.After all, Lee is one of the best postseason pitchers in history, and he was 17-9 with a 2.40 ERA and a major league-best six shutouts this season.Lee was 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in his first eight playoff starts -- 4-0 with the Phillies in 2009 -- before losing Games 1 and 5 of the World Series to the San Francisco Giants as a member of the Texas Rangers last year.He's 0-3 with a 7.13 ERA in the last three outings.On a chilly night when game-time temperature was 50 degrees, Lee was the only starter in short sleeves.Maybe he got cold."Any time I got a 4-0 lead in the first or second, I feel I have the game well in hand," Lee said.Clinging to a 4-3 lead, Lee got the first two outs in the sixth. Then Ryan Theriot lined a two-out double to left and Jay followed with an opposite-field single to left. Theriot slid home safely ahead of Raul Ibanez's high throw to tie it at 4.Down 4-0, the Cardinals started their rally in the fourth. Berkman walked and Yadier Molina hit a one-out infield single. Theriot sliced an RBI double down the right-field line and Jay followed with an RBI single to get St. Louis within 4-2.Jay advanced to second on the throw to the plate, and Carpenter was pulled for pinch-hitter Nick Punto. Lee fired a 92 mph fastball by Punto for the second out.But Rafael Furcal followed with a line-drive single to left. Theriot scored and Jay came rumbling around the bases. Ibanez made a perfect one-hop throw and the ball arrived along with Jay. He slammed into Ruiz, his left forearm knocking the stocky catcher backward. But Ruiz held to temporarily prevent the tying run from scoring. Lee, backing up the plate, pumped his fist while Ruiz calmly picked up his mask and jogged to the dugout.Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed four runs and five hits in three innings. It was the shortest outing of the season for Carpenter, who led the NL with 237 1/3 innings pitched this year.The bullpen bailed him out.Fernando Salas retired all six batters he faced, and Octavio Dotel set down five in a row. Marc Rzepczynski gave up a two-out single to Rollins in the seventh, ending a streak of 15 straight batters retired. Rzepczynski left after hitting Chase Utley to start Philadelphia's eighth.Mitchell Boggs came in and got Hunter Pence to ground into a forceout. Arthur Rhodes replaced him and struck out Ryan Howard. Then it was Motte's turn.Both teams had issues with plate umpire Jerry Meals, and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa criticized the strike zone during the telecast."It's not a great comment to make, but I was upset," La Russa said. "I've never had a problem with Jerry before ever."Crew chief Jerry Layne deferred comment to Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations or Peter Woodfork, the senior vice president of baseball operations."My job is to make sure that I have no comment," Layne said. "It's only right that Major League Baseball is informed of what's going on, and if there's really a comment that should be made, it should come out of Joe Torre or Peter Woodfork. That's why they're in the titles that they carry."The Phillies, who overcame a 3-0 first-inning deficit in Game 1, took a 3-0 lead in the first in this one.Rollins lined a double off the right-field fence and Utley and Pence walked to load the bases. Howard, who hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday, then hit a sharp single up the middle to score two runs. His grounder appeared to hit the rubber and took an odd bounce on its way to center field.Carpenter retired Victorino on a shallow fly, but Ibanez hit an RBI single to left to make it 3-0.Rollins got things started again in the second with a two-out double off the top of the right-field fence. After Utley walked, Pence lined an RBI single to right for a 4-0 lead.The Cardinals jumped on Roy Halladay 3-0 on Berkman's three-run homer in the first inning of Game 1 only to lose 11-6. They had a chance to take an early lead again after Furcal hit the first pitch of the game off the top of the right-field fence for a triple. But Lee kept him there.Game notes All-Star LF Matt Holliday again wasn't in the starting lineup for St. Louis because of a hand injury. The Cardinals were 20-18 without him in the regular season. ... Garcia is 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA in six games, four starts, vs. the Phillies. The lefty has held Philadelphia to a .178 batting average. .... Hamels is 2/3 with a 3.27 ERA in nine career starts vs. St. Louis. ... Miss America Teresa Scanlan sang the national anthem. ... This was the 219th straight sellout in Philadelphia, including postseason play.

Howard steadies Halladay, gives Phils 1-0 lead

2011-10-02T15:22:00.001-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard took a mighty cut, dropped his bat and admired the shot.The big slugger didn't go down looking in a clutch spot this time, Roy Halladay overcame a shaky start and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 Saturday night in the opener of their NL division series. Howard shook off his season-ending strikeout last October in the championship series to hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in a five-run sixth inning, sending Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy."I left last year in the past," Howard said. "You can't let what happened last year affect this year. It's a fresh start."Halladay retired his last 21 batters, and the NL East champions began their all-or-nothing postseason run with a comeback win.Halladay allowed three runs and three hits, striking out eight in eight innings. He didn't allow a runner after Skip Schumaker led off the second with a single."That's why he's the best in the game," Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols said. "We wanted to keep adding on it, but we just never put that inning together again."Game 2 is Sunday night, with Cliff Lee pitching for Philadelphia against Chris Carpenter, who is starting on three days' rest.Raul Ibanez hit a two-run shot off Kyle Lohse to cap the Phillies' burst in the sixth, and Shane Victorino had three hits and two RBIs.Last year, in his first career playoff start, Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in Philadelphia's 4-0 victory over Cincinnati.His bid for an encore in the first round didn't last one batter, and Lance Berkman hit the first three-run homer off Halladay in three years to put the wild-card Cardinals up 3-0 in the first.But the offense bailed out Doc."I couldn't think of a worse start and putting your team in a hole like that," Halladay said. "But you get to this point, you're not going to pack it in." Lohse retired the first 10 batters before Chase Utley hit a double off the right-field fence in the fourth. The righty, who was 14-8 this season, ran out of gas in the sixth.Down 3-1, Jimmy Rollins singled to start the inning. After Utley struck out, Hunter Pence grounded a single up the middle. That brought up Howard, who heard a lot of criticism for taking that called third strike last year in the NLCS with the tying run on second base to end the Phillies' season against San Francisco.Howard worked a full count before launching a towering drive into the second deck in right-center to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.The towel-waving crowd went wild, and Howard came out for a curtain call."In that situation, I knew he wasn't really going to throw a fastball, so I just sat on the changeup," Howard said. "Trying to get me to chase, but he just kind of left one up there hanging for me."Victorino followed with a single. Ibanez then lined a two-run homer to right to end Lohse's night.Lohse allowed six runs -- five earned -- and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.The Cardinals scored three times in the ninth off relievers Michael Stutes and Ryan Madson, highlighted by Schumaker's two-run double.The two teams took different roads to get here.The Phillies cruised to their fifth straight division title, winning a franchise-record and major league-best 102 games. Anything less than a second World Series title in four years will be considered a failure by players, management and fans.The Cardinals needed an incredible collapse by Atlanta and help from Philadelphia to earn the wild card. St. Louis trailed the Braves by 10½ games on Aug. 25, but went 23-8 the rest of the way and got in after Game 162 when the Phillies completed a three-game sweep in Atlanta. For a while, it seemed the Phillies might regret helping the Cardinals reach the playoffs.A day after borrowing a line from William Shakespeare, saying he "came here to bury Caesar, not praise him," Halladay didn't back up his words right away.Rafael Furcal led off the game with a single and stole second. One out later, Halladay walked Pujols on four pitches. Berkman drove the next pitch off the mini-scoreboard hanging on the facing off the second deck in right field."You have to beat those guys 3-to-whatever," Berkman said. "He's not going to give up much more than that. He's a great pitcher."The switch-hitting Berkman hit all 31 of his homers in the regular season from the left side. No. 32 was the first three-run homer Halladay allowed since Aug. 21, 2008, when Hideki Matsui connected for the Yankees in a 14-3 loss to Toronto."He was kind of like a 'Rocky' movie," manager Charlie Manuel said of Halladay. "He got mad after he gave up that homer. That ticked him off and he hung in there and he got going. But he's special. He's everything people talk about."The Phillies will turn Berkman around the next two games with lefties Lee and Cole Hamels on the mound.Howard hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Victorino and Ibanez each had RBI singles in the inning to pad Philadelphia's lead.An unearned run got Philadelphia within 3-1 in the fourth. After Utley's one-out double, Pence struck out and Howard walked. Victorino hit a foul pop down the left-field line that should've ended the inning.But third baseman David Freese tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch and the ball fell out of his glove for an error. Victorino hit an opposite-field single to left to score Utley.Halladay, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who won it last year in his first season in the NL, was 19-6 with a career-best 2.35 ERA and eight complete games this season.He made certain the relievers stayed in the bullpen until this game was out of reach.A crowd of 46,480 was the 218th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. The stadium resembled an apple orchard with all the red-clad fans.Game notes Cardinals RHP Kyle McClellan was disappointed that he was left off the roster because of a tired arm. "McClellan is a real weapon," manager Tony La Russa said. "That was a very tough call, and I know he's very upset with it, and he should be. Made totally on his best interest."... Only the New York Yankees (27) have won more World Series titles than the Cardinals (10). ... The Cardinals were 6-3 vs. the Phillies in the regular season. ... The Phillies are 15-7 in Game 1s, while the Cardinals fell to 16-19. ... The Cardinals didn't have five-time All-Star, LF Matt Holliday because of a hand injury. ... Howard is 9 for 18 with three homers off Lohse. ... The Phillies, who acquired Pence from Houston on July 29, are now 8-0 with all of their regulars in the lineup. ... Pence was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs in his first postseason game.

Brewers up 1-0 after Gallardo outduels Kennedy

2011-10-01T15:20:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Yovani Gallardo emerged from the shadows, outpitching Arizona ace Ian Kennedy as the Milwaukee Brewers kept winning at Miller Park, beating the Diamondbacks 4-1 in their NL division series opener on Saturday.Prince Fielder chased Kennedy with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning, helping erase the stigma that the big slugger's playoffs would be anything like 2008, when he went 1 for 14.Same, too, with Gallardo. The right-hander retired 14 of 15 during one stretch, perhaps helped by how the shadows cut across the infield. With an early start time, the sun peeked through the retractable roof all afternoon, creating a crazy, changing pattern.Gallardo gave up one run and four hits over eight innings and matched a postseason franchise record with nine strikeouts.Gallardo was only nicked by Ryan Roberts' home run in the eighth, and won in his first postseason start since a Game 1 loss in the 2008 NLDS to Philadelphia. An All-Star in 2010, he went 17-10 this season, yet is rarely mentioned among the elite pitchers in the game.He's even overshadowed -- so to speak -- on his own staff by 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.Game 2 is Sunday. Greinke will start for Milwaukee against Daniel Hudson.Jerry Hairston Jr., playing in place of starter Casey McGehee, put the Brewers ahead for good in the fourth with a sacrifice fly in the fourth set up by Fielder's double.Ryan Braun, who fell just short of the NL batting title, contributed three hits. The All-Star left fielder also threw out a runner at the plate in the first inning as Milwaukee's shaky defense was suddenly solid.John Axford pitched a perfect ninth for his first save after converting his last 43 in a row in the regular season. The Brewers started 1-0 at Miller Park after winning a major-league best 57 times at home during their run to the NL Central title. Gallardo was at his best over his final three starts and reached more than 200 strikeouts for the second straight season. He never made a mark in the postseason in 2008 because he need surgery and missed almost five months after tearing a ligament in his right knee.This performance changes that.Gallardo got out of a first-inning jam thanks to Braun's throw, then cruised until Willie Bloomquist singled in the sixth. Hairston ended that inning when he scooped up a weak grounder to third base by Justin Upton and threw him out as he tried sliding into first.In the seventh, Lyle Overbay drove a ball to deep center field where Nyjer Morgan gathered it at the warning track before slamming into the wall to end the inning.Fielder hit his second postseason home run in the seventh after Braun doubled for his third hit of the day, making it 4-0. Fielder and his teammates celebrated in the dugout after the shot that broke open the game.The fans also hailed Fielder -- a free agent-to-be, he's already said this is probably his last season in Milwaukee.Gallardo's lone mistake came when Roberts homered off him to start the eighth. But the 25-year-old struck out Gerardo Parra, pinch hitter Sean Burroughs and Bloomquist to end the inning.Gallardo showed an uncharacteristic flash of emotion, too, slamming his right hand into his glove as he walked off the mound. He improved to 6-0 in six career starts against Arizona with a 1.18 ERA.Milwaukee's normal infield of Fielder, Rickie Weeks at second, Yuniesky Betancourt at short and McGehee at third committed 71 errors this year. With McGehee also struggling at the plate, manager Ron Roenicke started Hairston.It worked in the field and at the plate.Braun singled off Kennedy, a 21-game winner, to start the fourth. Fielder followed with a double down the left field line opposite the shift to put runners in scoring position and Kennedy hit Weeks to load the bases with no out. Hairston followed with a sacrifice fly.Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead with a pair of two-out hits in the sixth. Betancourt tripled and scored when Jonathan Lucroy's bloop landed just between Bloomquist at short and Parra in left.Arizona, which has been aggressive under manager Kirk Gibson all season, tested Milwaukee's shaky defense from the start.Bloomquist singled to lead off the game and easily stole second with one out. Upton singled and third base coach Matt Williams never hesitated sending Bloomquist home.Braun's throw from left needed two hops, but arrived perfectly to the left side of the catcher Lucroy, who blocked the plate and tagged out Bloomquist.Gallardo settled into a rhythm from there, mixing his slider and curveball with his sharp fastball as the long shadows crossed the playing field in the retractable roof ballpark that opened in 2001.Game notes Diamondbacks hitting coach Don Baylor was back with the team after he fainted in the clubhouse on Friday. He was released from the hospital early Saturday morning. Baylor said he fainted because of a complication with medicine he was taking for back spasms. ... Brewers radio broadcaster Bob Uecker threw out the first pitch and Joseph Attanasio, father of principal owner Mark Attanasio, sang the national anthem. ... Roenicke said the plan at the moment was to start Randy Wolf (13-10, 3.69 ERA) for Game 4, if necessary, instead of bringing Gallardo back on short rest. ... Greinke is 11-0 with a 3.13 ERA in 15 home starts, and Milwaukee is 15-0 in those games. ... Hudson is 0-3 in his last three starts with a 4.26 ERA.

Braves loss caps Cards' unlikely run to playoffs

2011-09-29T15:13:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON -- Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of baseball's greatest comebacks, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings.St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 10½ games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games. The Cardinals will open the postseason on Saturday at NL East champion Philadelphia. In the other NL playoff matchup, Arizona visits Milwaukee.Carpenter (11-9) struck out 11 and allowed two hits in his 15th career complete-game shutout as St. Louis kept up its improbable September charge."We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it," Carpenter said. "People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it."The Cardinals poured onto the field after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez's weak grounder for the final out. The celebration was brief and muted, as the team raced into the clubhouse to watch the end of the game in Atlanta."It was exciting, there's no doubt about it," Carpenter said. "The way these guys have played the past month and a half has been amazing, every single night grinding, playing their butts off, not giving up."We continued to give ourselves an opportunity and now we are here."The teams entered Wednesday's regular-season finales with 89-72 records. Atlanta's game started an hour earlier, but the Cardinals virtually took away any hope for a Houston victory in the first inning of their contest, jumping to a 5-0 lead against Brett Myers (7-14).Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman drove in runs with singles, and David Freese doubled to left-center before Myers even recorded an out. Berkman scored when Skip Schumaker's hard grounder ricocheted off Myers' glove for an infield hit, and Freese came home on Nick Punto's single to right.Carpenter handled the rest.He had struggled at Minute Maid Park lately, going 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in his last five starts here, but he was in total command from the start on Wednesday, striking out five of the first nine hitters he faced. He also had an RBI single in the third to drive in Freese, who reached base when right fielder Brian Bogusevic dropped his fly ball for an error.Freese led off the fifth with a double to right-center, the Cardinals' 10th hit of the game. Myers, 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his last five starts, hadn't allowed more than nine hits in a start since Aug. 6.Freese later scored on Schumaker's groundout to shortstop Clint Barmes for a 7-0 lead, equaling the most runs given up by Myers in 33 starts this season. Wilton Lopez replaced Myers for the start of the sixth.As the Astros batted in the seventh, the left-field scoreboard posted a 3-3 tie in the Phillies-Braves game, prompting a roar from the large contingent of Cardinals' fans in the stands behind the St. Louis dugout. Carpenter then struck out Bogusevic and Jimmy Paredes to wrap up another easy inning. Allen Craig hit a solo homer in the ninth off Lance Pendleton.The Cardinals huddled around a television in the clubhouse cafeteria after their victory.Only three weeks ago, the Cardinals had virtually lost all hope."There was absolute doubt from us," Punto said. "I remember early on in September, we were like, 'Let's just finish up strong for the fans. Let's give them something to come out and watch.'"When you're 10½ games out, that's a hole you can't climb out of," he said, "unless you get a lot of help."The Cardinals were loose and relaxed -- and confident -- before the game.Champagne was ordered for a potential postgame celebration and someone wrote, "Happy Flight! After Game" on a marker board in the clubhouse.Game notes Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said LF Matt Holliday (right hand injury) and SS Rafael Furcal (left hamstring) were unavailable on Wednesday night. ... Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan rejoined the team after missing more than a month to tend to his ailing wife. Jeanine Duncan is recovering from surgery on Aug. 21 to remove a brain tumor. Dave Duncan, La Russa's trusted assistant since the early 1980s, did not know how long he would be able to stay with the club because his wife has more medical appointments scheduled. ... The sparse crowd offered a standing ovation to Astros owner Drayton McLane after a video tribute was shown on the giant scoreboard between the second and third innings. McLane is still waiting for Major League Baseball to approve his sale of the team to Houston businessman Jim Crane for $680 million. General manager Ed Wade said before Wednesday's game that McLane still has the final say on all baseball decisions.

Red Sox start Lavarnway at catcher in No. 162

2011-09-28T15:52:00.001-07:00

ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes on the Sox from Baltimore before game 162 More Podcasts " The 24-year-old will bat fifth in making his second career start behind the plate. The game is the biggest of the season for the Red Sox, who enter play Wednesday tied for the wild card lead with the Tampa Bay Rays, who face the New York Yankees on Wednesday in their regular season finale. Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia (collarbone) and Jason Varitek (knee) are banged up, though Francona said Wednesday that Saltalamacchia is available to play.

Braves blanked by Nationals, wild-card lead at 1

2011-09-26T15:18:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON -- The top four hitters in the Braves' lineup, including Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla, went a combined 0 for 16 with five strikeouts Sunday in a 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals that cut Atlanta's NL wild-card lead over St. Louis to one game."This was a very brutal loss for us," Braves rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman said.Atlanta has dropped 10 of its past 15 games, allowing St. Louis to close in. The Braves finish the regular season with a three-game home series starting Monday against the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies. Wilson Ramos homered off Braves starter Mike Minor (5-3) in the fourth, and Michael Morse hit the 29th of his breakout season -- a two-run shot -- off reliever Cristhian Martinez in the seventh.Ross Detwiler (4-5) went six innings for Washington before a crowd of 37,638 in the final game of 2011 at Nationals Park. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. Over his last two starts of the season, the lefty pitched 13 1/3 scoreless innings, with seven hits, seven strikeouts and three walks.The last 15 Braves batters made outs, including seven strikeouts.With nothing more at stake than a third-place finish, the Nationals have played well down the stretch, winning 12 of 15 games. That includes taking two of three from the struggling Braves."We know what's at stake. We know what every game means," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the game. "You've got to go out and play the game with some fun. We can't play with white knuckles on the bat and hold the ball so hard you can't throw it."There were some key moments Sunday when his hitters did fail to produce in the clutch.In the third, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to David Ross' single and some serious wildness by Detwiler, who walked No. 8 hitter Jack Wilson and then the opposing pitcher.All told, Detwiler threw eight consecutive pitches that were called balls, going to a 3-0 count on leadoff hitter Michael Bourn -- with nowhere to put him.After finally putting one pitch over the plate for a called strike -- and drawing sarcastic cheers from the crowd at Nationals Park -- Detwiler got Bourn to fly out to left in foul territory. Bearing down some more, Detwiler got out of the inning unscathed: Martin Prado hit a fly to right that wasn't deep enough for Ross to try to tag up and head for home, before Jones grounded out.The bottom of the order gave the Braves another opportunity to score two innings later, but again they came away with nothing to show for it.Ross led off with an infield single, Wilson singled to center, and Minor moved them up with a sacrifice bunt -- putting runners at second and third with one out. But Bourn lined out to second and Prado flied out."You need to get those runs in," Uggla said, "or more than likely it's going to come back to haunt you."In each of his other four innings, Detwiler faced the minimum three hitters.Henry Rodriguez replaced Detwiler in the seventh and was rather impressive, regularly reaching 100 or 101 mph and striking out all three batters he faced. He got pinch hitter Jason Heyward swinging at a 100 mph fastball, Ross on a two-strike foul bunt on a 101 mph offering, and Wilson looking at an 88 mph slider with a ton of movement.Tyler Clippard pitched the eighth, and closer Drew Storen got the last three outs for his 42nd save in 47 chances.Minor hadn't lost in his preceding 11 starts; his last loss came May 31 against San Diego. He threw 4 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and one run.Game notes Braves RHP Kris Medlen came on in relief in the eighth inning, his first appearance since Aug. 4, 2010. Medlen had reconstructive elbow surgery later that month and came off the disabled list Saturday. ... Braves INF Alex Gonzalez was out of the starting lineup with a strained right calf muscle for the fourth consecutive game. He said he might be able to play Monday against Philadelphia. ... The Braves will send RHP Randall Delgado (1-1) to the mound in the first game of their season-ending series against the Phillies, who will start LHP Cliff Lee (16-8). ... In Wednesday's season finale, the Braves could start RHP Tommy Hanson (on the DL since Aug. 7 with right shoulder tendinitis) if they've already clinched a playoff berth, Fredi Gonzalez said. Otherwise, RHP Tim Hudson will start on regular rest. ... Atlanta RHP Jair Jurrjens threw three innings in the Instructional League Saturday, and Gonzalez said he could be activated from the DL for the first round of the playoffs. Jurrjens (strained right knee) has been out since Aug. ... Atlanta LHP George Sherrill (left elbow) could be activated this week. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg will be on an innings limit next season, GM Mike Rizzo said. ... Washington wraps up the season with a three-game series at the Florida Marlins. LHP Tommy Milone -- the Nationals are 4-0 in the rookie's four major league starts -- will pitch Monday against Florida's Anibal Sanchez.

Cabrera, Tigers pound Matusz, knock off Orioles

2011-09-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

DETROIT -- Brad Penny walked back to the dugout after finishing his final start of the regular season, and a few home fans stood and applauded.It wasn't the easiest season for the burly Detroit right-hander, but he made his contribution to the AL Central champions."It's been a long road for me, but I'm blessed to have been healthy this year and get the innings," Penny said. "Whatever happens, I want this team to win. This team can win." Penny allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings Sunday, helping the Tigers to a 10-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Penny could be the odd man out when Detroit sets its postseason rotation, but this was his 31st start of the season. He made only nine with St. Louis last year before being sidelined with a back injury.Although his 5.30 ERA is nothing to write home about, Penny (11-11) has thrown 181 2/3 innings, his most since 2007."It was a little inconsistent," Penny said. "Half the year, I was really not where I should have been strength-wise, probably."He had plenty of run support Sunday. Miguel Cabrera homered and singled, keeping the pressure on in his push for the American League batting title before leaving the game with lightheadedness. Manager Jim Leyland didn't seem worried about his slugger."He got dizzy," Leyland said. "I just didn't want to take any chances."Cabrera came out after lining out to left field in the seventh inning -- a trainer had checked on him in the middle of the at-bat. The slugger began the day one point behind Boston's Adrian Gonzalez, but raised his average from .339 to .341 and took over the league lead.Brian Matusz (1-9) gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings.Assuming he doesn't pitch again this year, Matusz will finish with a 10.69 ERA, a record high for a pitcher with at least 40 innings in a season, according to STATS LLC. Roy Halladay had a 10.64 ERA for Toronto in 2000."I'm going to have a lot of motivation going into this winter, because I'm never going to forget what this has felt like," Matusz said. "I've got a lot of mistakes to learn from."The Tigers have clinched the AL Central and are now playing largely for playoff position and individual honors. Cabrera hit a two-run shot in the first inning, his 29th home run of the year, and Victor Martinez, Don Kelly and Jhonny Peralta added homers of their own for Detroit.After Cabrera gave Detroit a 2-0 lead, Delmon Young hit an RBI single in the third to make it 3-0.Baltimore scored three runs in the fifth to tie it. Pedro Florimon Jr. drove in two of them with a double, his first career hit.Detroit immediately rallied back. After Cabrera hit a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, Martinez followed with a three-run homer to make it 6-3. Kelly added a three-run shot an inning later.Nolan Reimold hit a three-run homer in the eighth for the Orioles -- an estimated 434 feet to left-center -- to make it 9-6. Peralta's solo shot in the bottom half gave Detroit another insurance run.The Tigers are 27-9 since Aug. 19 and have pulled away from the rest of the AL Central. They are now hoping to beat out AL West champion Texas for the right to open the first round of the playoffs at home."Anywhere we have to go, it's still a ballpark," Martinez said. "It doesn't matter. Definitely, it's nice to start at home, but if we don't, it's not the end of the world."Game notes Leyland said second baseman Carlos Guillen (strained right calf) isn't ready to return yet. ... Detroit's Magglio Ordonez extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a third-inning single. ... Baltimore's Vladimir Guerrero went 0 for 4 and remained tied with Julio Franco for the career lead in hits by a Dominican-born player. Both have 2,586. ... The Tigers will send Doug Fister (10-13) to the mound Monday night against Cleveland's Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3) to begin the final series of the regular season. ... Baltimore hosts Boston for three games. The Orioles will send Tommy Hunter (4-4) to the mound Monday night to face Josh Beckett (13-6).

Braun helps Brewers wrap up NL Central title

2011-09-24T15:19:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun stepped into the box when a familiar feeling overcame him. Just like in 2008, the Brewers homegrown slugger propelled Milwaukee back into the postseason."It's not new," Prince Fielder said. "That's what he does." Braun hit a three-run, go-ahead homer in the eighth with chants of "M-V-P" ringing throughout the sellout crowd and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Florida Marlins 4-1 on Friday night to win their first division title since 1982."I think for me honestly, I live for that moment. You play the game to have the opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch in September," Braun said. "I truly expected to come through in that situation."Fielder also homered for Milwaukee, which clinched the NL Central and reached the postseason at the earliest date in team history after waiting 20 minutes for the Cubs to finish off their 5-1 win over the Cardinals.With most of sellout crowd still in its seats, fireworks went off again after the Cardinals lost and fans were showered with confetti and streamers.Nearly an hour after the Cubs' victory, Fielder took a victory lap around the field, hugging several of the nearly 5,000 fans that stayed to party.Braun homered off Clay Hensley (6-7) to end a 1-for-16 skid. He then pointed his bat in the air toward owner Mark Attanasio and the fans before rounding the bases."I definitely knew I hit it pretty good. It felt amazing," Braun said. "It just feels so good, all of us as a team, to be in this moment."It was reminiscent of his 2008 homer on the last day of the season that lifted Milwaukee to its first postseason appearance since winning the AL East in 1982. Now, they're back."It's eerily similar," said Braun, who signed a $105 million extension this season that keeps him in Milwaukee through 2020. "Having the opportunity to watch the last couple of innings of somebody else's game feels almost identical."Obviously a little better, though, because we won our division instead of the wild card," he said.In 2008, the Brewers waited for the Marlins to eliminate the Mets before they could celebrate.Shortly after the Cardinals' first out, the team congregated in the Brewers clubhouse, passing out champagne and preparing for its second celebration in four seasons.The stadium has remained packed even though this season hasn't been as dramatic as '08. Milwaukee built a 10 1/2-game lead midway through August over St. Louis, and even though the Cardinals whittled it down, time ran out."It means a lot, we've got a great team, the fans are with us all here," Fielder said. "I'm just glad we're able to do it, we've got a little ways to go, but I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this. Hopefully, we go all the way."Milwaukee fell to the Cardinals in seven games in the 1982 World Series, but even that season they didn't have a home-field advantage like this.The Brewers are 53-23 at Miller Park, one win away from tying the most home wins in franchise history.Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo pitched into the eighth, setting two franchise records for strikeouts before leaving when Emilio Bonifacio singled and second baseman Rickie Weeks couldn't handle a throw that put two on.Francisco Rodriguez (6-2) came in and struck out Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison to end the inning, pumping his fist and beating his chest after escaping the jam.Corey Hart doubled off Hensley with one out and Morgan walked to bring up Braun. Milwaukee had been 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position before Braun's at-bat.After fouling a pitch off and working the count to 3-1, Braun hit Hensley's slider to deep left-center field, hitting off the scoreboard supports, then returned for a curtain call from the crowd of 44,584."Ryan loves the big stage," Attanasio said.John Axford converted his 44th save in 46 chances with a perfect ninth, including the last 41 in a row, but had to pause with two outs in the ninth when the Cubs-Cardinals score was displayed after Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer.Milwaukee has made three previous trips to the playoffs, but never was assured a spot until either the next to last day or final day of the season.Fielder's homer off Chris Volstad was his 35th this year, but that was the only mistake the lanky right-hander made. Volstad deserved better. He scattered five hits and struck out five, but hasn't won a start since July 10.The Marlins tied it in the fourth when Sanchez doubled and scored on Petersen's two-out single. Braun made a diving catch in the fifth, setting the stage for his big at-bat."That may have been the turning point of the game," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said.General manager Doug Melvin said his goal coming into the season was to drop confetti from the Miller Park roof, just like in 2008. In the offseason, he decided to keep Fielder, a free agent to be, and built the starting rotation by trading away his farm system's top talent.In the span of two weeks in December, Melvin dealt his starting shortstop, backup center fielder, top pitching prospect, top hitting prospect and two pitchers who projected to be no worse than major league relievers.The returns included 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. Melvin said the Brewers were all-in, just liked they were in 2008 when they traded for CC Sabathia at midseason.The gamble paid off again, but it took longer than expected for rookie manager Ron Roenicke.Milwaukee remained in third place behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis on July 25. Milwaukee then won 27 of 32 to take a 10 1/2-game lead in the NL Central."I know the team always felt like we were going to play good ball," Roenicke said. "It didn't take long for us to turn that around."Milwaukee joined the NL in 1998 and watched St. Louis win seven division titles while the Brewers remained mostly in the bottom of the division.Things began changing when Attanasio, an L.A. investment banker, purchased the Brewers in September 2004 from Commissioner Bud Selig's family and steadily raised the payroll, up to more than $85 million to start this season.Milwaukee holds losing records against the Phillies, Braves and Diamondbacks -- the other three NL teams in line to join them in the postseason. This time, the Brewers come in a team built on pitching and still has a potent offense."It's the most fun you can possibly have," Attanasio said. "The thing about all our guys, they really pull together."Game notes Marlins closer Leo Nunez admitted Friday to using fake documents and a fake ID to sign a professional contract more than a year ago and Dominican authorities arrested a man accused of falsifying Nunez's documents. ... With Nunez gone, McKeon will finish the season mixing and matching who will close games. ... Morgan received an award as the team's high energy player of the year, and his alter ego, Tony Plush, got a second trophy in a lighthearted moment. ... Greinke (15-6, 3.75 ERA) faces Marlins RHP Alex Sanabia (0-0, 1.29) in the second of this three-game series on Saturday night.

Yanks faked Crawford interest to cost Red Sox

2011-09-23T15:19:00.001-07:00

Yankees GM Brian Cashman joined ESPN New York 1050's "The Michael Kay Show" with some interesting things to say about his attempt to drive up Boston's price for Carl Crawford. More Podcasts " "I actually had dinner with the agent to pretend that we were actually involved and drive the price up," Cashman said. "The outfield wasn't an area of need, but everybody kept writing Crawford, Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. And I was like, 'I feel like we've got Carl Crawford in Brett Gardner, except he costs more than $100 million less, with less experience.' " The rivalry continues on the field Friday night. The Red Sox are clinging to a two-game lead over the Rays in the wild-card standings going into a three-game set in the Bronx against the AL East champion Yankees. It wasn't long ago that the Yankees were looking up at the Red Sox in the standings, but Boston has slumped badly in September after leading the wild-card race by nine games, and Crawford hasn't lived up to expectations. And now it turns out the Yankees didn't even want him. They had put all of their eggs in the Cliff Lee basket this offseason, but Cashman had to scramble when the left-hander chose the Phillies.

Twins end 11-game slide on walk-off double

2011-09-22T15:14:00.001-07:00

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire kept his eye on the field, and on the 37,000-plus fans at Target Field.He watched them squirm Thursday as Minnesota struggled through key spots against the Seattle Mariners for the third straight day. In the end, Gardenhire, the Twins and their crowd had reason to celebrate.Rene Tosoni hit an RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning and the Twins snapped their 11-game losing streak, beating Seattle 3-2.The Twins avoided another sweep and won for just the second time in 17 games. This was the third-longest skid in Minnesota's 51-season history, behind a 14-game slide in 1982 and a 13-game drought in 1961, the first year the franchise moved from Washington."Today was very entertaining, to say the least," Gardenhire said. "I'm honestly watching our fans get up and get down and have their hands on their heads, and I'm right there with them. But bottom line is we got a win."Trevor Plouffe drew a two-out walk from Steve Delabar (1-1) in the ninth and Tosoni followed with a drive that hopped off the right-field wall. Plouffe slid home, easily beating the relay. The Twins poured out of the dugout and mobbed Tosoni near second base."It's been a while since we won a game, so of course we feel a little pressure, especially with the last couple of games having been so close," Tosoni said. "I don't think anyone's pressing. We just have to let everything go, start playing some baseball and win some games."Tosoni had three hits and scored twice. The rookie began the day batting .174 in his first big league season."A pretty good day for him," Gardenhire said. "We need it and it was a big one at the end. We've been waiting for that one for three days."Joe Nathan (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win after getting out of his own trouble. The Mariners stranded 12 runners, including the potential go-ahead run at third in the ninth when Wily Mo Pena flied out.Both teams had their chances late in this one.Ichiro Suzuki grounded back to reliever Glen Perkins with the bases loaded to end the Seattle eighth.The Twins threatened in the bottom half before Michael Cuddyer hit into a double play against Delabar.Tosoni's hit ended the third straight one-run game between the two teams. The Mariners won the first two games of the series by 5-4 scores."Usually one of the last things to come for young hitters is hitting with runners in scoring position and particularly with two outs and runners in scoring position," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said of his young team, which featured five rookies in the starting lineup."We had short spurts of that, but nothing consistent. That's something we'll have to do a much better job with next year, and I think we will," he said.Mariners starter Blake Beavan, acquired from Texas along with Justin Smoak in the Cliff Lee trade in 2010, pitched seven innings, giving up two runs and six hits.After what Gardenhire called a "flop" in his last start, Anthony Swarzak came back with a six strong innings for the Twins, allowing two runs on nine hits.Game notes Minnesota C Drew Butera's RBI single in the fifth inning snapped a personal 0-for-21 stretch. It was the first hit by a Twins catcher since Sept. 9, a string of 27 at-bats. ... Seattle OF Casper Wells (nose) was going to see a doctor Thursday to further diagnose what is giving him sinus trouble. He's expected to be with the team this weekend for a series at Texas. ... Minnesota OF Denard Span (concussion) sat out after playing Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 13. Span told trainer Rick McWane he would prepare to play in Friday's game at Cleveland. ... The Mariners took their 13th walk-off loss of the season, setting a club record. ... Seattle LHP Anthony Vasquez (1-4, 8.25) will be making his sixth career start on Friday in the opener at Texas. Vasquez lasted just three-plus innings in his last start also against Texas. He gave up five runs and seven hits and allowed home runs to Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton and Elvis Andrus. ... Minnesota RHP Carl Pavano (8-13, 4.40) will make Friday's start for the Twins in Cleveland. Pavano has lost his last two starts, including Sept. 18 against the Indians when he gave four runs -- one earned -- in 6 2/3 innings. Pavano is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts against Cleveland this season.

Cubs win, keep Brewers' magic number at three

2011-09-21T15:18:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO -- Matt Garza pitched a six-hitter, Marlon Byrd hit a three-run homer and the Chicago Cubs prolonged Milwaukee's drive to clinch the NL Central, beating the Brewers 7-1 in the final game at Wrigley Field this season.The Brewers' magic number for winning the division title and closing out second-place St. Louis remained at three. The Cardinals played the New York Mets on Wednesday night. The Brewers dropped two of their games against the Cubs and finished 39-42 on the road. They now go to Miller Park to wind up the regular season with a six-game homestand against the Marlins and Pirates beginning Friday.Garza (9-10), 3-0 in his last five starts, allowed just an unearned run and struck out 10 in pitching his second complete game this season and eighth of his career. He walked one in a 123-pitch effort.DJ LeMahieu broke a 1-all tie with two-out, two-run double in the fifth off Randy Wolfe (13-10). Center fielder Nyjer Morgan appeared to lose the ball in the sun and the drive scored Alfonso Soriano, who had singled, and Starlin Castro, who was intentionally walked as he came to the plate trying for his 200th hit of the season.Byrd's three-run shot, his ninth homer of the season, followed singles by Jeff Baker and Geovany Soto in the sixth.Wolf, who entered the game with a 1.37 ERA in three previous starts this season against the Cubs, allowed 10 hits and six runs in six innings.Castro's error on a double-play grounder allowed the Brewers to take a 1-0 lead in the third. Yuniesky Betancourt led off with a single and Garza plunked Wolf with a pitch as the Brewers starter was attempting to bunt. Corey Hart hit a grounder toward the middle that Castro reached, but the shortstop's flip was wide of second and Betancourt scored.Castro made up for it with an RBI single in the bottom half on a hard ball that deflected off third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. Castro's 199th hit of the season scored Bryan LaHair, who led off with a double.In his final three plate appearances needing one hit to get to 200, the 21-year-old Castro drew an intentional walk, grounded to short and walked.Game notes Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo will make his 33rd start of the season and second of the season against the Marlins in the series opener. He struck out a career-high 13 in his start last Saturday against the Reds. ... The wind was blowing out at 14 mph on a 70-degree day. ... Castro doubled leading off the bottom of the first and was thrown out trying to stretch. It marked the 34th straight game he has reached base, matching the Cubs' record for a shortstop set in 1929 by Woody English. ... Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez sat out with a leg injury in what could have been his final home game for the Cubs. ... Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs on Friday in St. Louis. Dempster (10-13) is 8-8 on his career against the Cards. . . As is custom at the final home game, the Wrigley Field grounds crew led the singing during the seventh-inning stretch. ... A crowd of 30,965 gave the Cubs a home attendance for 2011 of 3,017,966. It marked the eighth straight season the Cubs have drawn more than 3 million fans. Chicago finished 39-42 at home. ... Garza's first complete game this season came in a losing effort, 1-0 against the White Sox on July 2.

Lohse outduels Halladay as Cards hold off Phils

2011-09-20T15:23:00.001-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- The celebration in the St. Louis clubhouse showed just how excited the surging Cardinals are to be in the thick of the playoff chase.Kyle Lohse outpitched Roy Halladay, and St. Louis held off the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Monday night to gain ground on Atlanta in the NL wild-card race.Lance Berkman homered and had an RBI single for the Cardinals, who moved within 2½ games of the wild card-leading Braves.Moments after Octavio Dotel closed out the Cardinals' victory, Atlanta lost 6-5 at Florida on Omar Infante's two-run homer off Craig Kimbrel with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals, who were watching the game on television, burst into loud cheers that reverberated around the clubhouse."To win our game we're already pretty happy, and to see that, that was big," Lohse said.Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who was tuned to the Rams-Giants NFL game in his office, smiled when he heard the news."This is what the pennant race is all about," La Russa said. "This is what you try to sell in spring training. This is the fun of it. It's part of the fun of being in contention in September."St. Louis, which took three of four in the series, has won 10 of 12 overall.Despite the loss, the NL East champion Phillies clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason when Milwaukee lost to the Chicago Cubs 5-2.Lohse (14-8) tossed 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing an unearned run and seven hits while striking out five and walking one."I thought Lohse was outstanding," La Russa said. "You just can't give him enough credit. We had our best defensive team out there and we kicked it around. He picked everybody up all day."The Cardinals, who made a pair of errors, have nine games remaining and return to St. Louis for a six-game homestand that begins Tuesday against the Mets.Atlanta has eight games left, including the final three against the Phillies in Atlanta."We've had our backs up against the wall for a long time now," Lohse said. "Every series has been tough. We knew coming in here was going to be really tough. To take three out of four was huge. We've just got to keep it going."The Phillies scored a pair of runs in the ninth off reliever Jason Motte. Carlos Ruiz doubled with one out and scored on Jimmy Rollins' triple. Rollins scored on Shane Victorino's groundout.Arthur Rhodes relieved Motte and gave up a two-out single to Chase Utley. Dotel followed and retired Hunter Pence to earn his second save with the Cardinals. He also had one for Toronto this year.The Phillies lost their second straight since clinching their fifth consecutive NL East title on Saturday. Philadelphia played most of its regulars, with only Ryan Howard getting the day off after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection in his left ankle. Howard is expected to miss a couple of days.The Phillies (98-54) remained four victories shy of setting a franchise record for wins in a season."We came out a little flat, but that's not going to last," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We'll be ready."Phillies hitters have been in a bit of a lull lately. Philadelphia has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of its last 11 games, averaging 2.5 runs while going 5-6."I'm looking for our offense to pick up," Manuel said. "We've got to start scoring some runs before we go into the playoffs."Halladay (18-6) had won seven straight September decisions and was 9-0 with a 1.97 ERA in his last 10 September starts dating to 2009. But he failed in his bid for his 19th victory and 40th over the last two seasons, which would've marked the first time a Philadelphia pitcher accomplished that since Steve Carlton won 42 games combined in 1979-80.Halladay tossed eight innings and allowed four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a season-high four walks (two intentional)."Hopefully we'll get things going and finish on the right foot," Halladay said. "We've won all year and there's no doubt we'll continue that. There's no cause for concern. Naturally there's a little lull after you clinch."Berkman's solo homer and Nick Punto's RBI groundout in the first helped the Cardinals take a 2-0 lead. It was Berkman's 31st homer, but first since Aug. 26.The Phillies got a run back in the second on Ruiz's single.St. Louis regained a two-run lead in the third when Lohse, after hitting his second double of the season to lead off the inning, scored on Berkman's two-out single.Philadelphia had a chance for a big inning in the bottom half, loading the bases with one out on a pair of singles and an error, but Lohse struck out Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco to end the threat.Albert Pujols' two-out double to left in the seventh drove in Punto and gave the Cardinals a 4-1 lead. The slugger, who had been 1 for 10 against Halladay, has reached safely in 35 straight games.Philadelphia lost a four-game series for the first time this season after winning its previous eight. The Phillies have scored three runs or fewer in 10 of their last 11 games, averaging 2.5 runs while going 5-6.Rafael Furcal went 3 for 4 with two doubles for St. Louis.Game notes Rollins' triple gave him 100 for his career. ... Berkman is 11 for 24 (.458) in his last seven games. ... The crowd of 45,048 was the 200th straight regular-season sellout and 213th overall, counting postseason games. ... Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday missed his fifth straight game with an inflamed tendon on his right middle finger.

Rays trim Red Sox's wild-card lead to 2 games

2011-09-18T15:16:00.001-07:00

BOSTON -- David Price took a line drive off his chest but stuck around to pitch four solid innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays capitalized on Tim Wakefield's wild knuckleball to beat the Red Sox 8-5 Sunday and cut Boston's AL wild-card lead to two games.Boston lost for 11th time in 14 games, including three of four in this series after getting swept at Tampa Bay last weekend. The Rays, who trailed Boston by nine games on Sept. 3, closed within two games of the Red Sox for the first time since June.Tampa Bay has 10 games left: seven against the AL East-leading Yankees and three versus Toronto. Of Boston's remaining games, seven are against last-place Baltimore and three are at Yankee Stadium.Price took Mike Aviles' liner off his right shoulder, just above the "Rays" on his uniform, in the third. The ball caromed to third baseman Evan Longoria, who threw out Aviles for a 1-5-3 putout.Trainers looked at Price for several minutes behind the mound -- at one point he pulled his shirt out so they could examine the bruise. Price stayed in to finish the third, and then pitched the fourth before leaving for what the team said was precautionary reasons.Matt Joyce had three hits and three RBIs, Jake McGee (3-1) picked up the win with 2 2/3 innings of relief and Joel Peralta pitched the ninth for his fifth save.Wakefield (7-7) threw one wild pitch and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia muffed four of his knucklers for passed balls, miscues that contributed to three runs. The Rays beat Boston for the eighth time in their last nine meetings.Entering with a 6-2 lead, McGee retired his first eight batters before Marco Scutaro's singled chased him with two outs in the seventh. Jacoby Ellsbury singled, Aviles hit a three-run homer before Cesar Ramos struck out Adrian Gonzalez.By then, it was too late.Tampa Bay went ahead 3-0 in the second after Casey Kotchman led off by reaching on a passed ball on a third strike. He took second on another passed ball and scored on Johnny Damon's double. Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings singled in runs later in the inning.In the fourth, Joyce doubled, took third on a passed ball and scored on Sean Rodriguez's sacrifice fly, but Darnell McDonald's two-run double cut the gap to 4-2 in the bottom half.Desmond Jennings singled leading off the fifth, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball.Wakefield allowed six runs -- two earned -- six hits, one walk, one wild pitch and a hit batter in five innings while striking out five. The 45-year-old earned victory No. 200 in his previous outing, his only win in his last 10 starts.Andrew Miller added a wild pitch in the seventh that helped another run score. Aviles also had two throwing errors at third base, contributing to one more Rays' run.Game notes Wakefield pitched his 3,000th inning as a member of the Red Sox -- the first player in franchise history to reach the milestone. Only the Cincinnati franchise had been around as long as Boston without having one pitcher throw 3,000 innings. ... The Rays finished 7-2 in Fenway Park and 12-6 against Boston this season. ... Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon had his team wearing high school-style letter sweaters for the train ride to New York to face the Yankees. Wade Davis (10-9) will face Ivan Nova (15-4) in the opener on Tuesday. The Red Sox have a day-night doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, with Kyle Weiland (0-2) starting the opener for Boston and John Lackey (12-12) pitching the night game. ... Price is the only Rays starter without a complete game. ... Red Sox INF Kevin Youkilis missed his third straight game because of a sports hernia. "He needs some time down, whether it's days or weeks, we don't know," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Yanks' Rivera ties MLB record with 601st save

2011-09-17T15:13:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- To Mariano Rivera, it was just another save. To Yankees manager Joe Girardi, there's no such thing.Rivera tied the major league saves record, earning the 601st of his career and matching Trevor Hoffman while preserving the New York Yankees' 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday."To me it was normal," Rivera said.With his team still trying to clinch the AL East, Girardi wasn't hearing any of that."Right now, they're all big for us," he said.The 41-year-old Rivera was perfect in pitching the ninth inning for his 42nd save of the season, leaving him on the brink of sole ownership of the mark. "602 is the big one because it just puts the final stamp on it that he's the greatest closer of all time," Girardi said.If Rivera doesn't get the record Sunday, he'll likely reach it sometime during an eight-game homestand that begins Monday."I would love to get it at home, but I don't think like that," Rivera said.Rivera struck out Colby Rasmus looking to start the ninth, then retired Brett Lawrie on a broken-bat grounder to first. While some in the crowd of 39,288 headed for the exits, most stayed to watch as Rivera got Eric Thames on a routine fly to center.Even before the ball had been caught, Rivera walked off the mound with his head lowered to shake hands with catcher Russell Martin. Rivera broke into a smile during the postgame congratulations line and embraced teammate Alex Rodriguez. Center fielder Curtis Granderson flipped Rivera the souvenir ball.Rivera, whose wife and two youngest sons joined him in Toronto for the weekend, told the media hordes gathered around his locker that he doesn't enjoy the spotlight of his record pursuit."I am uncomfortable because I don't have this much attention at all," he said, smiling. "I would like you guys to just leave it alone. That would be good."Rivera, now in his 17th season in the big leagues, recorded his 600th save at Seattle on Tuesday. He also has 42 saves in postseason play."Mo is awesome," Rodriguez said. "You just run out of things to say about him. Every save he's had in his career meant something, and tonight was another example of that."Blue Jays manager John Farrell called Rivera "the standard by which all are compared.""If you're a fan of baseball and the game, you appreciate how good he is, how consistent he is," Farrell said.The tying save came in Rivera's 60th appearance of the year, surpassing former Yankees teammate Mike Stanton with a record 14 seasons of 60 games.Granderson hit his 40th homer, a go-ahead shot in the seventh to cap a 12 pitch at-bat. He fouled off seven straight pitches before homering.Rodriguez hit his 16th home run as New York ended a two-game skid. The Yankees trailed 6-1 before beginning their comeback with four runs in the sixth.Aaron Laffey (3-2) pitched one inning for the win. Scott Proctor, Laffey, Hector Noesi and Rafael Soriano each worked a scoreless inning before Rivera closed it out.Bartolo Colon, who has not won in eight starts, allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings for New York."It wasn't great," Girardi said. "Six runs in four innings is not what we expect from Bartolo. We'll see if we can get him back on track his next start."The Yankees closed to 6-5 in the sixth. Granderson led off with a double and scored when Rasmus bobbled Mark Teixeira's single to center. Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch and Rodriguez followed with his first home run since Sept. 4."I came up in the same situation a couple of innings before and didn't come through so I was glad to get another opportunity," Rodriguez said. "I got a good pitch to hit and capitalized."Derek Jeter opened the Yankees seventh with an infield single and Granderson homered against Carlos Villanueva (6-4).The Blue Jays scored four times in the second against Colon. Rasmus and Jose Molina each hit RBI doubles, Lawrie drove in a run with a groundout and Mike McCoy capped it with a squeeze bunt.The Yankees answered with a run in the fourth, an inning marked by Cano's baserunning blunder. After hitting an RBI double, Teixeira moved to third when left fielder Adam Loewen dropped Cano's fly ball to left. One out later, Nick Swisher hit a liner into right center but Rasmus made a fine running catch for the second out. Thinking the ball would drop, Cano rounded third and passed Teixeira, who was heading back to tag up. Cano was ruled out, and the Blue Jays got credit for a double play."I think Robby thought the ball was going to drop for sure," Girardi said. "When Swish hit it, I thought it was going to fall, too. Still, you've got to make sure."Toronto added to its lead and chased Colon with two runs in the bottom half, with McCoy hitting a two-out double to right.Game notes Rivera has blown five saves this season. ... Rodriguez batted fifth for the first time this season. He scored the 1,821st run of his career, tying Eddie Collins for 14th place on the all time list. ... The Yankees are an ML-best 40-11 in day games. ... Yankees RHP Phil Hughes (back spasms) has been scratched from Monday's start against Minnesota and will be replaced by RHP A.J. Burnett. Hughes, who felt sore after Friday's bullpen session, is expected to pitch Tuesday or Wednesday. ... New York OF Greg Golson celebrated his 26th birthday. ... Loewen made his first start in left field after previous appearances in right and center. ... New York RHP Freddy Garcia (11-7) faces Toronto RHP Brandon Morrow (9-11) in Sunday's series finale.

Young tops 100 RBIs as Ogando, Rangers win

2011-09-16T15:18:00.001-07:00

ARLINGTON, Texas -- With Michael Young standing on deck for the Texas Rangers already with 98 RBIs, the Cleveland Indians opted to walk Josh Hamilton.Giving that free pass to Hamilton and loading the bases in the fifth inning only briefly delayed a big blast by the AL West-leading Rangers. Young delivered a three-run double to go over 100 RBIs for the second time in his career, and Adrian Beltre immediately followed with a two-run homer as Texas went on to a 7-4 victory Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep and extending its division lead to 3½ games over the idle Los Angeles Angels."I don't take those things personally. I just try to focus on my job," Young said. "At that point we're really making sure we're trying to push one across. I was just trying to get something to the outfield. Worst-case scenario, sacrifice fly scores a run."Texas (86-64) moved to 22 games over .500 for the first time since 1999, and will now play nine of its final 12 games on the road, starting Friday night at Seattle.Cleveland's loss cut Detroit's magic number for clinching the AL Central to one. The Tigers lost 6-1 at Oakland later Thursday."All you can think is you failed to achieve your goal, which is to win the division," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "You play to win the division. So you get your head up, play for second place or above .500. You have to shift gears and have another goal."Young's bases-clearing double off Fausto Carmona (6-15) gave him 101 RBIs. Beltre followed with his 25th home run for a 6-0 lead.Hamilton hit his 22nd homer in the seventh.The 40th double of the season for Young, now primarily the Rangers' designated hitter, pushed him within two RBIs of his career high set five years ago. Young is only three hits shy of his seventh 200-hit season."What a year," manager Ron Washington said. "It doesn't matter where I put him in that lineup, he delivers."Endy Chavez opened the Texas fifth with an infield single before his second stolen base of the game. Ian Kinsler then walked before Elvis Andrus' sacrifice bunt brought up Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP who hit a grand slam Wednesday night after also going deep in the series opener."Like any team that has depth, pick your poison," Washington said. "I think any manager would have did what he did, not pitch to Josh. But he had to deal with Michael, had to deal with Beltre."Alexi Ogando (13-8) allowed only two singles while throwing six scoreless innings. The All-Star right-hander struck out four and walked two while winning for the first time in a month. He had been 0-3 in five starts since his last win Aug. 15 at the Angels.Ogando was nearly flawless, except for a 39-pitch second inning when he got out of a bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts after both of his walks. He faced the minimum three batters the other five innings he pitched, getting Ezequiel Carrera to ground into an inning-ending double play after Jason Kipnis singled in the sixth.Washington said Ogando's "competitive juices" kicked in after he probably came within one batter of making an early exit."Sometimes during the game you have times like that during an inning. I was going too much to my left side on my fastball," Ogando said through an interpreter. "That's why I couldn't control those pitches. You can't do anything else. You have to think about what you were doing wrong. When they came and talked to me, that's what happened. I was able to fix it and worked my way to do it."Ogando had already thrown 52 pitches after he struck out Lonnie Chisenhall and Lou Marson to get out of the second. He needed only 40 more pitches to get through the next four innings, and had his longest outing in his past five starts.Carmona, an AL All-Star last season, is 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA over his past six starts. Against the Rangers, the right-hander struck out three, walked five, and gave up seven hits and five earned runs over six innings. He also threw a wild pitch.Texas got its first run after Chavez had a leadoff single in the third to snap his 0-for-13 slide. He then got to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Marson before scoring on a single by Andrus.Shelley Duncan had a bloop RBI single with two outs in the seventh off Darren Oliver for the Indians' first run.Game notes The Rangers went 9-1 against Cleveland this season, outscoring the Indians 68-32. Texas has won 21 of 25 in the series over the past three seasons. ... Andrus has hit in all 23 of his games against Cleveland. ... Texas had only nine hits, ending its club record streak of consecutive 12-hit games at seven. ... Cleveland scored twice in the ninth off closer Neftali Feliz, who was pitching for the first time since Saturday. ... Actor Jonah Hill, a co-star in the upcoming movie "Moneyball," threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Texas is 49-29 at home.

Phillies edge Marlins, inch closer to division title

2011-09-15T15:21:00.001-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Kendrick threw five strong innings in the opener of a day-night doubleheader and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 3-1 Thursday, reducing the magic number for clinching their fifth straight NL East title to three.Cliff Lee goes for his 17th win as the Phillies try to complete a sweep. The games are a makeup from rainouts due to Hurricane Irene last month.Kendrick (8-6) didn't allow a hit until Logan Morrison homered to lead off the fifth. He gave up one run and one hit, striking out six.Michael Stutes tossed two scoreless innings, Antonio Bastardo and Brad Lidge worked the eighth, and Ryan Madson finished for his 31st save in 33 chances.Madson pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam by striking out Emilio Bonifacio and getting Omar Infante to foul out.Anibal Sanchez (8-8) pitched six strong innings, but was the hard-luck loser. He gave up two runs and four hits, striking out seven.Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez hit RBI doubles in the first, and the major league-leading Phillies (96-51) moved within six wins of setting a single-season franchise record.Placido Polanco got the Phillies started in the first with a one-out single. He went to second on a balk and scored on Pence's double to left. Ibanez hit an RBI double to right with two outs to make it 2-0.The Marlins cut it to 2-1 in the fifth on Morrison's 20th homer.Ryan Webb walked Polanco with the bases loaded in the seventh to force in a run that put Philadelphia up 3-1.The Marlins put two runners on with one out against Bastardo in the eighth. Lidge came in and allowed a single to Gaby Sanchez. But left fielder Ibanez threw out Infante trying to score for the second out.Lidge then walked Morrison to load the bases. But he struck out John Buck to escape the jam.A crowd of 44,216 was the 208th consecutive sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. There were more empty seats than usual on a dreary, drizzly day.The Phillies played without three regulars: Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz. All three were expected to start the second game. Utley got a pinch-hit single in the seventh in his first action since sustaining a concussion last Wednesday. Rollins and Ruiz also came in late and hit singles.Kendrick got plenty of defensive help from second baseman Pete Orr, who made three outstanding plays. Orr ran a long way to catch a shallow pop by Bryan Peterson in the second. He made a leaping, snow-cone catch on Sanchez's liner leading off the third. Then, he made a diving stop on Greg Dobbs' grounder in the hole in the fourth.Polanco helped Stutes in the seventh with an excellent, backhanded stab on Jose Lopez's hard one-hopper down the third-base line.Game notes Since Aug. 30, Florida's starting pitchers have a 2.78 ERA. ... The Phillies swept the Marlins in a doubleheader on June 15. ... The Phillies are 28-4 when Brian Schneider is the starting catcher. ... Kendrick improved to 7-2 vs. the Marlins. ... Sanchez fell to 3-8 vs. Philadelphia.

Behind Halladay, Phillies 1st to snag playoff spot

2011-09-14T15:21:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON -- Roy Halladay pitched his 20th career shutout and the Philadelphia Phillies became the first team to reach the playoffs this season with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.The NL East leaders clinched at least a wild-card berth and will appear in the postseason for the fifth straight year. Philadelphia won the World Series in 2008 and took the NL pennant in 2009.Once the club signed ace pitcher Cliff Lee last winter to round out a dominant rotation, another playoff berth for Philadelphia seemed a foregone conclusion. The Phillies said this week there would be no champagne celebration for wrapping up the wild card, and when Halladay finished off Houston he and his teammates barely cracked a smile.Phillies players and manager Charlie Manuel simply lined up for handshakes following their 95th win, just as if it were any other. The goal this season is a World Series championship, and anything short of that would hardly satisfy.Philadelphia's magic number is four for clinching its fifth division title in a row.The Phillies, who had lost three in a row, needed just a win over Houston or a loss by St. Louis on Wednesday to wrap up a playoff spot. The Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 3-2.Shane Victorino doubled in the first inning and scored the only run on Placido Polanco's single to help Philadelphia avoid a three-game sweep.Halladay (18-5) escaped trouble in the second and seventh, finishing with seven strikeouts and one walk for his first shutout of the season. The two-time Cy Young Award winner gave up six hits and threw 114 pitches for his eighth complete game of the year, tops in the NL.Houston loaded the bases in the second on Polanco's error at third, a single by Brian Bogusevic and a bunt single by Jose Altuve. The threat ended quickly when Carlos Lee was forced at home and Humberto Quintero hit into a double play.Halladay struck out pinch-hitter Matt Downs with a runner on second in the seventh to end that threat. Downs leads the majors with 12 pinch-hit RBIs.The Phillies spoiled a strong seven innings by Bud Norris (6-10). Victorino doubled to start the game and scored on Polanco's single.After that, Norris retired 15 batters in a row before escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth. He struck out Ryan Howard with a 94 mph fastball and Raul Ibanez flied out to end the inning.Norris allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one.Game notes The Phillies are 17-24 at Minute Maid Park. ... The Astros are 32-21 against Philadelphia since 2004, the best record of any NL team against the Phillies. ... The Astros currently have 16 rookies -- 10 pitchers and six position players. ... Philadelphia clinched a playoff spot in a franchise-best 146 games. The 1915 Phillies did it in 147 games.

Stark: Tigers roaring toward postseason

2011-09-13T15:24:00.001-07:00

• Who will be managing the White Sox next season? We tossed that question at a baseball source who is tight with team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, and got this succinct reply: "Ozzie Guillen." The same source also said, with zero equivocation, that if the Marlins think they can wait this out and then scoop Guillen off the unemployment line this winter, they'd better re-think. Unless the folks in Florida want to trade a big-time player to the South Side, the source said, the White Sox won't make any move to resolve Guillen's future until after the Marlins have hired a manager. Damon • More and more, it sounds as if the Rays would be amenable to bringing back Johnny Damon for another year of DH fun. And Damon would love to stick around. But remember, Damon wanted to go back to Boston, New York and Detroit, too -- and his trusty agent, Scott Boras, sometimes has different ideas about what Damon is worth than his former employers. As Damon himself said last year, after finding himself in Detroit: "I usually stay out of this stuff. I leave it in Scott's hands -- and I always end up changing teams." • Sources say Aaron Rowand definitely wants to play next season, but isn't likely to play again this season unless he gets an offer he can't turn down. The Phillies had kicked around the thought of bringing Rowand in this month, even though he'd be ineligible for the postseason. But with the arrival of Hunter Pence and the emergence of John Mayberry Jr., they can't offer him any playing time -- and aren't a fit down the road because they probably don't have much of a role to offer him for next season, either. Rowand has told some ex-teammates that since the Giants will still be paying him next year and money won't be a factor, his No. 1 criterion this winter is to land with a team that can offer him a chance to play. But other clubs seem to view him more as a platoon player at this stage of his career. Of the 217 players in the big leagues who have gotten 350 plate appearances this year, Rowand ranks 209th in OPS (.621). But if you look beyond those numbers, here's what you find: Away from AT&T Park, his OPS was 131 points higher (.682, versus .551 in San Francisco). And against left-handers, he hit .327, with an .818 OPS, away from AT&T Park (versus .240/.609 at home). • Scouts who have been following the Braves keep reporting they think the Braves' bullpen is finally showing signs of wear and tear. Just nine NL pitchers have appeared in 70 games this season. And guess the only team with more than one reliever on that list. Yep, it's Atlanta -- with THREE (Jonny Venters, Eric O'Flaherty and closer Craig Kimbrel). Neither Kimbrel nor Venters had let a late-inning lead get away since June until last week, when both of them blew saves against the Phillies and Cardinals. So it's getting increasingly noteworthy that Kimbrel leads all closers in innings (71⅔), while Venters leads all relievers, period (81⅔). Manager Fredi Gonzalez told Rumblings he never set out to have that happen, and he's trying his best to avoid riding these guys too hard. "But it doesn't help," he said, "that you play 23 extra-inning games. So that's 47 extra innings in those games. And they're all bullpen innings." • Finally, for all of us National League MVP voters, one of the toughest questions we face is just figuring out who's the MVP of the Brewers, let alone of the league. We've asked a bunch of people in baseball that question this month, and they're all split between Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. "I'll tell you one thing," said one of them. "You'll find out next year -- when Fielder's gone, and Braun walks about 150 times." Five Astounding Facts (Tuesday edition)

Strasburg goes 3 innings, sparks Nats by Astros

2011-09-11T15:19:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg allowed one run over three innings in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, and the Washington Nationals hit three consecutive home runs in an 8-2 win against the Houston Astros on Sunday.Strasburg didn't display the same efficiency he did in his return Tuesday. The right-hander needed 31 pitches to get out of the first inning, although he settled down and finished with six straight outs. He allowed three hits and struck out four in his 57-pitch outing.Ian Desmond, Rick Ankiel and Ryan Zimmerman all went deep off Houston starter Henry Sosa (2-4) to start the Nationals' third inning.The Astros (49-97) tied the franchise mark for most losses in a season. They have lost 97 games three times, most recently in 1991.To mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Washington wore special blue jerseys with a stars-and-stripes background for the team's 'W' logo. Two red, blue and white logos were painted on the field in foul territory along the base lines, with the date "September 11, 2001" and the words: "We shall not forget."Tom Gorzelanny (3-6) followed Strasburg and pitched three scoreless innings, giving up one hit.Strasburg's pitch count was almost exactly the same as it was in his first start back, when he threw 56 pitches over five scoreless innings and struck out four against the Dodgers. It was clear from the start Sunday he wasn't going to cruise through the Astros' lineup the same way -- he needed nine pitches to strike out leadoff batter Jordan Schafer.Strasburg went to a full count on the first three batters, although he struck out two of them. The other, No. 2 hitter Jimmy Paredes, singled on a grounder up the middle that went through Strasburg's legs and bounced off second base. The fourth batter, Carlos Lee, singled on a 2-2 fastball to score Paredes.Chris Marrero's sacrifice fly in the second tied the game, and the Nationals took the lead with three consecutive homers in the third. It was the first time the Nationals had hit back-to-back-to-back home runs since July 11, 2009, at Houston. That was also the last time the Astros had allowed three straight homers.The Nationals added their fourth run of the inning on Marrero's RBI double.Sosa, making his seventh major league start, allowed five runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings, the first time he has failed go at least five innings.Zimmerman hit an RBI bloop single in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 6-1, and Washington added a pair of runs in the seventh. Lance Pendleton hit Marrero and Wilson Ramos with pitches on successive at-bats, and both scored on RBI singles by Laynce Nix and Desmond.The Astros scored in the ninth inning on a throwing error by Zimmerman at third base.Game notes Nationals 2B Danny Espinosa snapped an 0-for-15 slump with a double in the second inning. He was 2 for 4 with two doubles. ... Houston purchased the contract of LHP Xavier Cedeno from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed LHP Sergio Escalona on the 60-day disabled list. Cedeno flew from Puerto Rico to join the team in Washington, although his luggage and equipment didn't arrive with him. "We'll get him some shoes and a glove and go from there," manager Brad Mills said before the game. ... The Nationals start a four-game series at the New York Mets on Monday. LHP Ross Detwiler (2-5) will start for Washington against RHP R.A. Dickey (8-11). ... Houston hosts Philadelphia on Monday. RHP Brett Myers (4-13) faces Phillies RHP Roy Oswalt (7-8) in a matchup of pitchers going against their former teams.

Guillen wants to lead White Sox 'next 20 years'

2011-09-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen joins "Talkin' Baseball" to discuss his future with the team and what the club can do to improve next season. More Podcasts " "I expect to be back here next year," Guillen told ESPN 1000's "Talkin' Baseball" on Saturday. "I expect to be back here for a long time. I think I'm shooting for the moon, but I think my expectations are pretty high, always will be. I think there's no doubt in anybody's mind how much I love this organization, how much I love this city. ... [There were] two things that [were] my goals when I was a kid, that was to play in the big leagues and manage in the big leagues, and I did it with this organization. I expect to be back just not next year, I expect to be back here the next 20 years." With one year remaining on his contract and the team languishing around the .500 mark in spite of an offseason spending spree, much speculation has centered around Guillen's future with the White Sox. Rumors of his possible departure haven't been helped by his hot-and-cold relationship with White Sox general manager Kenny Williams. Guillen may have further complicated the situation by recently saying he wanted the club to extend his deal beyond the 2012 season. So has that off-the-field drama had an adverse impact on the White Sox this season? "No, not at all," Guillen said. "People think that's going to be an excuse because [we're] not playing the way we should be playing. Well, that's their opinion. ... Those guys out there, they're very professional. ... Believe me, I say it very clear all the time, if anything's distracting the players, I try to stay away from it. [The media] can say what they want to say. They can have their own opinion. But I'm [the] manager of this ballclub. I'm with them every day. I look at their face every day. I talk to them every day about it. And the last thing they mention is what's going on off the field." Guillen isn't the only franchise fixture whose future with the White Sox has been called into question. Mark Buehrle, who has spent all 11 of his big league seasons with the club, will be a free agent when the 2011 season ends. Based on what Buehrle said when he inked a four-year extension in 2007, some have speculated he might consider retirement. Guillen doesn't think that will be the case. "Oh, he's staying," Guillen said. "Mark Buehrle will make a lot of money next year no matter [whom] he plays for. & I talk to him every day and he never mentions [to] me anything about retirement. I think this kid's got a lot left to give [to] baseball. I think this kid can help a lot of big league ballclubs. Believe me, I don't think he's retiring."

Kennedy earns 19th win as D-backs top Padres

2011-09-09T15:14:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX -- Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy doesn't view a 20-win season as an attainable goal even as he's on the doorstep.Kennedy struck out a season-high 11 over seven-plus innings for his National League-leading 19th win as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday night."When you're a little kid, 20 wins is what the best guys do," Kennedy said. "When you grow up and learn how hard it is, it's not a realistic goal."Kennedy (19-4) scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter over 7 2/3 innings. The right-hander joined Detroit's Justin Verlander and New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia as the majors' only 19-game winners."I keep saying good bullpen and timely hitting and that's the truth," said Kennedy, who entered the season with a 9-10 career mark. "You saw last year how (games) can get out of hand sometimes and that's what makes the difference between a no decision and a win."Kennedy faced only two batters over the minimum in his first seven innings before tiring and allowing a run on three hits in the eighth. J.J. Putz pitched the ninth for his 38th save."He was exceptional," said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson. "He's got pinpoint control, he has various pitches that he goes to and he limits his mistakes."Justin Upton hit his career-best 29th home run for the Diamondbacks, who won for the 14th time in 16 games to open a 7 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West. Arizona's magic number to clinch its first division title since 2007 dropped to 12.Upton left the game in the seventh with a cold he caught during the Diamondbacks' recent series in Colorado."I hate playing there," Upton said with a chuckle. "It always takes something out of you."Corey Luebke (5-9) allowed two runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out nine."Any time you are in a pitchers' duel like that, one or two pitches can cost you," said Padres manager Bud Black. "That was the case with tonight's game but Cory stayed with him. We were close enough but he just couldn't bunch enough hits together or get the big ball in the gap to get us closer."Paul Goldschmidt gave the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead in the fourth with a one-out, line-drive homer that landed in the first row of the left-field bleachers. Upton made it 2-0 in the sixth, hitting Luebke's first pitch deep into the left-field stands."I was making sure I didn't have to sprint anywhere," Upton said.Luebke has allowed 11 home runs this season -- seven to the Diamondbacks and three to Upton alone."He's got me right now but I'll figure him out eventually," Luebke said. "He's not going anywhere."Arizona made it 4-0 in the seventh off Brad Brach. Brach hit Kennedy in the jersey with a pitch with one out, Willie Bloomquist singled and Aaron Hill hit an apparent double-play grounder to short. But Orlando Hudson's relay throw went well wide of the first-base bag, allowing Kennedy to score.Montero followed with an RBI single off Joe Thatcher to bring home Hill.Jeremy Hermida drove in Nick Hundley with an RBI single to left in the eighth for the Padres' lone run.Game notes Padres INF Logan Forsythe underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday to debride his left knee. Forsythe will begin rehab immediately and should be ready for full activity in spring training. ... Arizona has won 13 straight at home, the second-best streak in the majors this season. Cleveland won 14 straight from April 3 to May 10. ... Kennedy is 5-0 in seven career starts against the Padres. He has won four straight starts and 10 of 12. ... San Diego has lost seven of its past eight against Arizona. ... Luebke's nine strikeouts matched a career high set on August 6 at Pittsburgh. ... Montero extended his hitting streak to 16 games. ... RHP Mat Latos will start for the Padres on Friday. He will be opposed by RHP Daniel Hudson, who is 15-5 with a 3.18 ERA in his last 25 starts.

Gwynn snaps tie in 9th as Dodgers take Game 1

2011-09-08T15:24:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON -- Tony Gwynn hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Washington Nationals 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday.Gwynn drove in Jerry Sands and Rod Barajas with a long double to center off Drew Storen (6-3). Dee Gordon added a run-scoring single -- setting a career high with his fourth hit of the game. Mike MacDougal (3-1), the Dodgers' sixth pitcher, worked a scoreless eighth for the win. Javy Guerra pitched the ninth for his 16th save. Six Los Angeles relievers held Washington hitless over the last 6 1/3 innings.Juan Rivera hit two-run doubles in the first and third off Chien-Ming Wang to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.The Nationals tied the score at 4 in the bottom of the third off Chad Billingsley. Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse hit RBI doubles and Jayson Werth had a two-run home run -- his 19th.Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly yanked Billingsley after 2 1/3 -- his shortest start in more than two years.Game notes Dodgers OF Andre Ethier was shut down for the season. He'll get his ailing right knee examined by Dr. James Andrews. "I'm just trying to figure this whole thing out right now and figure out a way to get it better where it won't affect me for spring training," Ethier said. Ethier had a 30-game hitting streak -- the second longest in team history and the second longest in the major leagues this season. ... Washington manager Davey Johnson said he was resting 2B Danny Espinosa, who this week set a team record with seven straight strikeouts, because he was mentally tired. Stephen Lombardozzi got his first major league start. ... Johnson said that C Ivan Rodriguez, who was on the disabled list for nearly two months with an oblique strain, will be limited to pinch-hitting for the remainder of the season. He wants to see more of Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores. ... Nats prospect Bryce Harper, who has a strained hamstring, won't play in the Eastern League playoffs. ... Washington begins a three-game series with Houston on Friday. LHP Tom Millone (0-0), who hit a home run on his first major league pitch last Saturday, will pitch against RHP Bud Norris (6-9). ... Los Angeles opens a three-game series in San Francisco. LHP Clayton Kershaw (17-5) faces RHP Tim Lincecum (12-12).

Tigers rally past Indians as Verlander wins 22nd

2011-09-07T15:19:00.001-07:00

CLEVELAND -- Victor Martinez and the Detroit Tigers found a way to pick up Justin Verlander.Verlander won his 10th straight start and earned his 22nd victory overall, helped when Martinez hit a late grand slam that sent the Tigers over the Cleveland Indians 8-6 Wednesday.The AL Central-leading Tigers completed a three-game sweep and won their sixth in a row. "What a great win," said Verlander, who leaped off the bench and cheered Martinez's shot that highlighted a five-run rally in the seventh inning. "When he hit it, I said, 'It's that kind of year.'"Verlander (22-5) gave up a pair of two-run homers to Shelley Duncan and trailed 4-2 before Detroit rallied against Justin Masterson (11-9) and the Indians' bullpen.Verlander leads the majors in wins and is 20-2 since May 1. He gave up four runs and three hits in six innings, striking out eight."My stuff was not as crisp as it has been," Verlander said. "The two pitches to Duncan were pretty good, where I wanted them. Guys in this league get paid to hit it, too."Once again, our team came through in a huge way. They got big hits and I'm always extremely confident in our bullpen."Verlander is the first Detroit pitcher to win 10 consecutive decisions since Jack Morris in 1983, and first to win 10 straight starts since Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser in 1946. His 22 wins are the most for a Detroit pitcher since Joe Coleman went 23-15 in 1973."They didn't get many hits off him, just a couple out of the ballpark," manager Jim Leyland said.Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 42nd save, tying Todd Jones' team record set in 2000. Valverde has not blown a save this year."That's his job and he's doing it pretty well," Leyland said. "Don't forget what (Joaquin) Benoit did in the eighth."The Tigers' setup man struck out two in a perfect inning and has a 1.58 ERA over his last 43 outings.Martinez went 5 for 13 with two homers and 10 RBIs in the sweep of his former team as Detroit dropped Cleveland 9 1/2 games back. The Tigers are 16-4 since Aug. 19, going 6-0 against Cleveland and sweeping three in a row from the Chicago White Sox to take command of the division."They took care of business and, obviously, we didn't," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "They're doing a great job running away from us."Leyland isn't ready to celebrate."Have we accomplished something? Absolutely," he said. "So far we've met a head-on challenge pretty good. I told them, 'Have a good day off (Thursday). You earned it. But get ready to play Friday because nobody is going to give us anything.'"Masterson left after Detroit loaded the bases on two singles around Duncan's error at first base in the seventh. Joe Smith came on and yielded Miguel Cabrera's RBI single that got the Tigers within 4-3.Lefty Tony Sipp replaced Smith and the switch-hitting Martinez turned around to the right side and hit the first pitch into the left-field seats for his second career slam, both against the Indians. The first was Oct. 3, 2009, for Boston, a couple of months after Cleveland traded him to the Red Sox."It's not just because it's against the Indians, I always want to do my best," Martinez said.Martinez, Cabrera and Alex Avila each had two of Detroit's 13 hits. The Tigers have had 10 or more hits in 11 of their last 13 games and 31 of 51 games since the All-Star break."We were kind of up and down for a while and are starting to hit our stride," Verlander said.Duncan had his second two-homer game this week and fourth of his career. He also did it Sunday in Kansas City.He came in just 2-for-11 (.182) with four strikeouts in his career against Verlander before connecting in the second for a 2-0 lead. The two runs were more than the Indians scored in seven of Masterson's starts this year.Detroit tied it at 2 in the fourth. Cabrera singled with one out for the Tigers' first hit and was doubled to third by Martinez. Cabrera scored on a sacrifice fly by Avila and Wilson Betemit doubled home Martinez.Jim Thome lined a two-out double high off the wall in left-center in the Indians' fourth. Duncan followed with his eighth homer, a towering shot to left for a 4-2 lead.Lonnie Chisenhall's two-run homer off Tigers reliever Phil Coke got Cleveland within 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh. Don Kelly's RBI triple made it 8-6 in the ninth.Game notes Verlander has thrown at least six innings and 100 pitches in all 31 starts this season. ... Fans sitting in a dreary drizzle throughout the game got a few laughs in the middle innings as a squirrel darted around the outfield. ... Indians DH Travis Hafner, out since Aug. 22 with a strained tendon in his right foot, ran in the outfield before the game. "Just straight ahead, nothing lateral, but I'm feeling better," he said. ... Detroit is 21-10 on the road since July 6, best in the AL. ... Cabrera has hit .391 with 26 RBIs while reaching base safely in a career-high 34 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Tigers player since Damion Easley's 34-game streak in 1998. ... The Tigers are off Thursday before playing host to Minnesota for three games. ... The Indians start a four-game set in Chicago on Thursday in a chase for second place. LHP David Huff (2-3) will oppose White Sox RHP Gavin Floyd (12-10).

Fister's career-high 13 K's help Tigers pad lead

2011-09-05T15:12:00.001-07:00

CLEVELAND -- Doug Fister's breaking ball put the brakes on Cleveland's challenge to first-place Detroit.Fister struck out a career-high 13, Victor Martinez hit a three-run homer and the Tigers beat the Indians 4-2 on Monday to extend their AL Central lead to 7½ games."That's the best I've seen Fister," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, still wary of the gritty Indians."I'm not looking ahead," he said. "We haven't done anything but put ourselves in good position. That's all."Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski laid the groundwork for the surge by acquiring Fister (7-13) from Seattle on July 30. The right-hander is 4-1 in seven starts for Detroit. He gave up an earned run and four hits over eight innings."He did a little of this when they were looking for that," Leyland said. "The curve was a huge pitch for him and he stayed out of the middle of the plate. You can't hardly pitch better than he did today."Jose Valverde worked a perfect ninth to move to 41 for 41 in save opportunities, extending his team record and helping the Tigers improve to 14-4 since leading the Indians by 1½ games on Aug. 19. Detroit began a three-game home sweep of the Indians that night and has won five straight against them, sending Cleveland to its largest deficit of the season."We've got enough games left, but the main thing is this is the only opportunity to really shave the lead," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "When you don't play the team you're trailing it takes forever sometimes to (cut) a game."We need to be ready to even up the series. This is the most important one. Our effort and our energy should be concentrated on winning tomorrow."Martinez drove a 2-2 pitch from Ubaldo Jimenez (2-2) 420 feet into the right-field seats for a 3-0 lead in the fourth."I was looking fastball because that's what he was throwing everybody else," Martinez said. "He threw one down the middle and I swung."Jimenez struck out five over the first two innings and didn't yield a hit until Delmon Young singled with one out in the fourth. Miguel Cabrera then walked before Martinez connected for his ninth homer.Martinez, dealt to Boston by the Indians at the trading deadline in 2009, signed with the Tigers as a free agent last winter. He is batting .392 with runners in scoring position and .324 with 82 RBIs overall.Grady Sizemore, activated by Cleveland after six weeks on the disabled list, drove in an unearned run with a groundout in the fifth to make it 3-1.The Indians, riddled by injuries all year, led the division from April 8 until June 14, when the Tigers' Justin Verlander beat them 4-0. Cleveland climbed back into the lead, but has trailed Detroit since losing to the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on July 22.That was one day after Sizemore had abdominal surgery. The Indians have been without several key players for large chunks of time this season and hope the three-time All-Star can give them a much-needed September spark.Jason Donald singled, took second on a wild pickoff attempt by Fister and advanced to third on a groundout by Lou Marson. Sizemore hit a sharp grounder up the middle that shortstop Jhonny Peralta fielded behind the second-base bag. His throw to first got Sizemore as Donald scored."Defense helped there," Fister said. "That's my job, make them put it in play and rely on the defense. I don't try for strikeouts. Today, I just got them."Detroit added another run in the eighth on Cabrera's fielder's choice with the bases loaded.Kosuke Fukudome hit his second homer for Cleveland with one out in the eighth. Fukudome hit three homers for the Chicago Cubs before being acquired by the Indians in July.Jimenez struck out eight in seven innings and was charged with three runs and two hits. He has a 5.27 ERA in seven starts since Cleveland dealt four prospects to Colorado for him on July 31.Game notes Jimenez is 8-11 overall, including his time with the Rockies. ... Fister's 13 strikeouts are the most by a Tigers pitcher against Cleveland since LHP Mike Kilkenny fanned 13 on Sept. 17, 1969. ... Detroit recalled C Omir Santos from Triple-A Toledo for the fourth time. ... The Tigers arrived at their Cleveland hotel around 2 a.m. after an 18-2 win over the White Sox on Sunday night. Leyland said he will try to rest some Tigers when they play another day game Wednesday against the Indians. ... Tigers OF Brennan Boesch is out for the season with a torn ligament in his right thumb. He could have surgery this week at Cleveland Clinic, by noted specialist Dr. Thomas Graham. ... Acta said 2B Jason Kipnis may be activated this week. Kipnis has been out since Aug. 14 with a strained hamstring. ... Indians DH Travis Hafner, out since Sept. 6 with a strained right foot, said he may start jogging this week. He has been taking swings in the batting cage. ... Detroit's Rick Porcello (12-8) will face Fausto Carmona (6-13) in a battle of right-handers in the series' second game.

Francisco, Reds hurt Cardinals' playoff hopes

2011-09-04T15:43:00.001-07:00

ST. LOUIS -- Juan Francisco capped a career-best four-hit day with the go-ahead hit in the 10th inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday, taking two of three from a team desperately trying to stay in contention.Jon Jay homered and Daniel Descalso had an RBI triple for the Cardinals, who fell 9 1/2 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee heading into a three-game series with the Brewers starting Monday night. St. Louis was 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and 2 for 20 with men on base.Francisco Cordero went through the heart of St. Louis' order for his 30th save in 35 chances and 13th in a row, also giving him seven 30-save seasons.

Cano key as Yanks rally for win over Blue Jays

2011-09-03T15:22:00.001-07:00

NEW YORK -- Through all the drama surrounding the New York Yankees this year -- the lineup changes, injuries and off-field issues -- Joe Girardi has had one constant: Robinson Cano.And the smooth-swinging second baseman has not let his manager down.Cano gave the Yankees the lead for the second straight game against Toronto, this time hitting a two-run double in the seventh inning to exceed 100 RBIs for the second consecutive season, and New York rallied to beat the Blue Jays 6-4 on Saturday for its sixth win in seven games."This kid loves to play the game, loves pressure moments," Girardi said. "It's a pleasure to pencil his name in there every day. It's real easy." Cano lined a 2-2 pitch from reliever Casey Janssen to the wall in center field to score Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez, back in the lineup after missing a week with a sprained left thumb.A .309 career hitter, Cano was motivated by the walk to Rodriguez."Every time I see they walk a guy in front of me, that pumps me up," Cano said, "and I say, 'Come on, now is a situation where you've got to show them they've got to pitch to the guy in front of you."Ricky Romero (13-10) was cruising along after giving up a two-run homer to Francisco Cervelli and an RBI single to Eduardo Nunez in the third until he hit Granderson in the back with a curveball with one out in the seventh and walked Rodriguez.After Cano's hit, Nick Swisher ended Janssen's scoreless streak at 16 2/3 innings with an RBI single, making it 6-4. Cano had the tiebreaking hit in Friday night's 3-2 win, a single in the fifth. He has 101 RBIs this season."He's a good hitter. (I) didn't have to give in 2-2 but definitely wanted to throw an aggressive pitch and he hit it," Janssen said. "It was a cutter. A little bit flatter than I wanted it."The Yankees improved to a major league-best 36-9 in day games and ended Romero's winning streak at six straight decisions. His last loss came against New York on July 16."I thought I did a pretty good job of battling," Romero said.Rodriguez returned with a taped left thumb after missing six games. With Derek Jeter getting a day off after a night game and Mark Teixeira out for a second straight game because of a sore knee, A-Rod batted third for the first time since 2008. He went 1 for 3, striking out in the fifth after getting ahead in the count 3-0, and walked.Boone Logan (5-2) relieved Bartolo Colon with one out in the seventh and got two outs for the victory.David Robertson tossed a perfect eighth. With Mariano Rivera and Rafael Soriano unavailable after each pitched two straight nights, Robertson gave up a hit in the ninth before finishing his first two-inning outing in more than a year for his first save this season and third of his career.Robertson would love to be a closer, but knows it won't happen soon."I don't have to worry about it. We've got 42 here," Robertson said, referring to Rivera, who is four saves away from 600.Toronto injury replacement Dewayne Wise tripled in his first at-bat after entering the game for Eric Thames, who left because of dizziness after striking out looking in the first. Wise hit his first homer of the season in the fifth, a tiebreaking shot.Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar also left because of an injury, pulling out before the bottom of the fifth with a jammed left wrist. He said X-rays were negative but he was sore and wouldn't play Sunday.Adam Lind connected off Colon and Jose Bautista drove in a run for the fourth straight game for Toronto, which built a 4-3 lead against Colon in the fifth.Colon came in 6-1 with 1.88 ERA in eight day starts, but he struggled at times in his 6 1/3 innings, giving up four runs and seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one, throwing a season-high 107 pitches.Colon started off well enough in the brilliant sunshine, striking out the side -- two looking with nasty movement on his fastball and a sharp breaking pitch. The second inning was another story.Lind led off with his 24th home run, Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson each had a single and Encarnacion advanced to third on Brett Lawrie's fielder's choice.J.P. Arencibia gave Toronto a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly.The Yankees scored three times with two outs in the bottom half. Nunez laced an RBI single and Cervelli followed with a two-run homer. He crossed the plate without the hand clap that upset pitcher John Lackey on Tuesday night in Boston and led to a bench-clearing staredown two innings later.The Blue Jays got a run right back when Wise tripled into the right-field corner and scored on Bautista's single.Colon struck out his last batter of the third and fanned the side in the fourth. Wise homered into the Yankees' bullpen in right-center with one out in the fifth for a 4-3 lead.Game notes Teixeira said he was feeling better and should return to the lineup Sunday. ... Blue Jays 3B coach Brian Butterfield was ejected for arguing balls and strikes after Johnson struck out to end the third inning. ... Acting manager Don Wakamatsu said Bautista was sore after fouling ball off his leg Friday night and the slugging RF will probably DH on Sunday. "Get him off his feet a little bit tomorrow," Wakamatsu said. ... Top Yankees prospect Jesus Montero got his first big league hit in the sixth, a single.

Stark: What to watch for in September

2011-09-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

This will be the 17th September since baseball broke into six divisions and added two wild cards back in the mid-'90s. None of the previous 16 looked anything like this. It's the first time in all those years that we could look around on Sept. 1 and not find even ONE tug-o'-war, for any of the eight playoff spots, between teams that were separated by no more than 1½ games. Yikes. How'd THIS happen, anyway? All right, it's true that the Red Sox and Yankees are divided by only a game and a half in the AL East. But does that count as a "meaningful race" if the loser is almost guaranteed to be the wild card? We'd vote no -- not in a traditional, win-or-else, pennant-race kind of way, anyhow. There's one thing we should remember, though. Sometimes these races aren't as "over" as they look. A year ago at this time, the Giants were four games out in the NL West. The Phillies were three back in the NL East. You know how their seasons turned out. In 2009, the Tigers blew a 3 �-game lead, entering September, in the AL Central. In 1995, the Mariners came from 7½ back to win the AL West. And we're not even going to get into what happened to the 2007 Mets. So it does happen. Just sayin'. October Matchup Scramble: AL Edition 2 On one hand, thanks to the flaws in the current wild-card system, that Yankees-Red Sox race is pretty close to irrelevant. If they're both moving on, why should we care? On the other hand, here's why we should care: Because it might not seem so irrelevant come October. The winner gets to open the postseason at home and have home-field advantage through the first two rounds. The loser gets home-field advantage in NO rounds and probably (barring a big finish by the Angels) has to kick off the postseason in Texas against a Rangers team nobody should want to mess with in October. Not that it would be any fun to run into Justin Verlander and the Tigers. But here's why inviting Verlander to The Stadium would be a fine alternative for the Yankees: 1. They're 5-2 against Detroit in games Verlander has started since 2008 (including 2-0 this year). And 2. the Yankees have lost four of the past six postseason series in which they DIDN'T have home-field advantage, with just one of those two triumphs coming in the past 10 seasons. October Matchup Scramble: NL Edition 3 Has anybody spotted a race in this league? It would be tough -- even with the Hubble Space Telescope. It's hard to believe that the CLOSEST race for any of the four NL playoff spots is six games. So unless somebody does some serious collapsing, the only drama in the NL standings this month will be the jockeying for seeding. But you don't think seeding matters to the Brewers? They have a shot to become only the fourth NL team in the expansion era to win 60 games at home -- but they have as many road wins as the Pirates. So the Brew Crew are lusting after that first or second seed. And you don't think seeding matters to the Diamondbacks? They've scored 52 more runs at home than on the road. Their OPS is almost 100 points higher at home (.782-.683). And their road batting average (.237) is lower than the Giants' road average (.238). So besides their quest to hold off the defending champs, the D-backs have humongous incentive to catch the Brewers for that No. 2 seed and home field in the division series. The Brewers still lead Arizona by three games on that front. But here's a tidbit to file away in case the Diamondbacks take advantage of their cushy September schedule and make this race closer: Arizona won the season series (4-3), so if the Diamondbacks and Brewers finish tied, Arizona would be the No. 2 seed. Prospective matchups if the postseason started today: Phillies (1) versus Diamondbacks (3), Brewers (2) versus Braves (4). Playoff preview series 4 Not that it will tell us anything about what lies ahead in October, but the September schedule features a bunch of potential playoff-preview series -- like these, for instance: • Rangers at Red Sox, Sept. 2-4 • Braves at Phillies, Sept. 5-7 • Phillies at Brewers, Sept. 8-11 • Yankees at Angels, Sept. 9-11 • Phillies at Braves, Sept. 26-28 And you'll be shocked to learn that the Red Sox WILL play the Yankees again -- three more times, Sept. 23-24-25, in New York. The MVP races 5 Is there even an MVP favorite in either league right now? We don't see one. And any time we can weave September plotlines into the MVP discussion, that often constitutes September theater at its finest. In the American League, you have more than just a mad scramble. You have a wild clash of disparate voting philosophies. No starting pitcher has won an MVP award in 25 years, but if you think that's a bogus way to vote, Justin Verlander has a great case. No player from a noncontender has won since Alex Rodriguez in 2003 (for the last-place Rangers), but if you think contending is somehow overrated, Jose Bautista's numbers make him the clear choice of the sabermetrics crowd. No Yankee other than A-Rod has won an MVP award in the past quarter century, but Curtis Granderson's potentially historic season could rewrite that nugget. And if one of the three legit Red Sox candidates -- Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury -- separates himself in September, the correct response to all the stuff we just talked about could be: Never mind. Over in the National League, the same arguments are swirling. It feels as though the Dodgers got eliminated on Mother's Day, but if that doesn't bother you, Matt Kemp's numbers are insane. And if we're going to welcome in all the noncontenders, toss the caps of Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki and Andrew McCutchen into this ring, too. Will we figure out which Brewer -- Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun -- to vote for? September could help us sort that out. And if Justin Upton leads the who-are-these-guys Diamondbacks into October, he could render all these other names defunct. But why do we have a feeling that the biggest MVP storyline in September might be more about how voting philosophies evolve among the baseball scribes with ballots than it will be about who does what on the field? Just a hunch. Let out a Cy 6 Before we hand Verlander his MVP trophy, we also should ask: Has he already ended the Cy Young debate? Uh, Jered Weaver still leads him in ERA (2.28-2.38), so that's one guy who sure doesn't think so, anyway. Then again, Verlander has now pulled within one-tenth of a run in ERA of taking the lead in all three categories that make up the pitching triple crown (wins, strikeouts, ERA). And keep in mind that since the invention of Cy Youngs, no pitcher has won a pitching triple crown and not won a Cy Young. That's a little factoid that's relevant to the NL Cy Young debate, too, by the way. In case you hadn't noticed, Clayton Kershaw leads the league in whiffs, is tied for the lead in wins and is now sitting at No. 2 in the ERA race. So Kershaw has elevated himself into the thick of the NL Cy Young free-for-all with a spectacular second half (9-1, 1.18 ERA since July 7). But Roy Halladay has obliterated the field in wins above replacement (7.2 to Kershaw's 5.8), has virtually an identical ERA to Kershaw's in a more hitter-friendly park and easily could argue he's the Cy Young of EVERY season. Then there's Cliff Lee, who is about to reel in his second pitcher-of-the-month award in the past three months and leads the league in shutouts (five) and double-figure strikeout games (eight). He also has piled up nearly twice as many starts of zero runs/eight-plus innings (eight) as any other pitcher in the league. Sure looks like we're in for a fabulous September pitch-off to settle that debate, doesn't it? The return of Strasburg and new September faces

Lawrie's HR breaks 8th inning tie, lifts Blue Jays

2011-09-01T15:18:00.001-07:00

BALTIMORE -- Brett Lawrie has been in the majors for a month, and the Baltimore Orioles already have seen enough of the kid from Canada.Lawrie hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning, Yunel Escobar had his second straight four-hit game, and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated Baltimore 8-6 on Thursday.Lawrie made his debut at Camden Yards on Aug. 5. Since that time, he leads all rookies in homers (seven), triples (four) and extra-base hits (17)."Lawrie continues to play and swing the bat as good as you can expect," acting manager Don Wakamatsu said.Given his .340 batting average, it's safe to say Lawrie has exceeded expectations."No doubt," Wakamatsu said. "You can't sell him short."Especially when facing Baltimore. Lawrie is batting .417 in six games against the Orioles, all at Camden Yards. In addition, three of his seven homers and eight of his 20 RBIs have come in Baltimore."It's a home away from home. It's where it all started," Lawrie said. "We'll be back here some day."It will be too soon for the Orioles."He's a big ol' boy," Baltimore's Nick Markakis said. "He can swing the stick, no question about that. Their whole team can swing."Kelly Johnson also homered for the Blue Jays, who had 26 runs and 42 hits in taking two of three at Camden Yards.Orioles starter Tommy Hunter allowed six runs, five earned, in six innings.Manager Buck Showalter said the right-hander began feeling ill in the third inning and felt even worse after his performance."He was throwing up. He's heading to the hospital," Showalter said. "I'm not going to try to say what it is or what it isn't, but he won't make the trip (to Tampa Bay) with us right now."With the score 6-all, Johnson drew a walk from Willie Eyre (1-1) and Lawrie followed with his seventh home run. Lawrie went 3 for 5 and scored twice.Escobar was 4 for 5 with two RBIs. The four hits matched a career high.Shawn Camp (2-3) finished the seventh inning, Jon Rauch worked a perfect eighth and Frank Francisco got three straight outs for his 12th save.Vladimir Guerrero and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles, who rallied from a 6-3 deficit before giving the lead back in the eighth. Guerrero had three hits, a season-high four RBIs and scored twice.But Markakis' streak of 182 consecutive series with at least one hit ended. It's the first time he went hitless in a series since May 23-25, 2008, in Tampa Bay.The defeat assured Baltimore (54-81) of a 14th straight non-winning season.The game was switched from 7:05 p.m. to 12:35 so the city could finalize plans for the first Baltimore Grand Prix. The change, combined with the lackluster matchup between the two bottom teams in the AL East, resulted in a meager crowd of 11,617.Toronto played a seventh straight game without manager John Farrell, who is recovering from pneumonia and won't be with the Jays at Yankee Stadium this weekend. Wakamatsu, Toronto's bench coach, is running the team in his place.The Orioles used successive doubles by Guerrero and Wieters to take a 1-0 lead in the second.Toronto responded with a two-run third that began with Hunter walking No. 9 hitter Mike McCoy, who took third on a double by Escobar. Eric Thames followed with a run-scoring groundout and Jose Bautista hit an RBI single.The Blue Jays made it 4-1 in the fourth. After Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia hit consecutive doubles, Escobar singled in a run.Guerrero and Wieters connected in succession in the bottom half, both on 3-2 pitches. It was the fourth time this season that Baltimore hit back-to-back home runs.Johnson led off the sixth with his 20th homer of the season and second in two games. He went 3 for 4 and is 9 for 17 in his last four games.Baltimore closed to 6-5 in the bottom half when starter Luis Perez walked the first two batters and Guerrero hit a two-run double. The Orioles then put runners at second and third with one out before Jesse Litsch retired the side.Guerrero drove in another run in the seventh with a slow roller to shortstop with one out and the bases loaded.Game notes The Blue Jays activated Rauch (appendicitis) from the 15-day DL. ... The Orioles purchased the contracts of RHP Rick VandenHurk and OF Kyle Hudson from Triple-A Norfolk. ... The Blue Jays open a three-game series in New York on Friday. Toronto will start Brandon Morrow, who is averaging a major league-best 10.35 strikeouts per nine innings. ... Baltimore rookie Zach Britton will start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against Tampa Bay.

Betemit's double in 8th helps Tigers beat Royals

2011-08-31T15:25:00.001-07:00

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers have two of the best players in the majors in ace Justin Verlander and slugger Miguel Cabrera.The rest of the roster is holding up quite nicely, too.Wilson Betemit capped Detroit's three-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking RBI double against his former team, leading the Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.Betemit's big hit came less than 18 hours after reserve Ramon Santiago delivered a game-ending homer in the 10th inning."People wonder why I play so many different lineups, but that's what you have to do when you want to win a division," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "You don't win unless you get contributions from everyone, and you have to play them so that they are ready to make a play when you need them."Austin Jackson went 4 for 4 and scored three times for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who have won seven of 10. Cabrera added two hits and Jose Valverde worked the ninth for his 40th save in 40 chances."Austin had a great game for us -- that's exactly what we want from him at the top of the order," Leyland said. "When he's hitting, it is a really big tonic for our offense."Eric Hosmer had a pair of solo homers for Kansas City, which has dropped four of six.Jackson sparked the winning rally with a leadoff triple against Blake Wood (5-2). Ramon Santiago followed with a sacrifice fly that trimmed Kansas City's lead to 4-3.With one out and Delmon Young on first, Victor Martinez hit an RBI double into left-center. Alex Gordon made a diving attempt on the ball but couldn't haul it in."Alex made the dive, and I couldn't tell if he got it or not until I saw Melky (Cabrera) running after the ball," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He covered a lot of ground to even get close to that."Alex Avila was intentionally walked before Betemit hit a liner into the right-field corner to drive in pinch runner Brennan Boesch. Jeff Francoeur cut down Avila at the plate to end the inning."I haven't been swinging the bat well in the last couple games, but this was a big situation," said Betemit, who was acquired from the Royals on July 20. "I know Blake throws hard, so I was looking for something I could hit. He threw me a slider, and I put a great swing on it."Daniel Schlereth (2-1) pitched an inning to get the victory and Valverde got Alcides Escobar to fly out with runners on first and second to end the game.Hosmer connected in the second and the fourth, hitting a drive to right on a 1-2 pitch each time, and Kansas City added two more runs in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.Gordon hit a leadoff single and scored on Melky Cabrera's double. Cabrera then scored when Young couldn't handle Billy Butler's drive to left and misplayed it again when trying to pick it up."I thought I was pitching well until the sixth -- other than the two homers, obviously," Tigers starter Rick Porcello said. "Things got away from me a little in the sixth, but I was still pleased that I kept us close enough to get the win."Jackson scored each of Detroit's first two runs, on Young's sacrifice fly in the first and Nate Adcock's wild pitch in the third.Kansas City helped itself on defense. Rookie Johnny Giavotella made four highlight-reel plays at second base, and Gordon robbed Avila of extra bases with a leaping catch as he crashed into the fence in left."We played great defense, but every time you lose a one-run game, you hate it," Yost said. "We had a two-run lead and we couldn't hold it in the eighth."Game notes The teams finish their four-game series with a second straight afternoon game on Thursday. The game -- a makeup of a May 15 rainout -- will feature Detroit rookie Jacob Turner (0-1) making his second career start. Danny Duffy (3-8) goes for the Royals. ... Despite Giavotella's outstanding day in the field, he was replaced by Chris Getz in the eighth inning for defensive purposes. ... Neither starter got a decision. Porcello allowed four runs in seven innings, while emergency starter Adcock gave two in 5 2/3. Adcock replaced Felipe Paulino, who was scratched with back spasms. ... The Royals traded backup C Matt Treanor to Texas during the game. Treanor has been sidelined with a concussion since July 30.

Price fans 14 for Rays' franchise record in rout

2011-08-28T15:19:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- David Price blew away the Blue Jays.Price struck out a franchise-record 14 in seven dominant innings, Desmond Jennings hit a pair of solo home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Toronto 12-0 on Sunday."Hitting is hard enough already," Rays catcher John Jaso said. "What David brought today made it pretty much impossible."It wasn't just Price's stuff, but a stiff wind blowing out to center field that made him so effective, giving his fastball extraordinary movement."I've never had that much movement before so it was pretty cool," Price said. "The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew it was blowing pretty good and I just kept throwing it."Jaso and Price felt strong gusts pushing them as they walked in from the bullpen beforehand, but didn't know how helpful the wind would be until the game began, and Price's two-seamer started drifting."It looks like a strike right out of his hand and then it's just fading off the plate," Jaso explained. "It was moving about three feet. Once they start to swing on his fastball, they can't hold it back."Price (12-11) broke the team mark for strikeouts shared by Scott Kazmir and James Shields."He had everything working today, the changeup, the slider, the backdoor cutter," manager Joe Maddon said. "Everything was working off the fastball. That's why their hitters could not get comfortable at all."Price allowed only three singles and walked two. His first seven outs all came by a strikeout, with two hits mixed in during that span."He's got great movement," Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu said. "You can get down in the count right away."After leaving the game, Price wrote a birthday greeting for his mother on his hand and flashed it for TV cameras. He'd sent her flowers and a card on Friday, but figured she'd like the win even more.Rays pitchers set a team mark by fanning 18 batters overall. Reliever Brandon Gomes struck out two in 1 1/3 innings and Cesar Ramos struck out two to end it."It's fun to catch when you've got something like that going," Jaso said.Jennings homered on the first pitch of the game and got a career-high four hits. He drove in three runs, scored three, drew a walk and stole a base from the leadoff spot.Sean Rodriguez added a two-run homer and Matt Joyce doubled twice during a six-run ninth as the Rays improved to an AL-best 20-9 since July 28.The Blue Jays lost their fourth straight. They finished with five hits.Price quickly matched his career high, striking out 12 through five innings. The left-hander didn't fan anyone in the sixth, but finished his outing with two more strikeouts in the seventh, matching and then passing Kazmir (2007) and Shields (2011) for the Rays' record.Price improved to 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 career starts against Toronto.Price didn't give his defense much to do in the first three innings. He did allow a pair of baserunners over that span: Mike McCoy led off the first with a walk and Jose Molina hit a two-out single in the second. Neither runner advanced.McCoy was the first batter to make an out on a batted ball when he grounded to second in the third. McCoy, who walked again in the sixth, was the only Blue Jays batter not to strike out against Price.Toronto's 18 strikeouts were a season-high, two more they had in a 3-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on April 10. The franchise record is 19, set twice previously, both times in extra-inning games.Jennings put Tampa Bay ahead right away, connecting against Brandon Morrow (9-9) for the first leadoff home run of his career."It's an early run and gets the team up and the pitcher, especially David, he doesn't need many runs," Jennings said.After John Jaso's RBI double in the second scored B.J. Upton, Rodriguez hit a two-run shot into the second deck in left. Jennings made it back-to-back homers when he followed with another drive to left, his first multihomer game.Morrow (9-9) allowed five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander has given up five homers in his past 10 innings. He lost for the fourth time in five starts.Game notes Toronto LHP Wil Ledezma was designated for assignment after allowing six runs in the ninth. ... Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) missed his third straight game, with Wakamatsu continuing to run the team. ... Rays RHP Kyle Farnsworth (elbow) was available after missing the previous four games. ... Toronto 1B Adam Lind, mired in a 3-for-21 slump, was held out of the starting lineup. ... Blue Jays RHP Jon Rauch (appendectomy) threw a bullpen session before the game, his second in three days. ... Toronto OF Rajai Davis (torn left hamstring) has begun jogging and taking batting practice at the team's minor league complex in Florida and could return before the end of the season. ... Tampa Bay RHP Wade Davis (8-7) faces Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero (12-9) in Monday's series finale.

Upton's home run helps Rays hold off Blue Jays

2011-08-27T15:23:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- Few people were certain whether B.J. Upton's sixth-inning drive landed fair or foul. Not even Upton himself knew for sure.The next time up, he left little doubt.After barely missing a home run earlier, Upton hit a three-run shot in the seventh that broke open the game and sent the Tampa Bay Rays past the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Saturday."He's got as much power as anybody, especially for being so skinny," Rays catcher Kelly Shoppach kidded. "When he gets into a ball, it can be very impressive."Upton's 18th homer put the Rays ahead 6-2, and Tampa Bay held on despite a pair of late home runs by Toronto.In Upton's previous at-bat, he led off with a long fly to left field that landed just a few feet foul. Upton and Rays manager Joe Maddon questioned the call with home plate umpire and crew chief Tim Tschida."(Tschida) said, 'I'll talk to the boys,' and I guess none of them were absolutely certain, so they did the right thing," Maddon said.Upton wasn't positive where his drive ended up, either."It looked fair from where I was, although it hooked very hard late," he said. "I don't think it hurt to check it out."After huddling near the mound, three umpires left the field to review the video. They returned two minutes later and confirmed the original call, leaving the score at 2-all.Upton reached the painful way when Shawn Camp's next pitch hit him on the leg. Sean Rodriguez singled and Kelly Shoppach tried to bunt the runners along.But Camp (1-3) fielded the ball and threw to Brett Lawrie for a forceout, and the third baseman's throw across the diamond completed a double play. The Blue Jays almost turned a triple play, too, but Rodriguez slid into third just ahead of the return throw. Elliot Johnson followed with a go-ahead single.Upton connected the next inning against Jesse Litsch. The shot into the second deck in left field scored Sam Fuld and Evan Longoria after they both walked."In that situation I'm not trying to do too much, just take what he gives me," Upton said. "He left something out over the plate for me and I got extended on it."Maddon was pleased with Upton's powerful shot."I congratulated him on keeping that ball fair," he said.The Rays are an AL-best 19-9 since July 28, and haven't given up hopes of winning the wild card. The Rays are seven games behind the second-place Yankees in the AL East."I keep saying that we're very much in this race right now," Upton said. "We've just got to continue to try and win series. That's all we can ask ourselves. Hopefully (New York and Boston) hit a little rut and we can gain some ground on them."Litsch, a converted starter who was working for the third time in four days, denied feeling the effects of fatigue."I left the one ball up that Upton hit," Litsch said.Rodriguez and Johnson each had three hits for the Rays.Jeff Niemann (9-5) won for the fifth time in six starts. He came in 0-2 with an 8.36 ERA in his last three matchups with Toronto, failing to work more than five innings in any of them.Niemann reversed that trend, allowing three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.The right-hander improved to 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 starts since returning from the disabled list on June 20 after missing 39 games with a strained lower back."Not great but good," Maddon said of Niemann. "He got through it. He started out slowly but I thought he settled in pretty well. Then eventually, at the end there, you could see he got tired."J.P. Howell replaced Niemann after J.P. Arencibia's RBI grounder in the seventh, ending Tampa Bay's streak of 11 consecutive games in which its starter worked at least seven innings.Rays left-hander Jake McGee gave up a leadoff homer to Eric Thames in the eighth, the ninth of the season for the rookie outfielder. McGee got two outs before Juan Cruz came on and surrendered a solo homer to Edwin Encarnacion, his 14th. Kelly Johnson followed with a walk but Brett Lawrie fouled out.Joel Peralta finished for his second save in four chances.Game notes Rays closer Kyle Farnsworth (elbow) was unavailable but could pitch Sunday, Maddon said. ... Arencibia threw out three potential basestealers, getting Upton at second in the second, Rodriguez at third in the fourth and Johnson at second in the eighth. ... Rays 1B Casey Kotchman was scratched with flulike symptoms but came on as a defensive replacement in the seventh. ... Toronto OF Dewayne Wise made his debut in center after being claimed on waivers from Florida. Blue Jays OF Colby Rasmus (right wrist) was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Aug. 24. ... Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) missed his second straight game and remains day-to-day. Farrell came to his office and was checked by team doctors before returning home to rest. Bench coach Don Wakamatsu served as manager.

Weaver stifles White Sox as Angels win 6 in row

2011-08-25T15:14:00.001-07:00

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The money didn't change Jered Weaver. A day after he signed a lucrative new contract with the Los Angeles Angels, he was his inimitable, near-unhittable self on the mound.And the way his teammates are playing over the past week, it's looking like everybody in Anaheim wants to get rich. Weaver pitched seven innings of four-hit ball in his first start since signing an $85 million contract extension, and Erick Aybar drove in three runs in the Angels' sixth straight victory, 8-0 over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.Torii Hunter homered for the Angels, and Jeff Mathis had a two-run double during a three-run second inning in a dominant finale to their nine-game homestand. Los Angeles' second straight series sweep and Texas' 13-2 loss to Boston trimmed the Angels' deficit in the AL West to just 2 1/2 games before they head into a weekend series at Rangers Ballpark on Friday."I love the way we're playing ball right now," Hunter said. "We've got some guys with some heart. We're going in to play the first-place team, and we're 2 1/2 games back. We're riding that wave."Los Angeles scored four runs in the seventh, prompting manager Mike Scioscia to call an early night for Weaver (15-6), who received one total run of support in his previous three starts combined. Weaver didn't need that much help while emphatically ending a four-start winless streak, striking out eight and allowing just one runner to reach third base."I was a little amped up going out there, but I got it together," Weaver said. "Obviously, Sosh took me out a little early, and me being me, I wasn't too happy about it, but it was the right thing to do. I won't hold it over him." A day earlier, Los Angeles announced Weaver had agreed to a five-year deal through 2016, passing up unrestricted free agency to stay in Orange County. Although the Angels scored just eight runs in Weaver's previous six starts, the AL All-Star Game starter's 15 victories already are one short of his career high in 2009.The Angels have Thursday off before heading to Arlington, where they could conceivably take over the division lead with a three-game sweep. It's an improbable development after the Rangers took three of four at Angel Stadium last week, only missing a sweep on Mark Trumbo's two-run homer on the last pitch of the final game.Texas has lost four of six since leaving Anaheim, while Los Angeles has been perfect."The attitude is the same," Scioscia said. "We're just playing better. We started with a rough homestand. We weren't playing the way we needed, and you saw the standings go the other way. ... We reversed it, and now we're right back where we need to be, and that's in the hunt."Zach Stewart (1-3) allowed seven hits and seven runs while pitching into the seventh inning for Chicago, which missed a chance to move into second place in the AL Central for the second straight day. Division-leading Detroit and Cleveland both lost earlier Wednesday."They can win or lose all they want, but if we don't win, it doesn't really matter," White Sox outfielder Juan Pierre said. "I know some guys scoreboard-watch, but if we don't take care of our business, we'll be making fishing plans here soon. We've just got to keep battling and hope we turn things around."Alejandro De Aza's third-inning double was the only extra-base hit for the White Sox, who haven't been above third place since April. They also missed a chance Tuesday to move above .500 for just the second time in four months.Until the game got away in the seventh inning, Stewart had made a solid return to the White Sox's rotation after a stint in the bullpen. He made two starts immediately after arriving in a trade with Toronto on July 27, returning to the rotation after an injury to Philip Humber."There were so many big pitches where I just left the ball up and missed my spot," Stewart said. "I put it in a place where (Mathis) could do something with it, and he did."After Aybar drove home Trumbo for the Angels' first run in the second inning, Mathis pounded a double into the left-center gap, scoring Vernon Wells and Aybar. Mathis entered the game batting .176, but his rapport with Weaver makes him valuable to the Angels.Hunter hit a two-out shot well beyond the left-field wall in the third inning, his 18th homer of the season. The steady slugger is closing in on his sixth straight 20-homer season.Aybar laced a two-run double down the first-base line in the seventh, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles by Alberto Callaspo and Bobby Abreu against reliever Josh Kinney.Game notes More bad news for Texas: Scioscia is contemplating using Ervin Santana and Weaver on short rest after 13-game winner Dan Haren starts the opener at Rangers Ballpark. Los Angeles started rookies Garrett Richards and Tyler Chatwood in the first two games of last week's series with the Rangers, who beat both soundly. ... Jake Peavy will start for the White Sox on Friday when they open a series in Seattle against Charlie Furbush and the Mariners. ... Abreu's 547th career double tied him with Manny Ramirez for 25th on baseball's career list.

Mets snap 5-game skid as Pelfrey limits Phillies

2011-08-24T15:19:00.001-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Pelfrey needed a career-high 125 pitches just to get through six innings. It was worth every one.Pelfrey pitched effectively, Nick Evans and David Wright homered and the New York Mets snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. The Mets avoided a sweep with their sixth win in 23 games."He came off the field after the fifth and said, 'I got one more,'" Mets manager Terry Collins said. "I needed one more. He got us to where we needed. That was huge for him."Pelfrey (7-10) allowed three runs and nine hits. He nearly caused benches to empty in the sixth when he took exception to the way Placido Polanco turned away from an inside pitch. Pelfrey, who has a history of hostility toward the Phillies, motioned toward Polanco, who said something back. Catcher Josh Thole stepped in front of Polanco and the confrontation didn't escalate."I hung a slider. I thought he tried to lean into it. I said: 'Don't lean into it.' He said he didn't. Done," said Pelfrey, who earned his first win since July 27.Bobby Parnell pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save this season and second in his career. He retired Carlos Ruiz on a grounder with two runners on to end it.Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (7-6) gave up six runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in four innings filling in for Cole Hamels.The major league-leading Phillies entered 6½ games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East. That lead, which was 9½ games on Aug. 6, could be down to five by the time Philadelphia opens a three-game series against Florida on Friday night. The Braves had two more games at the Chicago Cubs before visiting the Mets on Friday.The Mets jumped on Kendrick in the first, scoring four unearned runs with the help of a fielding error by shortstop Michael Martinez. Angel Pagan led off with a single. Ruben Tejada followed with a sharp grounder to Martinez that could've been a double play. But Martinez bobbled it and both runners were safe. Wright singled to load the bases and Pagan scored on Lucas Duda's fielder's choice grounder to second. After Jason Bay struck out, Evans hit a three-run shot to left."It's all you can ask for is to get a chance to play and you do the best to make the most of it," said Evans, who is playing first base now that Duda was moved to right field. "It's definitely easier to get in a rhythm the more you play."Martinez, filling in for the injured Jimmy Rollins, started his second game at shortstop. He's started 24 games at second base and third base this season."He tried to make that play too quick," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "That's going to happen. The kid, he's got good hands."The Phillies answered with three runs in the second. Shane Victorino hit a two-run single with two outs, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. After Polanco singled, Chase Utley's RBI single got the Phillies within a run. Ryan Howard walked to load the bases, but Pelfrey retired Hunter Pence on a fly to right to end the inning.Wright led off the third with an opposite-field drive to right to put the Mets ahead 5-3. It was Wright's 15th career homer at Citizens Bank Park, his most at any road stadium. Wright's sacrifice fly in the fourth extended the lead to 6-3.Pence's RBI infield single in the seventh cut it to 7-4. The Phillies had runners at first and third with one out in the eighth against Manny Acosta when second baseman Justin Turner started a double play with a diving, back-handed grab on Polanco's grounder up the middle."A great play by J.T. We needed that double play bad," Collins said.Game notes The Mets placed Jonathon Niese on the disabled list with a ribcage injury. ... Pelfrey improved to 7-6 against the Phillies. ... The Mets have lost all five series against the Phillies this season, but haven't been swept. ... Mets SS Jose Reyes (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton on Thursday. ... Howard was back for the Phillies after sitting out a game because of a heel injury. . . Phillies LF Raul Ibanez remained out because of a sore groin. ... A crowd of 45,689 was the 203rd straight sellout for the Phillies, including postseason play. ... The Phillies are off on Thursday before opening a three-game series at home against Florida on Friday night. Roy Oswalt (6-7, 3.51) takes the mound against the Marlins. ... The Mets return home for a three-game set against Atlanta, starting Friday. Chris Capuano (9-11, 4.71) pitches the opener.

Rangers' Beltre runs bases; return date still iffy

2011-08-23T15:21:00.001-07:00

Even with another loss chalked up to the bullpen, Rangers president Nolan Ryan isn't ready to reach for the panic button. More Podcasts " "I think it's going to be up to them," Beltre said about a possible return date. "Whatever they tell me to do, I don't really have a say in it. Running the bases at full speed and being able to manage it at game time [is the important thing]." The AL's starting third baseman for this season's All-Star Game, Beltre was put on the disabled list July 23 and had a setback a few weeks ago when he re-aggravated the hamstring as he made the turn at first base.

Damon, Rays walk off after replay cancels slam

2011-08-21T15:19:00.001-07:00

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- There was no doubt about where Johnny Damon's last drive landed.Damon lost a grand slam to a video review in the seventh inning, then hit a game-ending home run in the ninth that lifted the Rays over the Seattle Mariners 8-7 Sunday."It feels good," Damon said. "It was a great team effort, again."Damon connected for a leadoff shot in the ninth on the first pitch from Dan Cortes (0-2), sending his 11th homer of the season into the right-field seats."The first pitch I was going to look to drive something," Damon said. "But after that I was going to think about bunting, maybe, and getting on base and set the table. Fortunately I hit it far enough."The Rays trailed 5-4 in the seventh when Damon launched a deep fly to right-center field. It was first ruled a home run, but the umpires changed the call to a three-run double after 2-minute, 45-second video review.TV relays showed the reversal was correct and that the ball hit off the top of the wall."They were right on with that call," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Actually, we got the ball back and it had yellow paint on it."Damon also came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but the inning ended when catcher Josh Bard chased down a pitch that went to the backstop and threw the ball to Cortes, who tagged out Matt Joyce attempting to score from third.After blowing an early four-run lead, Seattle tied it at 7 during the eighth when Wily Mo Pena hit a long two-run homer to center off James Shields."We were in position to win two out of the three games here and ended up losing both late," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "We just have to keep plugging."Kyle Farnsworth (5-1) pitched a perfect ninth as the Rays won for the 10th time in 12 games."I had a good feeling about it," Maddon said. "The resolve was there. The attitude was there. They were ready to roll."Casper Wells also homered for the Mariners, who have lost five in a row. Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a third-inning double.Shields gave up seven runs and 12 hits over 7 1/3 innings. The right-hander had given up just two runs in 24 innings over his previous three starts at home.Seattle starter Michael Pineda allowed two earned runs and six hits in six innings. The rookie had five strikeouts, giving him 148 over 147 innings this season.Wells hit a two-run shot, helping Seattle go up 3-0 in the first. He has five homers over his last seven games.Bard made it 4-0 on second-inning RBI grounder.Joyce and John Jaso each had RBI singles that got Tampa Bay within 4-2 during the second. Jaso also had a run-scoring grounder in the seventh.Seattle took a 5-2 lead in the fourth when Franklin Gutierrez drove in a run with a single. The Rays got the run back on Ben Zobrist's sixth-inning sacrifice fly.Game notes Tampa Bay RHP Jeff Niemann (8-4), who has won seven straight decisions, will face Detroit ace Justin Verlander (18-5) on Monday night. ... Seattle SS Brendan Ryan, who returned from a sprained left shoulder joint this weekend, is expected to be in the starting lineup Monday. ... Mariners INF Luis Rodriguez, hit in the right elbow by a pitch Saturday night, didn't play. ... Seattle LHP Jason Vargas (7-11) will pitch Monday against Cleveland RHP Fausto Carmona (6-12). ... The Rays gave kids 14 and under a superhero action figure of LHP David Price and his French bulldog, Astro. Before a pregame on-field photo shoot, Price had to chase down Astro, who ran up a walkway to the clubhouse level. "I guess every dog has its day," Maddon said. "Plus, it's a pretty cool dog."

Rodriguez helps Astros blank slumping Giants

2011-08-20T15:25:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON -- The San Francisco Giants' slump has gotten so bad they are even losing to the Houston Astros.Wandy Rodriguez pitched eight innings and had a two-run single to lead the Astros to a 6-0 victory over the slumping Giants on Friday night.The Giants have lost 15 of their last 21 games including four of the last five."We've talked, and we're working," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "You just have to keep going. You always have to think it's just temporary and that you will come out of it, and we will."The Astros have won three straight but their 41-84 record is the worst in the major leagues.The Giants are trying to overcome injuries and had the added problem Friday night of facing Rodriguez when he was in control of all his pitches."He's got that curveball that he can do a lot of different things with," Giants third baseman Mark DeRosa said. "Honestly, he is probably the one pitcher in baseball that can really control his curveball as good as he does."He can pretty much put it where he wants; in, out, upstairs, down and he works in that fastball that always has a little life on it."The Astros were leading 2-0 in the sixth inning when Carlos Corporan hit an RBI single with two outs and Rodriguez followed with a long single down the right field line on the first pitch from Ryan Vogelsong (10-3)."Wandy was absolutely outstanding," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "He just threw the ball real well. It's nice to see him be able to use all of his pitches and he was able to keep them off balance, obviously, all night, which was good."Rodriguez (9-9) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked two. It was his third eight-inning performance of the season."I tried to locate my fastball early in the game and late I used my breaking ball," Rodriguez said.Brian Bogusevic, who hit a walkoff grand slam against Chicago on Tuesday, made it 6-0 with a homer off Guillermo Mota in the eighth.It was the Astro's fourth shutout of the season and their first since June 30 against Texas.Vogelsong had won four of his previous five decisions. He pitched seven innings, allowed four hits, two earned runs and walked four with three strikeouts.The Astros struck first in the third. Clint Barmes walked to start the inning and Corporan doubled before J.B. Shuck doubled down the right field line to make it 2-0.Vogelsong walked the bases loaded in the fifth inning but escaped when J.D. Martinez took a called third strike.Rodriguez escaped a two-on, two-outs close call in the second when Mike Fontenot hit a single to right fielder Bogusevic, who made a clean throw to the plate for the tag on Aubrey Huff.Rodriguez threw 110 pitches, 72 for strikes, and acknowledged he tired in the final two innings."I was honest with him that I was a little tired," Rogriguez said. "I told him I could go back out there but he said it was OK."DeRosa is tired of talking. He wants results."We've had our share of meetings, I mean you can talk all you want; talk is cheap," he said. "Until you go out there and put up some solid approaches find ways to score runs it doesn't matter what it looks like."Game notes San Francisco has a 27-15 record at Minute Maid Park, the best of any major league team. The Giants lead the majors with a 32-0 record in games they led by three or more runs. INF Jeff Keppinger returned to Minute Maid Park for the first time since the Astros traded him to the Giants in July. He popped out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth The Giants have used the DL 21 times this season. The Astros are first in the NL and fourth in the majors with 240 doubles. OF George Springer, the Astros No. 1 draft pick, took batting practice before the game. "I just didn't want to miss the first pitch," he said. He didn't. With family looking on, he drove a fly to deep right field.

Soto, Cubs rally for walk-off win over Cardinals

2011-08-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO -- Tyler Colvin's RBI single in the 10th inning off Octavio Dotel lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.Geovany Soto led off the 10th with a single off Dotel (0-2), advanced to second on Marlon Byrd's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Colvin's hit to center field just hours after the Cubs fired general manager Jim Hendry. Soto also had a game-tying RBI double in the eighth inning. Darwin Barney homered and tripled, and Starlin Castro added two hits for the Cubs. Sean Marshall (6-5) pitched a perfect 10th to earn the win.Castro, who leads the NL with 162 hits, has 301 in his career. He is the fifth Cubs player to pass 300 in his first two seasons.Chicago beat the rival Cardinals for just the third time in 10 games this season, delighting a home crowd of 42,343 -- the largest at Wrigley Field since the home opener in 1978.The Cubs responded in their first game following the firing of Hendry, who was let go about three hours before the game. He was replaced on an interim basis by assistant general manager Randy Bush.Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, and David Freese added a solo shot.Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia left with a 4-3 lead after he scattered nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. Garcia, who entered the game hitting .085, added an RBI single.Chicago's Randy Wells gave up four hits in seven innings and struck out five. He set down the Cardinals in order in four of his seven innings, but was hurt by homers by Molina and Freese.The Cubs nearly won the game in the ninth, but ran themselves out of the inning.Tony Campana reached first leading off the ninth when second baseman Ryan Theriot bobbled a routine grounder for an error, but he was doubled up when Castro flied to center on what appeared to be a hit-and-run play. Reed Johnson followed with a two-out single, and Aramis Ramirez walked, but the threat ended when Carlos Pena flied out to right.After trailing for 7 1/2 innings, the Cubs tied it 4-4 in the eighth. Soto's double into the left-field corner scored Pena all the way from first base.Molina's second-inning homer opened the scoring, and Garcia's single up the middle scored Theriot to make it 3-0. Freese hit a solo shot in the fourth to put the Cardinals ahead 4-1. He has an RBI in seven of his past eight games.Barney brought the Cubs within 4-2 with his second homer of the season, landing a shot just barely into the basket in the left-field corner. His previous homer was April 25 against Colorado.Barney added a triple when Lance Berkman overran a blooper into the right-field corner in the seventh. He scored when pinch hitter Blake DeWitt's fly to center was misplayed by John Jay, and the ball rolled to the wall for another triple.With DeWitt on third and one out, representing the tying run, Jason Motte relieved Garcia and worked out of the jam by striking out Castro and getting Johnson on a grounder.Game notes St. Louis' Allen Craig made his first career start in center field as manager Tony La Russa wanted to give the slumping Jay a break. Jay replaced Craig in the fifth inning. Cubs pitcher Andrew Cashner threw his third live batting practice session on Friday, the latest step in his recovery from a strained right rotator cuff that has had him on the disabled list since April 6. Larry King sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch. Edwin Jackson will start for the Cardinals on Saturday against the Cubs' Matt Garza. Jackson will be making his first in Chicago since being dealt by the crosstown White Sox on July 27. He's won both of his career starts against the Cubs. Garza is 1-1 with a 7.80 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis. The big crowd was entertained by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds practicing over Lake Michigan a few blocks east of Wrigley Field during the middle part of the game in advance of the weekend's air and water show in Chicago.

Kershaw shines as Dodgers cool off Brewers

2011-08-18T15:23:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Clayton Kershaw throttled the streaking Brewers with eight scoreless innings and Rod Barajas homered Thursday, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-1 win over Milwaukee.The NL Central-leading Brewers came in winners of 19 of 21 and were looking to complete a 7-0 homestand.But Kershaw (15-5) was tremendous, retiring 13 of his final 14 batters and never facing serious trouble after the third inning.Barajas hit a solo homer in the second. Los Angeles built a 5-0 lead by scoring twice in the seventh and two more in the eight, the first runs allowed by Milwaukee's bullpen in the last 10 games.Milwaukee is 6 1/2 games ahead of idle St. Louis. The Brewers had won six in a row.Kershaw scattered five hits and struck out six. He's fanned an NL-best 199 this year, and is on the cusp of joining Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale as Dodgers pitchers to most quickly reach 200 in a season.Marco Estrada (3-8) pitched well in his second spot start for injured left-hander Chris Narveson.Estrada's only mistake in five innings came against Barajas, who homered for the 11th time this year and snapped an 0-for-13 skid.Los Angeles had managed two runs in the first three games of this series, but the Dodgers gave their 23-year-old left-hander plenty to work with late off Milwaukee's bullpen.Kameron Loe worked a clean sixth, but with two outs in the seventh, Barajas doubled and Jamey Carroll singled him in. Carroll reached second on the throw home, then scored when Kershaw laid down a bunt single and Loe threw wildly to first.Los Angeles tacked on two more in the eighth on Juan Rivera's sacrifice fly and Aaron Miles' RBI single.Milwaukee has been streaking in the previous three weeks -- losing only twice to St. Louis while moving from third place to comfortably in first with six weeks left in the season. The Brewers play their next 10 games against teams under .500 before a matchup with the Cardinals at the end of the month.The Brewers' best opportunity against Kershaw came in the third. With runners on the corners and one out, Jerry Hairston grounded into a double play -- Josh Wilson, who was on the third, broke home on the pitch and was already halfway to the plate.Hairston could be seen asking, "Why was he running?" after the botched squeeze sign.Hairston doubled off Kershaw with one out in the sixth, but Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder each hit harmless fly balls.Fielder's sacrifice fly off Javy Guerra in the ninth kept Milwaukee from being shut out at home for the first time this season.Game notes Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Narveson (thumb) may not be ready to start a doubleheader in Pittsburgh on Aug. 22 when he's eligible to return from the 15-day DL. RHP Zack Greinke is scheduled to pitch the first game while the second starter could be Narveson, RHP Frankie De La Cruz or a Triple-A pitcher such as RHP Wily Peralta. ... Dodgers 3B Casey Blake (right shoulder) was out of the lineup after leaving Wednesday's game in the sixth. ... The Brewers begin a three-game series at the Mets on Friday with RHP Shaun Marcum (10-3, 3.50 ERA) facing RHP Mike Pelfrey (6-9, 4.53). ... The Dodgers continue their 10-game road trip at Colorado and will send RHP Hiroki Kuroda (8-14, 2.88) to face RHP Jason Hammel (7-11, 4.97).

Downs' 2-run single launches Astros over Cubs

2011-08-17T15:15:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON -- Matt Downs hit a go-ahead two-run single, Mark Melancon wriggled out of a jam in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday to take the series between the worst teams in NL Central.Brian Bogusevic, who hit a game-winning grand slam for Houston on Tuesday night, had a two-run double in the third inning against Casey Coleman, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace Carlos Zambrano in the rotation.Bud Norris (6-8) allowed three runs and six hits in his first win since July 6. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 3.91 ERA in his previous four starts. Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer and Geovany Soto had a solo shot for the Cubs, who had won four straight series. Ramirez, Soto and Darwin Barney each had two hits.Chicago had several chances but struggled with runners in scoring position all day long.The Cubs' last opportunity came in the ninth, when Barney hit a leadoff single against Melancon and moved to third on Ramirez's perfectly placed grounder up the middle.Melancon retired Carlos Pena on a popup before pinch-runner Tony Campana swiped second to put runners on second and third with one out. Soto then tapped to shortstop Clint Barmes, who threw to third to catch Barney in a rundown. Marlon Byrd grounded out to end the game, giving Melancon his 12th save.Coleman (2-5) allowed four runs and a career-high 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings while filling in for Zambrano, who was placed on the disqualified list Saturday following a meltdown in Atlanta last week when he talked about retirement and left the team.Ramirez extended his major league lead by hitting his 11th first-pitch home run of the season in the third, a drive to left-center field that gave Chicago a 2-0 lead. It was his second consecutive game with a home run and the 40th of his career against the Astros.Bogusevic's sharp grounder down the right-field line tied it, but Soto connected in the fourth to put the Cubs in front again.The Astros responded in the bottom half. With two out and a runner on first, Jose Altuve singled, J.B. Shuck took third on a wild pitch and J.D. Martinez walked to load the bases.Downs then singled to center to give Houston a 4-3 lead.The Astros didn't get another hit after the fourth inning and Chicago's relievers retired 10 in a row after Jason Michaels walked with two outs in the fifth.Chicago hit back-to-back two-out singles in the eighth inning, but Starlin Castro grounded out to end the scoring threat.Norris hit Barney to start the fifth inning before loading the bases with consecutive walks to Ramirez and Pena. But the Cubs came away with nothing when Norris retired the next three batters, striking out two.Game notes The Cubs optioned LHP Scott Maine to Iowa to make room for Coleman. Maine was recalled from Iowa on Monday, but did not make an appearance before being sent back to Triple-A. ... Houston OF Jordan Schafer, on the disabled list since July 20 with an injured left middle finger, started a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. If his rehabilitation goes well, he could join Houston on Monday in Colorado. Schafer was acquired from Atlanta in the Michael Bourn trade. ... Both teams are off Thursday before Houston hosts the San Francisco Giants and the Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals. ... Ramirez has 22 home runs and 63 RBIs at Minute Maid Park, which rank first among opposing players.---Kristie Rieken can be reached at http://twitter.com/kristieAP.

Ellsbury's HR backs Lester as Red Sox top Rays

2011-08-16T15:20:00.001-07:00

BOSTON -- Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer and Jon Lester struck out eight, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in the opening game of a doubleheader Tuesday.Lester (12-6) got the win against fellow All-Star James Shields, who pitched nearly as well and deeper into the game but received little support from the Rays' offense. Shields (11-10) retired the last 15 batters he faced and struck out six. The only three hits he allowed were a pair of singles by Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles, followed by Ellsbury's homer deep into the right-field stands. It was Ellsbury's 21st home run of the season -- one more than he hit in his first three years combined.That was all the offense Lester and the Boston bullpen needed in a game that lasted 2 hours, 24 minutes and included just six hits.Daniel Bard pitched a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon got his 28th save in the ninth when Dustin Pedroia made a diving grab on B.J. Upton's line drive headed for center field.Lester pitched seven innings, holding the Rays to just three hits and no runs after Desmond Jennings scored on a fielder's choice in the first inning.Lester retired 12 straight batters before Evan Longoria's single to left with one out in the sixth. The hit hardly disrupted Lester, who struck out Ben Zobrist and Upton to end the inning.The game was a makeup from a rain-out April 13.Game notes Former Boston outfielder Johnny Damon received a mix of cheers and boos when he pinch hit for Elliot Johnson in the eighth, then struck out swinging. ... Boston DH David Ortiz was a late scratch from the lineup because of illness. ... RHP John Lackey, who is on a six-decision winning streak and is 11-8 despite a 6.13 ERA, faces LHP David Price (10-10, 3.76 ERA) in Wednesday's matinee series finale. ... Entering Tuesday's doubleheader, Lackey was tied with Lester for the staff lead in wins. ... Tuesday's opener was the first game between the two teams since the Red Sox edged the Rays 1-0 in 16 innings July 17 in St. Petersburg. ... The Red Sox, just off a six-game road trip to Minnesota and Seattle, returned home for just the three games with Tampa Bay and then head right out for eight games in Kansas City and Texas.

Murphy key as Rangers complete sweep of A's

2011-08-15T15:22:00.001-07:00

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Ron Washington's reigning AL champions are on quite a roll, finding ways to win the tough ones -- and the strange ones -- exactly when they want to be playing their best.They held on through all kinds of interesting circumstances Sunday.David Murphy hit a tiebreaking RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning, and Texas survived after blowing a six-run lead to beat the Oakland Athletics 7-6 and complete a three-game series sweep. Mike Adams (1-1) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the victory, then Neftali Feliz finished for his 23rd save in 29 chances as the Rangers won their fourth straight road game heading into a key four-game series with the Angels in Anaheim."We're excited about it," slugger Josh Hamilton said of his team's recent run of success. "I don't want to say it relaxes us, but it makes us want to get after it more and send a message. A month and a half to go, all the rest of the series with them are very important."Mitch Moreland hit a sacrifice fly, Michael Young and Mike Napoli each drew bases-loaded walks against former Ranger Rich Harden and first-place Texas extended its winning streak in the rivalry to eight games. The Rangers (69-52) also moved a season-best 17 games over .500.Andrew Bailey (0-3) issued a one-out walk to Moreland in the ninth. Craig Gentry came in to run for Moreland and stole second on a 1-2 count to put himself in good position on Murphy's single to center."I can't put a guy on in that situation," Bailey said.This marks the A's longest skid against the Rangers since dropping nine in a row from June 19-Sept. 30, 1986. Texas outscored Oakland 23-8 in the series -- and did so without a single home run. The Rangers left a man on base every inning Sunday.Oakland's Hideki Matsui hit a tying RBI single in the sixth after he was brushed back twice by reliever Darren Oliver, once even going to the ground to get out of the way.A day after the A's committed four errors, they had another blunder. Right fielder David DeJesus dropped a routine fly ball by Ian Kinsler in the fifth, allowing two runs to score.In the bottom half, Kinsler misplayed a bouncing grounder to second that went under his glove and brought home Oakland's first two runs.The game had a little bit of everything: an Oakland comeback that fell short, a hit batter and wild pitch that scored Texas' initial run, the two defensive mistakes and a balk. Rangers starter Matt Harrison even turned his attention for a brief moment to the folkloric dancers who performed on "Fiesta Day" right behind home plate as he warmed up in the middle of the sixth.Harrison's concern was hitting someone if the ball got past his catcher."You don't see that every day," Washington said. "It sort of distracted Harrison -- not because he couldn't get in rhythm but because he didn't want to let one get away. That had nothing to do with how the sixth inning unfolded. They swung the bats."Harrison was done that inning. He allowed Scott Sizemore's leadoff double, an RBI single to Kurt Suzuki one out later and then Brandon Allen's RBI double. No. 9 hitter Cliff Pennington walked and Washington turned to Oliver.Late lineup addition and newcomer Allen provided the highlights for Oakland, which lost its third straight on the heels of a 4-2 road trip.The finale was considered an improvement, though, after the A's lost 9-1 on Friday and 7-1 on Saturday."In our dugout, the feeling was that we were going to win that game, no question, once we tied it up," manager Bob Melvin said. "So the mojo kind of turned for us a bit. ... They took it to us, obviously and beat us. And we didn't respond very well during those (first two) games. To be able to come back and do what we did today kind of in the face of all of what I've been talking about was a good sign."Allen singled leading off the third for his first hit since joining the A's, then produced another base hit to start the fifth. He also had the double in the sixth.Allen, acquired in last month's trade with Arizona that sent reliever Brad Ziegler to the Diamondbacks, was called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.Harrison received a mound visit from pitching coach Mike Maddux after loading the bases with one out in the third. He calmly got out of it unscathed, retiring Matsui on a flyout and cleanup hitter Josh Willingham on a swinging strikeout.Harden fell behind right away against his former team. He hit leadoff man Kinsler with a pitch, then got Elvis Andrus on a flyout before four straight Rangers reached base. Texas' first run scored on a wild pitch, then Napoli drew a bases-loaded walk and Moreland added his sacrifice fly.Harden walked in another run in the fourth when Young drew a free pass. Harden wound up with a season-high five walks over four innings. The right-hander hadn't issued five walks since last Aug. 23 while with Texas.The reigning AL champion Rangers released Harden after the 2010 regular season, in which he struggled with injuries and control. Harden received a $1.5 million, one-year contract in December to rejoin Oakland, his original team.Game notes Rangers DH Yorvit Torrealba extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single in the fourth. Young's hitting streak ended at 12 games. ... Oakland scratched 1B Conor Jackson from the lineup because of neck tightness. Allen took his place. ... A's CF Coco Crisp returned to the lineup after missing six games with a strained right calf. ... Texas has won 17 of 21 vs. the AL West since May 15. ... LHP Gio Gonzalez (9-10) pitches Monday's series opener for the A's against Baltimore trying to end a four-start losing streak. Gonzalez is 0-5 with a 5.82 ERA in six starts against AL East clubs this year. ... RHP Alexi Ogando (11-5) takes the ball in Texas' opener with the Angels. Ogando, 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA lifetime vs. Los Angeles, looks to take over the team lead in victories.

Uggla's hit streak halted at 33 in loss to Cubs

2011-08-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

ATLANTA -- Dan Uggla was quick to acknowledge he never thought he'd have a hitting streak as long as 33 games.Now the Chicago Cubs are streaking.The Cubs stopped Uggla's 33-game hitting streak and rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Sunday for their fourth straight series win.The Cubs have won 11 of 14.Uggla's streak was the longest in the majors in five years. He was 0-for-3 with an RBI."That's more games than I thought I would ever have," Uggla said.His best chance to extend the streak came in the fifth. Second baseman Darwin Barney made a diving catch of Uggla's fly ball in shallow right field. Barney was fully extended when he made the catch in front of right fielder Tyler Colvin."I wasn't even looking at him," said Uggla of Barney. "I was looking at Colvin and I was like `Oh, it's going to drop in front of him.' And the next thing you know Barney comes flying through."Barney said the catch was more important because of Uggla's streak."Because of the circumstances and all that, I'm pretty happy about it," Barney said."It was a good streak for him. He's a great player. But I think our pitchers are happy. They take a lot of pride in that, and I'm happy for them."Uggla grounded out to shortstop against Jeff Samardzija in the seventh in his final at-bat. He didn't come up in the ninth, when Carlos Marmol earned his 28th save."The streak is one thing. I'm more disappointed in the loss," Uggla said. "It was a fun run but all things have got to come to an end sometime. I had fun with it. We had a nice, little roll as a team and we're looking to get back on track tomorrow."Uggla's streak was the longest in the majors since 2006, when Philadelphia's Chase Utley had a 35-game streak. Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins had a 38-game streak that began in 2005 and carried through the start of 2006.Uggla was hitting only .173 when he started the streak on July 5. He has raised his average to .231.Uggla had 15 homers and 32 RBIs in the streak.Marmol walked Michael Bourn, who had three hits, with two outs in the ninth. Bourn stole second base but Martin Prado popped out to third baseman Aramis Ramirez to end the game. Uggla was on deck.Uggla's teammates patted him on the back and hugged him in the dugout after the game."For me, it's impressive," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. "It was a streak where at any given time Chipper (Jones) wasn't in the lineup and Brian McCann wasn't in the lineup, and Uggla carried us. That was impressive."Uggla streak passed Rico Carty's 31-game streak in 1970 as the longest in Atlanta Braves history. The franchise record is 37 games by Tommy Holmes for the 1945 Boston Braves.The Braves led 4-0 through five innings and 5-4 through six before Carlos Pena's two-run homer in the seventh.Atlanta took a 5-4 lead in the sixth when Jason Heyward singled off John Grabow (3-0), stole second and scored on Grabow's wild throw to first on a grounder by Alex Gonzalez.The Cubs answered in the seventh when Barney singled and scored on Pena's 23rd homer to right field off Eric O'Flaherty (1-4).The Cubs, who won two of three from the Braves, have won four straight series for the first time since Sept. 9-21, 2008.Cubs manager Mike Quade said before the game the team has moved past the controversy of pitcher Carlos Zambrano cleaning out his locker and leaving the team on Friday night and being placed on the disqualified list on Saturday."Look, grown-ups make decisions, and he made a decision," Quade said. "And that's his deal at this point, it's not mine."Zambrano's Cubs equipment bag was seen on the truck being loaded outside the clubhouse, but there was no indication he will join the team before the end of his 30-day leave without pay. He cannot be involved in team activities while on the disqualified list.Bourn singled in the first and moved to third when Matt Garza fielded Prado's soft grounder and threw high to second for an error. Bourn scored on Uggla's fly ball to left.Garza's six errors lead all pitchers in the majors, according to STATS LLC. He gave up four runs, two earned, on six hits and a walk in five innings.The Braves added two runs in the second on RBI singles by Bourn and Prado and stretched the lead to 4-0 in the fourth when Jose Constanza walked, stole second and third and scored on Bourn's broken-bat single to center.Colvin had a two-run single in Chicago's four-run sixth. Brandon Beachy, who gave up two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, was lifted after allowing singles by Barney and Ramirez and Pena's run-scoring fly ball. Scott Linebrink gave up three straight hits, including Colvin's two-run single.Arodys Vizcaino's wild pitch to Blake DeWitt allowed Geovany Soto to score from third.Game notes Atlanta pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts. ... Quade said RHP Casey Coleman will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace Zambrano in the rotation. Coleman is 2-4 with a 7.23 ERA in 11 games, including nine starts, with Chicago this season. ... Former Braves two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy threw out the first pitch. ... The Braves will open a four-game series against San Francisco on Monday night when Tim Hudson faces the Giants' Madison Bumgarner. ... The Cubs begin a game at Houston when Rodrigo Lopez is schedule to face the Astros' Henry Sosa. ... McCann came off the 15-day disabled list and was 0-for-4. ... The Braves placed RHP Tommy Hanson on the 15-day DL with right shoulder tendinitis and activated Linebrink. The team optioned RHP Anthony Varvaro to Triple-A Gwinnett. Fredi Gonzalez said RHP Randall Delgado will be recalled from Gwinnett to start Tuesday against San Francisco.

Lind's slam leads Jays' rout of Weaver, Angels

2011-08-13T15:15:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- Jered Weaver wasn't going to sulk about one awful outing. In fact, he even had a song ready for the occasion."Mama said there'll be days like this," the Angels ace sang as he prepared to leave the clubhouse following a rare pounding.Adam Lind hit a grand slam, Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Teahen also went deep, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Weaver and the Los Angeles Angels 11-2 on Saturday.All three homers came off Weaver, who allowed eight runs and eight hits, both season highs, in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year."It took 20-some odd starts for it to happen, but it's going to happen," Weaver said. "You can't hang your head. Just get out there and battle the next time."The right-hander, who had won eight of nine decisions, saw his AL-leading ERA rise from 1.78 to 2.13."He's been lights out all year," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "This is one where it just wasn't there for him. He'll be ready for his next start."Weaver (14-6) was pitching for the first time since Aug. 5 after serving a six-game suspension for throwing over the head of Detroit's Alex Avila in a loss on July 31. The Angels ace originally appealed the suspension, but decided last Saturday to serve his punishment in full. Still, he acknowledged feeling "rusty" after a seven-day layoff."Just kind of flat," he said. "Nothing was very sharp. I usually have a pitch I can go to to get me out of situations and I didn't really have that today."Riding a streak of 15 consecutive quality starts, Weaver was in trouble from the get-go against Toronto, surrendering a two-run shot to Encarnacion in the first, the 10th homer of the season for the Blue Jays infielder.Toronto added one more in the second on back-to-back doubles by Rajai Davis and John McDonald, then blew it open with a five-run fifth.Yunel Escobar hit a one-out double before walks to Eric Thames and Encarnacion loaded the bases for Lind, who drove Weaver's first pitch over the wall in right for his 20th homer and third career grand slam. One out later, Teahen chased Weaver with a solo drive to right, his fourth.The slumping Lind had just eight hits in 58 at-bats before the grand slam -- his 100th career home run. He homered for the first time since July 26 against Baltimore."You make a mistake to a guy like that and he's going to put it where he wants to, and he did," Weaver said.The beneficiary of Toronto's offensive outburst was Ricky Romero, who won his fourth straight start for the second time in his career. The left-hander allowed one run and two hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out three.Romero (11-9), who also won four straight in his 2009 rookie season, has an ERA of 1.15 over his past four outings and has allowed just 11 hits in 31 1/3 innings."Just being consistent, throwing strikes, getting quick outs and getting deep into games," Romero said. "There's really no other formula. I'm kind of just going out there and competing. The key for me every time I go deep into games is strike one. That's big with me, and when I do that I feel like I'm in control."The Angels' lone run against Romero came on a leadoff homer by Alberto Callaspo in the fifth."He's got the kind of stuff that he deserves to be an ace on any staff," former teammate Vernon Wells said of Romero.The Blue Jays piled on with three more in the sixth against reliever Joel Pineiro. McDonald singled and went to third when shortstop Andrew Romine made a throwing error on a potential double-play grounder. Thames walked to load the bases for Encarnacion, who drove in a run with a sharp infield single to third. Lind followed with a sacrifice fly, and J.P. Arencibia capped it with an RBI single to center.Trever Miller worked a scoreless eighth, and Luis Perez gave up a sacrifice fly to Mark Trumbo in the ninth.Game notes The eight earned runs against Weaver matched his career high. ... Encarnacion extended his hitting streak to a season-high 12 games. ... Toronto OF Jose Bautista, OF Colby Rasmus and 2B Aaron Hill were all held out of the starting lineup. ... OF Bobby Abreu and SS Erick Aybar didn't start for the Angels. ... Blue Jays LHP Brett Cecil (4-5) will face Angels RHP Dan Haren (12-6) in Sunday's series finale.

Stark: The road to October

2011-08-12T15:20:00.001-07:00

But here comes the bad news: Despite what you may have heard, very possibly from your favorite commissioner of baseball, there's now almost no chance this sport will be expanding the postseason by next year. And it's far from a lead-pipe lock that an expanded postseason will be part of the next labor deal at all. That news may come as a shock to anyone who read Bud Selig's quote a few months ago that this change was "inevitable." But we're getting the impression a crazy thing happened behind the scenes on the way to that inevitability: Nobody has been able to agree on much of anything. Imagine that. We know both sides think expanding the postseason is a swell idea. But beyond that? They're going to need to figure out a whole bunch of details. And we're hearing that part isn't going so hot. We've had to piece this tale together from numerous conversations with people around the sport, because the labor talks are taking place in total secrecy, complete with a pact of silence from everyone involved. But enough tidbits on this particular topic have seeped out to others within the industry that they could at least paint us a picture of where the big roadblocks are located. So here is where it appears they're running into trouble: The players view expanding the postseason as just one piece in a much larger jigsaw puzzle. We know this because union chief Michael Weiner laid out the players' vision last month in a meeting with the Baseball Writers Association of America. Weiner said the players see the expanded postseason as part of an extensive redesign of the regular-season schedule, the October schedule and the whole league and division structure. All those things, he said last month, are "connected." In other words, if baseball wants to start penalizing wild-card teams by forcing them to play an extra wild-card survivor round (or, very possibly, a one-game winner-moves-on, loser-goes-home sudden-death game), that has a bigggg ripple effect. At the moment, as this Yankees-Red Sox race reminds us, what the heck is the difference, when the playoffs start, between what it means to finish first and what it means to make it as a wild card? It's miniscule. That's been proven many times. But if that's about to change -- really change -- the players want to see a radical adjustment to the schedule. If it matters that much who wins the division, shouldn't all the teams in each division be playing basically the same schedule? Of course they should. [+] Enlarge Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesIf commissioner Bud Selig hopes to add two more teams to the postseason mix, he may first have to solve the realignment jigsaw puzzle. And what would have to happen to make that possible? Realignment. That's what. Why? Because you can't map out a "fair" schedule unless all six divisions are the same size and both leagues are the same size. That's Math 101. And we know everybody out there passed Math 101, right? Sure, you did. We won't even make you take a quiz to prove it. But just because all those folks in baseball understand the mathematics doesn't mean they're now raising their hands to say, "Hey Bud, whatever you need us to do to make this happen, you can count on us." That, of course, is the big issue here. There are more people in favor of realignment now than there have ever been in the history of baseball -- just as long as it's somebody else's team that's realigning. Oh, there are teams that would move out of the AL East, but nobody wants to move INTO the AL East. And teams in the West don't want to get stuck in the same division as teams two time zones away. And teams in the Central divisions don't want to play a bunch of road games that end after midnight back home. Get the picture? These same arguments have been going on for months. And there has been so little progress that an official of one club told Rumblings this week, "I don't think there's any chance whatsoever" realignment winds up happening. Why is that? "Who's going to realign?" he replied, pithily. Excellent question. But next week is a big week on that front. How come? Well, there's an owners' meeting next week, in which Jim Crane is scheduled to be approved as the next owner of the Astros. Crane is a pivotal figure in this drama. Pivotal. That's because the other 29 current owners have the right to veto any move of any kind -- to another league, to another division, to any place they don't feel like moving. But Crane doesn't have that right, just because he's the new guy. We keep hearing that he's told Selig behind the scenes that he really doesn't want the Astros to leave the NL Central. But face it. He doesn't have much leverage here. If realignment ever happens, you can bet the Astros will be moving -- somewhere. But where? To the AL West? We're not sure the Mariners, A's and Angels would throw a Welcome to the West party over that announcement. To the NL West? Then some other team -- presumably the Diamondbacks -- would have to shift to the AL West. And of course, they're not wild about that idea. So round and round they go, riding the same Ferris wheel they've been riding for months. The trouble is, we're approaching the point at which something needs to give. Next season's schedule, for instance, has already been tentatively drawn up and circulated -- and needs to be finalized in the next few weeks. We're hearing it looks a lot like this season's schedule, and the season before that, and the season before that. That's why it's no longer feasible to think we'll see any expanded playoffs next year. If that expansion is going to be tied to a major change in the schedule, it's just too late for that. It's not too late -- yet -- for things to change by 2013 and beyond. But the hope within the sport was this labor deal could be wrapped up before the next offseason begins. And that's only two and a half months away. In theory, that's enough time to agree on just about anything -- even issues as major as blowing up the league, division and postseason formats as we've come to know and love them. But ... What happens if the owners get hung up on realignment, can't agree on who would go where and give up on the whole idea -- for this labor go-round, at least? It's very possible the players would decide they aren't ready to go along with expanding the postseason, either. Then a great idea gets tossed onto a back burner, referred to another one of the commish's very special committees or drifts off into space forever. Too bad. Now maybe that isn't how this turns out after all, because this concept is far from dead. But unfortunately, it certainly isn't "inevitable," either. Not anymore. Ready to Rumble • We'd love to believe all the denials coming out of Toronto that the Blue Jays would never, ever steal signs. But other clubs have been buzzing about that possibility since last season. One of the biggest reasons has been the transformation of Jose Bautista -- but not so much in his power numbers as in his amazing ability to lay off tough breaking balls he used to hack at. "This guy could always hit a fastball," one scout said. "But he'd chase so many other pitches, he didn't get in enough hitters' counts to get those fastballs. Now he doesn't chase those pitches. I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen a player make that change and do it that dramatically." Bautista at home last year: 55 walks, 44 strikeouts, .403 OBP, 1.118 OPS. On the road last year: 45 walks, 72 strikeouts, .353 OBP, .879 OPS. His splits this year aren't anywhere near so pronounced. But let's just say AL executives and scouts we surveyed didn't dismiss this sign-stealing flap as preposterous. Nevertheless, said one AL exec, "I'm guessing you won't be seeing a guy in a white shirt holding up his arms there anymore." • The commissioner's office has done its best to crack down this year on the leaking of names of players who made it through waivers. But here's one interesting name we've heard who cleared: Johnny Damon. Teams that spoke with the Rays last month report they never had any "heavy" interest in Damon before the deadline. But he's still viewed as a winning player who could entice an AL contender to make a run at him over the next three weeks. MLBTradeRumors.com doesn't currently project Damon to be a Type A or Type B free agent. So he's not a player the Rays would hold onto just to accumulate a draft pick if he leaves. • One executive did tell us this about the early-August waiver scene: "The Yankees and Red Sox are claiming everyone who can pitch at all." • The Astros don't have to choose the Class A prospect to be named later in the Hunter Pence deal for another two-and-a-half weeks. But there are rumblings out of the Phillies' Florida State League outpost in Clearwater that an injury to one of the minor leaguers believed to be on the Astros' list -- outfielder Leandro Castro -- might be complicating that selection. It isn't clear if Houston has the right to replace Castro with another name. But one Florida State League source said he expects the Astros to attempt to expand their shopping list because of Castro's injury. That has a chance to be an issue. • Teams such as the Yankees clearly backed off their pursuit of Ubaldo Jimenez last month because of concerns he might be hurt. But a source familiar with the Indians' physical of Jimenez reported his MRI came back "remarkably clean" -- cleaner, in fact, than those of many pitchers who are considered completely healthy. • The Indians always recognized the risk involved in trading four players for a pitcher such as Jimenez. They also saw more than just a rare opportunity to deal for a top-of-the-rotation arm who fits into their budget through 2013. They saw an opportunity to acquire a pitcher whose contract runs through what should be his peak years -- and lines up with their window to win. They have Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo under control through 2013; Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner under control through 2012; and Justin Masterson and Chris Perez under control through 2014. So their time is now -- and over the next two years. • As another Orioles season fizzles before our eyes, it's time to wonder if their esteemed president for baseball operations, Andy MacPhail, would be better off moving on to a higher calling -- such as commissioner of baseball, for instance. (That, of course, assumes Selig really does plan to retire at some point in this century. And who would ever assume that? But play along with us, OK?) For years, MacPhail has heard his name dropped as an oft-rumored potential successor to Selig. But one baseball man who has known MacPhail for years has his doubts, saying, "If he did it, he'd do it out of loyalty to the game. But I wouldn't say he has a burning passion to do it. Andy has always been a guy who took pride in the fact that the game does not define him." Stewart • Just two years ago, the only two NL third basemen who out-homered Ian Stewart were Mark Reynolds and Ryan Zimmerman. Now the Rockies have banished Stewart to the minor leagues again, with zero homers (and a .221 slugging percentage) in 136 trips to the plate. And clubs that have spoken to them say the Rockies are openly advertising they'd like to swap their favorite needs-a-change-of-scenery guy for somebody else's needs-a-change-of-scenery guy. The one problem with that scenario is: Other teams suspect Stewart is a non-tender candidate next winter. • Another Rockies tidbit: We're hearing they could take a flyer on J.C. Romero -- who already has been released by the Phillies, Nationals and Yankees this year -- as a third left-hander in their bullpen. Alonso • When Dusty Baker pulled the plug on Yonder Alonso's left field audition after a rough weekend at Wrigley Field, a lot of folks jumped to the conclusion Alonso has no future in Cincinnati. Uh, guess again. Yes, Alonso is blocked at first base by Joey Votto. But the Reds still balked at including Alonso in a Jimenez package, and they still project Alonso as a special bat. So with Votto's long-term future in Cincinnati a very large question mark, the Reds' quest isn't to find somebody to trade this guy to. It's to find a place Alonso can play as long as Votto is hanging out at first. All they've asked Alonso to do in left is avoid trying to do too much, the Reds' vice president for player development and scouting, Bill Bavasi, told Rumblings. So guess what he did when he got to the big leagues and found himself playing left field in Wrigley? "What all kids do," Bavasi said. "He tried to do too much." So they've now backed off on that experiment -- for the time being, anyway -- just because "the whole issue probably needs to settle down a little," Bavasi said. "One thing is for sure, folks at both the major and minor league levels here like and believe in the kid, his hitting and work. Any moves made with him are made to help him find a place to play." • Speaking of the Reds, scouts who have seen Dontrelle Willis are sold, after six starts in which Willis has averaged more than six innings per start and pitched to a 3.41 ERA and even ripped off a 10-strikeout game against Colorado on Tuesday. "That's as good as I've seen him in three or four years," one NL scout said. "He threw strikes. His delivery was a little firmer. He had a good downward angle on everything, as opposed to being quick and open and under everything. He made a lot of good pitches." • Finally, time to hand out our Injury of the Week award -- to Brewers pitcher Chris Narveson. He was hanging out in the clubhouse Tuesday in St. Louis, decided he wasn't happy with the laces on his glove, grabbed a pair of scissors to perform some minor glove surgery and accidentally sliced up his left thumb. Eight stitches later, he was heading for the disabled list. Oops! Five Astounding Facts (Friday edition)

Ramirez homers as Marmol, Cubs hold off Nats

2011-08-11T15:23:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO -- Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena hit back-to-back homers and the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 Thursday.Ramirez's two-run shot in the seventh was his 21st of the season, and gave him 16 homers since June 25, the most in the major leagues since then. Pena followed Ramirez with a clout that curled around the pole in right field and landed on Sheffield Avenue and put the Cubs up 4-1.Ryan Dempster (10-8) limited Washington to a first-inning home run by Ryan Zimmerman and went seven innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out six.Washington loaded the bases and scored a run in the ninth against Carlos Marmol, but he recovered to get his 26th save.Wilson Ramos hit a high chopper off Marmol that he beat out for an infield single, scoring Jonny Gomes. But Marmol struck out Brian Bixler and got Rick Ankiel on a fly ball to the wall in center to end the game.Marmol has converted seven straight saves since returning to the closer's role on July 31.Washington also scored a run in the eighth, when pinch-hitter Bixler hit an infield single. Ankiel followed with a single, but Cubs reliever Kerry Wood struck out Danny Espinosa and Zimmerman.Wood has struck out the last eight batters he's faced, tying the Cubs' record by a reliever since the mounds were lowered in 1969.Washington starter Jordan Zimmermann (7-10) allowed four runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven.The Cubs have won nine of their last 11 games and got their third straight series win at home, something they hadn't done since 2009.Zimmermann held the Cubs to one run on six hits through six innings but ran into trouble after striking out the first two batters of the seventh. Johnson laced his third single of the game into left field. Ramirez followed with a shot into the left-field bleachers, putting the Cubs up 3-1 before Pena's homer chased Zimmermann.Dempster won his third straight start and reached 10 wins for fourth straight season. He's won 10 or more seven times in career. Only Fergie Jenkins (15) and Reggie Cleveland (8) have more 10-win seasons among Canadian-born pitchers.Alfonso Soriano hit an RBI triple and Reed Johnson added three singles for Chicago. Johnson went 7 for 8 at the plate over the last two games of the series.Zimmerman opened the scoring in the first when he homered onto Waveland Avenue beyond the left-field bleachers to extend his hitting streak to 19 games, the second-longest active streak in the big leagues behind the 31-game streak of Atlanta's Dan Uggla.The 91 first-inning runs the Cubs have allowed are most in baseball.Chicago tied it in the fourth on Soriano's RBI triple. Right fielder Jayson Werth dove for the ball but it clipped the end of this glove and rolled to the wall. Byrd scored and Soriano wound up at third with his first triple since Aug. 23 of last season.Zimmermann reached 145 innings for the season, leaving him two or three starts left before he reaches his limit of 160 for the season. He had Tommy John surgery nearly two years ago.Game notes Cubs starter Andrew Cashner completed a bullpen session before Thursday's game with no problems, the latest step in his recovery from a strained right rotator cuff. Asked if he expected to be back before the end of the season, Cashner said, "There is no doubt in my mind.". The Cubs travel to Atlanta for a three-game weekend series against the Braves, the first leg of a six-game road trip that will also stop in Houston. Carlos Zambrano is set to face Atlanta's Mike Minor on Friday. Zambrano has hit 23 career HRs. He tied Walter Johnson for ninth among pitchers with his homer off Johnny Cueto on Aug. 6. Zambrano is 0-4 with a 6.24 ERA in last 10 starts against Atlanta since July 13, 2003. . The Nationals' Livan Hernandez will start the opener for Washington against Philadelphia's Cole Hamels. Hernandez hasn't won at Citizens Bank Park since May 31, 2006. . Washington's Michael Morse had to leave the game after being hit on the elbow by a pitch. . Despite an announced crowd of 34,733, just about half the seats were actually occupied on a picturesque afternoon at Wrigley Field. Thursday's game was a makeup of Monday's rainout. It was the Cubs' lowest announced crowd since their June 1 game against Houston.

The Dog Days of August: Los Angeles Angels

2011-08-10T15:18:00.001-07:00

Jered Weaver isn't just battling Justin Verlander for the AL Cy Young Award, he's having a season for the ages, with a 1.78 ERA and 36 runs allowed in 24 starts. He's yet to allow more than four runs in a game this season, and he's allowed four just twice. Weaver is going to have to keep this up, however, because the Angels don't score many runs -- they're 13th in the American League, averaging 3.85 per game. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot Who needs to step up? The Angels are paying Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter a combined $45.1 million in 2011 -- or more than the entire roster of the Tampa Bay Rays. Wells has 16 home runs, but an abysmal .243 on-base percentage. Yes, that's on-base percentage, not batting average. He's hitting .174 since the All-Star break. Hunter is better, but his .722 OPS is still lower than Alberto Callaspo's. -- David Schoenfield, SweetSpot Key stat: defensive runs saved

Brewers keep rolling behind Fielder and Greinke

2011-08-07T15:23:00.001-07:00

HOUSTON -- Zack Greinke tied a season high by going seven innings and Prince Fielder homered to help the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Houston Astros 7-3 Sunday for their sixth straight win.Fielder had three hits and scored four runs for the Brewers, who have won 11 of their last 12 games.Mark Kotsay added three hits and an RBI in place of the injured Corey Hart.Greinke (10-4) allowed a run and four hits. He's won his last three starts and kept opponents to two earned runs or fewer in his last six.Houston starter Bud Norris (5-8) tied a season high by allowing six runs. He gave up eight hits in five innings.

Big Z homers, beats Reds for Cubs' 7th straight

2011-08-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO -- Carlos Zambrano homered and pitched six solid innings, and the streaking Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-4 on Saturday.The Cubs pounded Reds starter Johnny Cueto for five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings and have won seven straight games for the first time since Aug. 23-29, 2008. Starlin Castro drove in four runs for Chicago, his highest RBI total since he drove in six in his major league debut May 5, 2010. He doubled and singled, raising his NL-best hit total to 148.Carlos Pena doubled twice, walked, was hit by a pitch and drove in three runs for Chicago. Aramis Ramirez reached base four times on two singles, a walk and a hit by pitch and scored twice.Alfonso Soriano also was on base four times and scored twice. He singled, doubled and drew a pair of walks. Reed Johnson singled, doubled and scored three runs.Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips had to leave the game with a sprained right ankle after colliding with center fielder Drew Stubbs in the fourth. Phillips was able to finish the inning but was removed for pinch hitter Todd Frazier in the fifth.Zambrano (9-6) overcome early control problems. He allowed six hits and four walks and struck out six. One of the top hitting pitchers, Zambrano's solo homer in the third opened the scoring for Chicago and gave him seven career homers against Cincinnati.Cueto (7-5) hadn't allowed more than three earned runs over a span of 17 starts dating to last season but allowed season highs in hits and runs. The homer he allowed to Zambrano ended a streak of six starts without a long ball.Yonder Alonso drove in two runs and hit his first major league homer for the Reds, who have lost four of five and 11 of their last 15 on the road.Both pitchers started the game off with control problems. After retiring the first two Reds, Zambrano walked the bases full before striking out Miguel Cairo to end the threat.In the bottom of the first, Cueto hit Ramirez and Pena with two outs, but got Marlon Byrd on a groundout to escape the inning unscathed.None of the seven baserunners the starters allowed in the first two innings reached via a hit. Edgar Renteria snapped the string with a leadoff single in the third. He scored on Cairo's two-out bloop single to right. That was followed by Alonso's solid run-scoring single to left.Cueto entered the game with a 1.72 ERA and had allowed just one run over his past 20 innings but the Cubs responded to their early deficit by jumping on the hard-throwing righty and knocking him out of the game before he could escape the fourth.Zambrano started the rally by golfing a low pitch well into the right-field bleachers for his second homer of the season. It was the 23rd career homer for Zambrano, moving him into a tie with Walter Johnson for ninth on the all-time list for home runs as a pitcher.Cueto allowed seven hits, five runs, three walks, a homer, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch in 3 2/3 innings, striking out two.The Cubs broke the game open in the fifth with five runs against Cincinnati reliever Sam LeCure.The Reds matched their season high by committing three errors in the game.Game notes Tony Campana wasn't in the Cubs' lineup one day after his career-best game on Friday that featured three hits and his first career home run. Manager Mike Quade said that he'll continue using Campana as a bench player and occasional starter for the time being. After wavering slightly in his pregame talk with the media on Friday, Quade said that Rodrigo Lopez will make his next start despite his poor recent outings in which he's allowed 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings. Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman had a streak of 10 1/3 hitless innings snapped on Friday. It was the longest such streak by a Reds reliever since Chuck McElroy had 11 1/3 hitless innings from April 25 to May 17, 1994. Reds manager Dusty Baker said Chapman wasn't even aware that he had a streak going. Chris Heisey was held out of the Reds' lineup for the third straight game because of a sore oblique muscle caused by a batting practice swing Wednesday in Houston. Baker said that the team is not yet thinking of placing Heisey on the disabled list, but he wasn't sure when he would be able to return to action. The Cubs and Reds wrap up their three-game weekend series on Sunday. Bronson Arroyo will start for Cincinnati looking for his first win since June 25. He's 0-3 with three no decisions over that stretch. He's fared well at Wrigley Field, however, going 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA over his past five starts there. Randy Wells will take the mound for Chicago. He's 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA lifetime against the Reds, but he's struggled overall this season, having allowed a home run in 10 of his 13 starts. Zambrano has now driven in a run at the plate and earned a victory in the same game 38 times in his career, breaking a tie with Washington's Livan Hernandez for the most among active players.

Chirinos, Jennings rally Rays past Jays in 12

2011-08-04T15:20:00.001-07:00

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- If the Tampa Bay Rays are going to make a push for another playoff berth, they'll likely need help from newcomers like Desmond Jennings and Robinson Chirinos.The rookies were major contributors Thursday, helping the defending AL East champions rally twice in extra innings to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.Jennings' solo homer in the 10th made it 4-all. Chirinos tied it again in the 11th with a two-out, pinch-hit single up the middle against Shawn Camp (1-2) and then won it with another two-out single in the 12th.A third rookie, right-hander Brandon Gomes (1-1), pitched one scoreless inning for his first major league win."Those guys are showing they definitely belong in the big leagues," Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon said."It's not like we have to wait for them to be good. I feel very confident in them," manager Joe Maddon added. "Obviously, they lack experience. Obviously they need to be tested in even hotter moments than today. But I think they can achieve in those moments because their makeup is so good, combined with their skill level."Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the 12th on B.J. Upton's one-out triple and a pair of intentional walks. One out later, Chirinos grounded a single off Camp past diving shortstop Yunel Escobar.The Rays said Chirinos became the first rookie with separate tying and winning hits in extra innings of the same game since Nick Green did it for the Atlanta Braves against the Boston Red Sox on July 2, 2004.Slumping slugger Evan Longoria, who entered the day on a 3-for-33 slide that dropped his batting average to .226, hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 33rd home run for Toronto, a solo shot off Wade Davis that made it 3-all in the eighth."It was a tough game. We jumped out quick, got a couple of runs but didn't have many opportunities for six straight (innings)," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. "Jose hit the home run to get the game back tied and ... pump some life back into us."The Blue Jays took a brief lead in the 10th when Colby Rasmus delivered a RBI double for his biggest hit since being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in an eight-player trade on July 27. Reliever Jon Rauch blew a save chance in the bottom half when Jennings hit a leadoff homer.Jose Molina's two-run triple off Juan Cruz put Toronto ahead in the 11th. Matt Joyce's RBI grounder pulled Tampa Bay within a run before Chirinos singled to extend the game once again.In the 12th, Chirinos liked his chances."He was the one in trouble," Chirinos said, describing the final at-bat against Camp. "He had to throw strikes. ... You win and you see everybody smiling and happy, it's just a great feeling."It was a difficult loss for the Blue Jays, who had a chance to win three consecutive series for the first time since mid-May."I think any time you lose a game late, those are tough to take," Farrell said. "You work all day to get yourself into a position, you present yourself the position and it is not converted."Longoria homered off Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil to erase a 2-0 deficit in the fifth.Davis, meanwhile, got off to a shaky start for the second straight outing. He gave up five first-inning runs at Oakland last week but then settled down and didn't allow any more over the next five to give the Rays a chance to rally to beat the Athletics.The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs in the first when Rasmus doubled and Davis walked Escobar and Bautista. Adam Lind's single, snapping a career-worst 0-for-22 streak, drove in one run and another scored when Edwin Encarnacion grounded into a double play.Cecil limited the Rays to one hit -- Casey Kotchman's two-out single in the fourth -- until Justin Ruggiano and Jennings singled in the fifth. Damon kept the inning going by hustling up the first base to avoid grounding into a double play, setting up Longoria's first-pitch homer that put the Rays ahead 3-2.Game notes The Rays have especially struggled offensively at Tropicana Field. While they lead the majors in runs scored on the road with 294, they're 29th at home with 177. They matched their season high at the Trop with nine in a 9-1 victory over Toronto on Wednesday night but remain one of two AL teams that have yet to score 10 or more in a home game this season. ... Rays right-hander Jeff Niemann starts the opener of a weekend series against Oakland on Friday night. He went 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts in July. His ERA during the month ranked second in the majors to CC Sabathia's 0.92. Niemann is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and one shutout lifetime against the Athletics. ... Left-hander Brad Mills will make his second start of the season for Toronto when the Blue Jays continue their six-game road trip at Baltimore on Friday. He lost his season debut 3-0 to the Texas Rangers, allowing two runs over seven innings. ... The Blue Jays purchased the contract of infielder Brett Lawrie from Triple-A Las Vegas. In addition, left-hander Luis Perez was recalled from Las Vegas, outfielder Travis Snider was optioned to the Triple-A club and right-hander Carlos Villanueva was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain.

Uggla pushes hit streak to 25, Braves top Nats

2011-08-03T15:20:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON -- When his batting average dipped to .173 on July 4 and every hard-hit ball seemingly turned into an out, Dan Uggla never lost faith that he would pull out of his horrific slump.That is precisely what happened, in extraordinary fashion.Uggla homered and extended his career-best hitting streak to 25 games, Freddie Freeman had two hits and two RBIs, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep. Uggla went 2 for 4, including a three-run drive that put the Braves up 6-0 in the fifth inning. His hitting streak is Atlanta's longest since Marquis Grissom put together a 28-game run in 1996.In his first 86 games, Uggla had 12 homers and 29 RBIs. During his streak, he's batting .354 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs."The first couple months, I was hitting the ball hard but had some awful, awful luck," Uggla said. "You stay positive, keep grinding out some at-bats, get a couple to fall through, get a little confidence going and keep going from there."No one in the majors currently has a longer hitting streak."It's just a matter of time," he said. "There was a never a time that I believed what was going on the first couple of months was going to continue."Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez felt the same way about Uggla, who joined the Braves during the offseason after a successful five-year run with Florida."You don't explain it. You believe the back of the baseball card. You believe the history," Gonzalez said. "For whatever reason, who knows, we're all human, maybe the first two months there was some anxiety or pressure about coming over to a new organization. "Uggla isn't the only Atlanta player with a sizzling bat. Freeman has hit in 18 consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors this season by a rookie."(Uggla) and Freeman are both hot as firecrackers," Gonzalez said.Jayson Werth homered and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits for the Nationals, whose four-game winning streak ended.Braves rookie Brandon Beachy (5-2) took a four-hit shutout into the sixth but failed to get another out. A walk, two singles, two wild pitches and a two-run homer by Werth pulled Washington to 6-4, and after reliever Anthony Varvaro walked Laynce Nix, rain delayed the game for 22 minutes."The rain didn't help us any," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said.Atlanta held on, remaining one of only two teams in the majors (with Philadelphia) that haven't been swept this season in a series of at least three games.Rookie Craig Kimbrel, the fourth Braves reliever, worked a perfect ninth for his 32nd save in 37 triesWashington starter Chien-Ming Wang (0-2), making his second start in his return from a shoulder operation in July 2009, allowed six runs and seven hits in five innings. Four of the runs were unearned, the result of his own miscue in Atlanta's four-run fifth."Everything was a lot crisper. He looked stronger," Johnson said. "I thought his ball was moving more. I was pleased."Wang was better than in his debut, but not good enough."I didn't complete my job today," he said through an interpreter. "I didn't help the team to win the game."The fifth inning began with a throwing error by Wang, which enabled Beachy to reach second base. Beachy was eventually thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a one-out grounder to third. But Freeman followed with an RBI single and Uggla drove a 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats. It was his 23rd homer and third in two games."Just that one pitch changed the game," Wang said.Washington relievers pitched four perfect innings, but by then the damage had been done.The Braves jumped on top with a two-run first inning ignited by newcomer Michael Bourn, obtained Sunday in a five-player trade with Houston. After getting a leadoff single, Bourne notched his major-league leading 40th stolen base before scoring on a groundout by Freeman. Uggla then beat out a bouncer to third, advanced on a walk and came home on a two-out single by Alex GonzalezBeachy, who blanked Florida on two hits over 7 1/3 innings in his previous outing, extended his run of success until stumbling in the fifth. He allowed four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings.Game notes Zimmerman has hit in 12 straight games, the team's longest streak of the year. He has seven multi-hit games during that span. ... Freeman has reached base in 40 of his last 44 games. ... The Braves get Thursday off before opening a three-game road series against the New York Mets. ... After a 4-5 homestand, the Nationals send Ross Detwiler (1-0) to the mound Thursday night to open a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Detwiler, who is usually used out of the bullpen, will be making his first start since July 5.

CC nabs MLB-best 16th win as Yankees hold on

2011-08-02T15:11:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO -- CC Sabathia has been on a roll for 2½ months now, racking up the innings and strikeouts while piling up the wins for the New York Yankees.The big left-hander gave up 10 hits Monday night, matching a season high, and it may have been one of his most impressive performances to date. Sabathia pitched eight strong innings to earn his major league-best 16th win and the Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Monday for their fourth consecutive victory."I thought he had to gut it up because his stuff wasn't as sharp as we've seen it in the past," manager Joe Girardi said. "He's a true ace."Sabathia managed to wiggle out of trouble all night as the White Sox struggled to score without injured slugger Paul Konerko. They put the tying run in scoring position in the fifth, sixth and seventh and came away with nothing each time."When a guy gets into scoring position off of CC Sabathia, he pumps it up," said Gordon Beckham, who finished with two hits for Chicago. "He was hitting 98 in the seventh or eighth inning. It's frustrating, yeah, but we battled against him and we just came up short."Sabathia (16-5) improved to 9-1 with a 1.76 ERA in his last 10 starts, burnishing his credentials for a second AL Cy Young Award. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his last 21 outings."I had to battle a little bit and just try to make pitches," he said. "They put some good at-bats together on me, hit some balls hard and me and Cervy (catcher Francisco Cervelli) were able to get out of some tough situations."Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 28th save in 32 chances and second in as many days.Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which has lost three straight games. Ramirez and A.J. Pierzynski also had two hits apiece.White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy (4-5) settled down after a rough start and pitched seven effective innings. The 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner gave up three runs and eight hits, but still dropped his fourth consecutive decision."Tonight I tried to pace myself and I felt a little bit better going deeper in the ballgame," Peavy said. "That's a great sign for me and I'm excited by it."Both teams were without their captains for the opener of the four-game series. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter rested with a bruised right middle finger and is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday, but Konerko could miss the next couple of days with a bruised left calf.Both All-Stars were injured when they were hit by a pitch on Sunday."I can't bear any weight," Konerko said. "That's probably the main thing. Just very weak. That's very normal where I got hit. Just keep working at it."The inconsistent White Sox trail AL Central-leading Detroit by 4½ games, and could lose more ground if they are without their best player for a prolonged stretch. Konerko leads Chicago regulars with a .305 batting average, 25 homers and 76 RBIs.His absence was felt almost immediately.Fill-in first baseman Adam Dunn made a nice diving stop on Brett Gardner's leadoff grounder in the first, but couldn't get the ball out of his glove in time to retire the speedy outfielder. Curtis Granderson followed with a run-scoring double into the right-field corner and came around to score when Robinson Cano's hard, one-out grounder skipped past Dunn for an RBI single.Dunn also struck out in each of his last three at-bats, including with a runner on to end the sixth and the eighth. He went 0 for 4 against Sabathia and is 3-for-77 with 35 strikeouts against lefties this year.The burly slugger, who signed with Chicago over the winter, once again heard more jeers from a frustrated crowd of 24,142 at U.S. Cellular Field.Granderson scored on Cano's double-play grounder to give New York a 3-0 lead in the third, but the Yankees struggled after their fast start. They recorded six of their eight hits in the first three innings.Game notes Girardi said 3B Alex Rodriguez (right knee surgery) is expected to resume baseball activities on Thursday at the team's spring facility in Florida. ... RHP Ivan Nova will start the series finale Thursday, giving New York a six-man rotation for at least the next week. The move provides some extra rest for aging starters Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, and likely sets up a competition between Phil Hughes and Nova for a starting spot. Hughes is scheduled to face LHP John Danks on Tuesday. ... Peavy threw a season-high 115 pitches.

Verlander flirts with no-no as Tigers beat Angels

2011-07-31T15:19:00.001-07:00

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander came within four outs of another no-hitter, outpitching an angry Jered Weaver as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Sunday in a testy game that grew particularly heated in the late innings.Maicer Izturis lined an RBI single to left field with two outs in the eighth for the Angels' only hit. Verlander (15-5) was trying for his third career no-hitter and second this season.Weaver was ejected for throwing a pitch over Alex Avila's head in the seventh, right after Carlos Guillen showboated on a solo home run -- infuriating the right-hander.Guillen flipped his bat, posed at the plate and skipped a few steps sideways, prompting Weaver to yell at him before Guillen rounded the bases.Sensing trouble was coming, plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt warned both benches. But Weaver threw the next pitch near Avila's head and was quickly ejected along with Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia.Knowing he would be tossed, Weaver started walking off the field immediately, gesturing angrily and cursing in the direction of Detroit's bench.Verlander was attempting to become the fourth pitcher since 1900 to throw three career no-hitters, joining Bob Feller (three), Sandy Koufax (four) and Nolan Ryan (seven). Verlander pitched a no-hitter at Toronto in May and has lost two more bids in the eighth inning this year.In a marquee matchup of All-Star aces, Verlander allowed two unearned runs and two walks in eight innings, striking out nine. Jose Valverde worked the ninth for his 28th save in 28 tries.Weaver (14-5) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings.Verlander walked Bobby Abreu in the fourth, ending any hopes of a perfect game, and walked him again in the seventh. Vernon Wells hit a ball to the warning track in the seventh, but Andy Dirks made the catch.Magglio Ordonez hit a two-run homer off Weaver in the third. Weaver yelled at Ordonez as he rounded the bases, apparently thinking he had been posing as he watched the shot, which barely stayed fair.That apparently led to the trouble with Guillen when he homered in the seventh.Guillen skipped slowly toward first, glaring out at Weaver as the pitcher screamed at him.There was more to come, too. Erick Aybar tried to bunt for a hit leading off the eighth against Verlander, often considered a violation of baseball etiquette when a pitcher has a no-hitter going in the late innings.This was a questionable case of that unwritten rule, however, because the Angels were trailing only 3-0 in a game between playoff contenders.Aybar reached second when Verlander threw the ball away for an error, and the right-hander started at him as he stood on the bag.Aybar scored from third when the Tigers botched a rundown. Izturis' single made it 3-2, but Verlander threw a 101 mph fastball to strike out Torii Hunter and end the inning.Game notes The giveaway for kids in attendance was a poster commemorating, of all things, Verlander's no-hitter against Toronto in May. ... For several moments in the eighth inning, the Comerica Park scoreboard listed the Angels as leading 8-3 despite not having a hit. ... Despite the tension between the teams, Valverde did his normal dance after recording the final out. ... Before Izturis' single, the closest the Angels came to a hit was Alberto Callaspo's hard grounder in the second inning. Guillen made a backhand stop at second.

Moreland backs Holland as Rangers blank Jays

2011-07-30T15:37:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- A feisty mound meeting with manager Ron Washington sure fired up Derek Holland.Holland pitched a four-hitter to win his fourth straight decision, Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli homered and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Saturday."You could tell from the get-go that Holland was on his game," Moreland said. Holland (10-4) reached double digits in victories for the first time and improved to 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA since losing to Florida on July 2. The left-hander has pitched three shutouts in that span, blanking Oakland on July 7 and following that with a shutout of Seattle on July 14."His stuff was great today," Napoli said. "When he started throwing in the bullpen I knew he had some good stuff and he brought it into the game. He had a good fastball and he mixed in some off-speed when he had to. The ball was moving all over the place."Holland, who walked one and struck out five, leads the AL with four shutouts this season and is tied with Philadelphia left-hander Cliff Lee for the major league lead. He and catcher Napoli embraced in front of the mound following the final out. Holland threw just 95 pitches, including 69 strikes.After Moreland homered off Blue Jays left-hander Brad Mills in the top of the second, Holland faced his only jam in the bottom half, issuing a two-out walk to Rajai Davis, then throwing the ball away on John McDonald's bunt to put runners at second and third. That's when Washington came to the mound to deliver a short, sharp message."I told him how important that inning was," Washington said. "We had just put two runs up there. He got two quick outs and then he walks a guy and didn't make a play that he should make. The last thing we need is for him to let those runs score. Then I left."Washington didn't have to come back the rest of the day. Moreland struck out J.P. Arencibia looking to end the inning, starting a stretch of 12 consecutive outs. The Blue Jays didn't have another runner reach scoring position.Holland didn't know what was going on when his manager first popped out of the dugout."I thought he was going to argue the call or something," he said. "I didn't think anything of it."Once Washington's stern message had been received, however, Holland was ready to go."It fired me up," Holland said. "I know I'm better than that. I shouldn't have been making those two-out mistakes. Especially after the offense just gave us some run support, I'm supposed to go out there and shut them down. I wasn't doing a very good job that inning."Washington said if Holland had allowed even one base runner in the ninth, he would have called closer Neftali Feliz in to finish. That wasn't necessary. Colby Rasmus grounded out, Jose Bautista struck out looking and Holland deflected Adam Lind's hard grounder to shortstop, where Omar Quintanilla made the final out."From previous seasons he's improved a large amount," Lind said of Holland. "You used to see fastballs and sliders but now he's locating his fastball to both sides of the plate with a slider and curveball."Bautista had two of the four hits off Holland, the first of which was an opening-inning infield pop-up that got lost in the sun. The Blue Jays slugger also hit a two-out single to left in the sixth but Lind ended the inning by grounding to the mound. Arencibia reached on a one-out infield single in the eighth, but Aaron Hill followed by grounding into a double play.Napoli singled to begin the second and Moreland followed with a line drive homer to right-center, his 13th. It was Moreland's first career homer off a left-hander.Making his first start of the season, Mills (0-1) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, matching a career-high.Napoli made it 3-0 with a solo shot to center in the eighth, his 15th.Rangers infielder Ian Kinsler snapped an 0-for-20 slump with a leadoff single to left in the fifth. Kinsler had been held hitless in his previous four games.Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar was ejected in the sixth for arguing a call at first base. Escobar jumped up and down in anger after he was called out on a groundball up the middle, arguing with umpire Marvin Hudson that Kinsler's throw had pulled Michael Young off the bag.Hill replaced Escobar and played second base, with McDonald moving from second to shortstop.Rasmus went 0 for 4 and is 0 for 12 with a walk in three games since being traded to Toronto on Wednesday.Game notes Texas OF Nelson Cruz, who left Friday's game with a tight left quadriceps muscle, was held out of the starting lineup. SS Elvis Andrus also didn't start after tweaking his sore right knee Friday. OF Josh Hamilton was held out of the starting lineup but came on defensively in the ninth. ... Lind started at DH and is expected to get the day off Sunday. ... Mills started in place of LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, who was designated for assignment last week. ... Holland is two shutouts shy of matching the club record for shutouts in a season shared by Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins (1974) and Bert Blyleven (1976). ... Holland is the second Texas pitcher to record three shutouts in a month. The others are Jenkins (1974) and Gaylord Perry (1975).

Stark: Ranking the trade chips

2011-07-29T15:20:00.001-07:00

Jayson Stark covers the latest trade rumors on Hunter Pence, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda, Aramis Ramirez, Heath Bell and more. More Podcasts " But even if the Reds and Yankees back off, the Rockies still have several potential trade partners out there -- particularly the Red Sox and Indians. Teams that have spoken with Boston seem certain they WILL add at least one starter by the deadline. And an executive of a club that has been in touch with Cleveland says the Indians are sending signals that their list of "untouchables" in lesser deals wouldn't apply for someone like Jimenez. That could mean names such as Alex White and Drew Pomeranz would be in play for a pitcher whose talent and contract fit perfectly into the Indians' blueprint. And if that's the case, the Rockies could have the makings of a deal. If not, Colorado continues to tell clubs it's fine with keeping Jimenez if it doesn't get its price. 3. Heath Bell Was it only 24 hours ago that people were predicting a trade of Bell -- most likely to Texas -- could happen "quickly"? Yep. It sure was. But it appears the Padres got bogged down Thursday in a world in which the teams they were speaking with had too many other balls in the air. The Phillies, for instance, continue to have strong interest in a much bigger deal with San Diego that could involve Mike Adams, Ryan Ludwick, Brown and quite a few other names. But that deal would disappear if the Phillies trade for Pence. So the Padres appear to be playing a waiting game on that front until Pence's status gets resolved. The Braves and Indians also have interest in Ludwick and the Padres' relievers. But they too have a bunch of other options. Then there's Texas, a team that seems to be in pursuit of just about every name you've ever read in Rumor Central in your lifetime. And that complicates their dealings with the Padres, as well. Other clubs still expect the Rangers to wind up with Bell. In fact, an official of one team who has been speaking with them went so far as to call it "a lock." But an executive of another club said Texas believes it's the only team out there that's pursuing Bell and truly matches up with the Padres' shopping needs. So Texas continues to balk at the asking price, which could be up to three of the Rangers' top dozen prospects, according to one executive who has spoken with both teams. But Bell told reporters Thursday he's virtually certain he'll get traded in the next two days. And our best bet, here at the Daily Rumble, is he's right. 4. B.J. Upton

Trumbo's five RBIs lead Angels past Tigers

2011-07-28T15:18:00.001-07:00

DETROIT -- Mark Trumbo isn't your typical seventh hitter.The Los Angeles Angels rookie proved that again Thursday, putting together the biggest game of his young career to help the Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 12-7.Trumbo homered and drove in a career-high five runs, and is now hitting .256 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs this season."Power and production are what I need to do," he said. "That's what first basemen are known for."He also tripled, doubled and scored three times. Needing a single for the cycle, he grounded out leading off the ninth inning."I had an idea what I needed, because I'm usually aware of what I've done in the game," he said of his last at-bat. "It was in the back of my mind, and if it happened, great, but I had already produced in the game."Bobby Cassevah (1-0) worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for the win."What Bobby did kept us in the game," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That was just a big outing, and hopefully, he'll keep contributing like that, because he has a big arm."Trumbo hit a two-run homer in the Angels' three-run second. He tripled in the fourth and doubled in the seventh.Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected in the third for arguing that a pitch had hit Austin Jackson."That's a tough call for an umpire, because the knob of the bat and the hand come together, but Austin has a bruise the size of a baseball on his hand," Leyland said. "I talked to Jerry after the game, and there's no problem. It is just one of those things that happens. You have to defend your players."Los Angeles led 7-6 after six innings, then scored five times in the seventh. Tigers reliever David Purcey started the inning, but gave up a single and two walks without getting an out. Phil Coke came on and allowed a two-run single to Howie Kendrick and Trumbo's two-run double.After the Angels' three-run second, the Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Miguel Cabrera's 22nd homer -- a 428-foot drive that landed in the shrubbery above the center-field fence.Detroit made it 3-2 on Brennan Boesch's RBI single in the third, but the Angels scored four more in the fourth.Kendrick started the inning with an infield single and Trumbo followed with a triple. Peter Bourjos hit his second double of the game to put Los Angeles up 5-2, which resulted in Tigers starter Brad Penny yelling at catcher Victor Martinez. The two were calmed down by pitching coach Jeff Jones, but Penny was pulled two batters later after Erick Aybar's RBI single.Penny downplayed the incident, saying it was a discussion about how Martinez was calling the signs with a runner on second base, but the catcher refused to talk about the incident."Next question," Martinez said. "Don't ask about that."Trumbo was startled by the argument."I've seen stuff like that before, but I've never heard it as loud as that," he said.Penny (7-8) gave up seven runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings.Charlie Furbush allowed an RBI single to Torii Hunter, making it 7-2, but the Tigers scored four times in the bottom half.Jhonny Peralta and Boesch had RBI singles, while Andy Dirks drove in two runs with a base hit.Wilson Betemit finished the scoring with a homer off Scott Downs in the eighth.Game notes Former Tigers closer Fernando Rodney was booed when he came in to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh inning. ... Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque did not pitch after being bothered by a sore elbow during Detroit's visit to Chicago. Alburquerque was on the disabled list from June 30 to July 16 with the same problem.

MLB admits umpire missed call in Pirates game

2011-07-27T15:13:00.001-07:00

MLB Executive VP of Baseball Operations Joe Torre says it appeared to him that umpire Jerry Meals missed the call at the end of the Pirates-Braves game. He talks about whether replay could help the games and what happens with the Pirates' formal complaint. More Podcasts " In the bottom of the 19th, with the Braves and Pirates locked in a 3-3 duel, Atlanta's Scott Proctor hit a ground ball off Pittsburgh's Daniel McCutchen to third base. Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez fielded it and threw home to catcher Michael McKenry, who appeared to apply the tag to Atlanta's Julio Lugo before Lugo touched the base. Meals called Lugo safe.

Padres chase Lee to avoid sweep in Philadelphia

2011-07-25T15:17:00.001-07:00

PHILADELPHIA -- Chris Denorfia robbed a home run in one game and stole home in the next.Denorfia sparked San Diego with its first steal of home since 2005. It had only seemed that long since the Padres were able to defeat Philadelphia.Aaron Harang outpitched Cliff Lee, Denorfia stole home and the San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies for the first time in more than a year, 5-4 on Monday.Harang (9-2) gave up four runs in six innings to help the Padres avoid a four-game sweep and defeat the Phillies for the first time since June 7, 2010. The Phillies had beaten the Padres 10 straight times, their second-longest streak against them since winning 11 from 2004-06.Lee (9-7) lasted only four innings, his second-shortest outing of the season. He allowed 10 hits, five runs and made a pickoff blunder that allowed Denorfia to steal home.His soft toss to first gave Denorfia the opening he needed to bolt from third and give the Padres a 3-1 lead."I started to walk and when it looked like a pick, I took off," Denorfia said.Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his 29th save. Domonic Brown opened the ninth with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice. Ross Gload, who leads the majors with 13 pinch hits, struck out swinging on a 95 mph fastball. Bell retired Jimmy Rollins on a flyout to save it for Harang.Harang improved to 4-0 with 2.17 ERA over his last nine starts."He kept us in the game and our hitters did a good job," Padres manager Bud Black said.Not Lee.After the Phillies staked Lee to a 1-0 lead, he unraveled in the second. Lee, who had allowed only three runs over 14 innings in his last two starts, gave up four in the inning.Jesus Guzman led off the inning with a double and scored on Rob Johnson's tying double. Johnson came around on Denorfia's single to left. Denorfia advanced to second on the throw home, stole third, then scored when Lee attempted to pick off Jason Bartlett at first. Chase Headley's RBI double to center made it 4-1 and the Phillies couldn't recover.Lee said he soft-tossed to first because he saw Bartlett wasn't trying to steal. His rare mental mistake was all Denorfia needed to become the first Padre to steal home since Mark Sweeney on July 6, 2005."That's the first time that's ever happened," Lee said. "I didn't even consider that as a possibility right there. Next time I'm in that situation, I need to make a more firm throw to first and not allow that to happen."Denorfia's steal came a day after he sprinted with his back to home plate, twisted his body at the last second and extended his arm over the short wall to rob Raul Ibanez.The Phillies held a Christmas in July promotion and fans brought signs that read "Merry Cliff-Mas." There was little good cheer after Ryan Ludwick's sacrifice fly made it 5-1.The Padres, in last place in the NL West, snapped a three-game losing streak. They did it without getting a hit after the fifth inning.The loss appeared to be just a minor blip for the Phillies. They open a three-game series Tuesday at home with defending World Series champion San Francisco. The Giants eliminated the Phillies in last year's NL Championship Series."I don't walk around saying I want revenge on these guys," Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino said. "Revenge would be bringing the trophy back to Philly."There's plenty of time for that, and the Phillies should have a familiar arm in the bullpen to help them chase the championships.Philadelphia's highlight came in the seventh when former closer Brad Lidge made his season debut. Lidge had been out with a partially torn rotator cuff. He threw 11 pitches in a scoreless inning of work and received a standing ovation as he left the mound. Lidge will forever be remembered in Philadelphia for going 48 for 48 on save opportunities in 2008 when he led the Phillies to the World Series championship.The Phillies squandered two big scoring chances that could have led to a sweep.In the eighth, Victorino was stranded on third after a two-out triple. And Ryan Howard was easily thrown out at home on Victorino's two-out double off the right-field wall in the first.Brown's first career triple and Carlos Ruiz's run-scoring single in the fourth off Harang cut it to 5-3. Ibanez added an RBI single in the sixth.Denorfia collided with right fielder Ludwick on Brown's hit and both fielders were down as the ball scooted away. Denorfia's left shoulder crashed into Ludwick's head. The team trainer and Black both visited their shaken-up outfielders. Ludwick left the game in the sixth. Denorfia moved to right and Will Venable took over in center."I was a little bit woozy, but my body parts were OK," Ludwick said.Game notes Phillies All-Star 3B Placido Polanco (back) said he hoped to play two rehab games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and return to the lineup Saturday. ... Phillies RHP Jose Contreras (mild right forearm strain) is set for a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection soon. ... RHP Joe Blanton (elbow) is set for an exam on Tuesday. ... The Padres finished 4-3 on their road trip. ... The Padres have stolen a base in every game since July 10, a stretch of 12 straight games.

Pirates edge Cards on d'Arnaud's sac fly in 10th

2011-07-24T15:13:00.001-07:00

PITTSBURGH -- Xavier Paul scored on Chase d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Sunday.Paul legged out an infield hit with one out against St. Louis reliever Jason Motte (3-2), then stole second and advanced to third when catcher Gerald Laird's throw rolled into center field.D'Arnaud lined to center and the speedy Paul easily beat the throw from centerfielder Colby Rasmus as the Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak.Joe Beimel (1-1) retired the Cardinals in order to pick up his first victory as a Pirate in more than eight years.Ronny Cedeno and Eric Fryer had two hits apiece for Pittsburgh.Rasmus had two hits, including his 10th homer of the season for the Cardinals, who blew their 18th save of the season to fall into a virtual tie with the Pirates in the NL Central standings.When Paul scampered home with the winning run, it marked the first time during the three-game series that the Pirates took the lead.St. Louis went up three times on Sunday, but on each occasion Pittsburgh found a way to claw back.Rasmus appeared to put the Cardinals in charge with a deep homer to right field in the sixth off starter Charlie Morton, but Pittsburgh tied it in the seventh off St. Louis reliever Lance Lynn.Cedeno led off the inning with a double and moved to third when Lynn and third baseman Daniel Descalso miscommunicated on a bunt attempt by Fryer. Cedeno tied it up on a double play by Steven Pearce and Pittsburgh's bullpen shut the door.The Cardinals never got a runner to third over the final 4 2/3 innings, as Jason Grilli, Chris Resop, Joel Hanrahan and Beimel held them in check.St. Louis dominated the first two games of the set, badly outplaying the Pirates on Friday and Saturday to dull a bit of the buzz generated when they briefly moved into first place in the division with a win over Cincinnati on Tuesday.Manager Clint Hurdle pointed to a tentative effort by the starters, who were a little too wary of St. Louis' vaunted lineup of sluggers. Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia combined to give up 12 runs in 10 2/3 innings as the Pirates were outscored 15-5.Morton's sinker proved sharp enough to keep Pittsburgh in it, though he struggled with his command. He walked five in 5 1/3 innings and throwing a wild pitch that allowed Descalso to sprint home from third to put St. Louis up 2-1.Morton exacted a bit of revenge with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two but Rasmus wasted little time putting St. Louis back in front, drilling a Morton fastball into the seats in right field for his first home since July 1.It looked like it might be enough for St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse.The veteran right-hander has struggled this month, entering the game with an 0-3 mark and a 7.64 ERA in July.The team was so concerned about his performance it ordered the 32-year-old right-hander back to St. Louis last week to have the inflammation on the middle finger of his right (pitching) hand examined.The tests revealed no significant damage and he was effective if not overpowering against Pittsburgh's slumping lineup. Lohse gave up two runs in five innings, striking out four while throwing 45 of his 64 pitches for strikes.His numbers would have been even better if not for some uncharacteristically sloppy defense.The Pirates scratched a run across in the third behind the first career steal by Fryer, who advanced to third when shortstop Ryan Theriot misplayed the throw from Laird.The steal was the first against Lohse since Pittsburgh's Jose Tabata swiped second against him on Aug. 23, 2010. The sequence was repeated almost exactly in the 10th as the Pirates avoided their longest losing streak since dropping six straight in May.Pittsburgh begins a seven-game road trip through Atlanta and Philadelphia on Monday while St. Louis begins a user-friendly portion of the schedule with home series this week against also-rans Houston and Chicago, who began the day a combined 32.5 games out of first.Game notes Pittsburgh OF Alex Presley missed his second straight game after sustaining a left thumb contusion on Friday. He is day-to-day. ... The series drew 112,994 fans to PNC Park, the third-highest total for a three-game set in the park's 11-year history. ... St. Louis RF Lance Berkman went 1 for 5 to extend his hitting streak to eight games ... St. Louis pitcher Jake Westbrook served as a pinch runner in the eighth. ... The game was delayed several minutes in the eighth when home plate umpire John Hirschbeck was hit in the groin with a foul ball. Hirschbeck was tended to by trainers but remained in the game.

Matsui's homer seals win as A's hold off Yanks

2011-07-23T15:12:00.001-07:00

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui homered against his former team, Rich Harden earned his second win of the season and the Oakland Athletics snapped an 11-game losing streak to the New York Yankees with a 4-3 victory Saturday.Andrew Bailey barely held on in the ninth inning, allowing a run before retiring Robinson Cano on an easy grounder with a runner on third to end it.Josh Willingham hit a two-run homer off A.J. Burnett and Jemile Weeks had an RBI single for the A's, who beat the Yankees for the first time since April 22, 2010, in Oakland. The skid had been tied for the longest current slide by one big league team against another. Minnesota had dropped 11 in a row against Detroit going into Saturday's matchup in Minneapolis.About 14 hours after New York polished off a 17-7 rout in 100-degree heat, Harden and four relievers held the Yankees in check on a 93-degree afternoon.Derek Jeter had three hits and a walk for the Yankees. Nick Swisher's solo homer deep into the second in right cut Oakland's lead to 3-2 and chased Harden (2-1) in the sixth.With two on and two outs in the seventh, Grant Balfour retired Cano on a long fly to center. New York put the first two batters on in the eighth, but Eduardo Nunez flied out after failing to get a bunt down and pinch-hitter Jorge Posada grounded into an inning-ending double play as Balfour pumped his fist.Bailey worked the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances. His first two batters reached safely and the Yankees pulled off a double steal as Curtis Granderson struck out. Mark Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly before Cano grounded out.It was a rare loss under the sun for the Yankees, who began the afternoon a major league-best 28-5 in day games. They also dropped to 14-4 at home since June 10.The recent series between these teams has been as lopsided as they come. New York lost for only the second time in the last 17 meetings with Oakland and fell to 25-5 against the A's since the start of the 2008 season.The Athletics have lost nine straight series to New York, an Oakland record against any team. But they can end that slide Sunday when All-Star lefty Gio Gonzalez faces Yankees veteran Bartolo Colon.Making his fourth start since missing the first three months of the season with a strained right shoulder, Harden threw 104 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed two runs and five hits while striking out six and walking four.Burnett (8-8) threw 100 pitches and dropped to 0-2 in four starts since beating Milwaukee on June 29. He was yanked after walking the Nos. 8 and 9 batters to load the bases with two outs in the sixth and never looked at manager Joe Girardi on the mound.Weeks followed with a soft single off Cory Wade to make it 3-1.Leading off the seventh, Matsui pulled lefty reliever Boone Logan's first pitch just over the right-field fence for his 501st home run combined between Japan and the United States.Recalling all the big hits he delivered in pinstripes from 2003-09, fans in the crowd of 46,188 applauded as Matsui rounded the bases. Some even stood up for the ovation.Matsui was the 2009 World Series MVP for the Yankees when they beat Philadelphia.Trying to move season-high 20 games over .500, New York jumped on top in the second when Cano blooped a double and scored on Russell Martin's two-out single.The A's answered in the third. Matsui singled with two outs and Willingham homered into the Oakland bullpen in left-center, his team-high 13th.Yankees pitchers allowed only two homers in their previous 10 games. Oakland began the day with 54 homers, fewest in the American League.Oakland right fielder David DeJesus, born in Brooklyn and raised nearby in New Jersey, made a sparkling grab to rob Jeter of extra bases in the first inning.Jeter returned the favor in the third with a quick release on a difficult jump-throw from the shortstop hole to nip DeJesus at first.Harden fought his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, striking out rookie Brandon Laird with his 31st pitch of the inning.Game notes Oakland had lost six straight and 13 of its last 14 in the Bronx. ... Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano (right elbow inflammation) is scheduled to pitch Sunday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as part of his rehab assignment. ... New York reliever David Robertson struck out Ryan Sweeney to end the ninth, the ninth consecutive batter he has fanned with the bases loaded. ... Cano was given a partial rest as the DH. Eduardo Nunez started at 2B for the second time this season. ... Laird made his first major league start, at third base.

Ramirez, Soriano spark Cubs' rally past Astros

2011-07-22T15:14:00.001-07:00

CHICAGO -- Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano hit fifth-inning homers and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Friday.Ramirez's 18th homer, a two-run shot, capped Chicago's four-run rally in the inning. Ramirez's 13 homers since June 24 are the most in the majors.Soriano started the inning with his 15th of the season.Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano (7-5) won for just the second time since May 26 and improved to 16-8 against Houston, the most wins against the Astros by an active pitcher.Zambrano went six innings, allowing nine hits and two runs, striking out three and walking one.Houston's Bud Norris (5-7) took the loss in his first career start at Wrigley Field. He gave up nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and striking out five.Michael Bourn had three hits and two stolen bases.Five Cubs relievers combined to throw three scoreless innings of relief.Sean Marshall pitched the ninth for his third save. Carlos Marmol, the Cubs' closer for most of the season, struck out the only two batters he faced in the eighth inning.However, the Astros failed to capitalize on some early opportunities and stranded eight runners in the game.The Astros loaded the bases with nobody out in the second on a Carlos Lee walk and back-to-back singles by Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson.Zambrano fell behind Clint Barmes 3-0, but induced a double-play grounder to short, scoring Lee with the game's first run. Zambrano escaped further damage by getting Humberto Quintero on a bouncer to second.The Astros again loaded the bases with no outs in the third.Norris and Bourn singled and Zambrano hit Jose Altuve in the shoulder with a pitch.Zambrano fell behind Hunter Pence 3-0, but Pence lined sharply to shallow left and Carlos Lee flew out to about the same spot, leaving the bases loaded with two outs for Wallace. Wallace flew out to right to end the inning.The Cubs also struggled in the early going. Soriano led off the third with a double into the left-field corner. With one out, he was caught in a rundown on a comebacker hit by Zambrano. Chicago also squandered Ramirez's leadoff double in the fourth.Houston went ahead 2-0 in the fourth when Bourn singled home Barmes.The Astros' early failings cost them when the Cubs finally got to Norris with a four-run rally in the fifth.Soriano cut Houston's lead to 2-1 with a leadoff homer. Chicago tied the game when Darwin Barney singled, went to second on Zambrano's bunt hit, stole third and scored on Starlin Castro's sacrifice fly.Ramirez then hit a two-run homer into the left-field bleachers, putting the Cubs up 4-2.Game notes Houston reinstated outfielder Jason Bourgeois from the 15-day disabled list and optioned outfielder Brian Bogusevic to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Bourgeois had been on the disabled list since June 29 because of a strained right quad. Bourgeois struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. ... Henry Sosa, acquired by the Astros from the San Francisco Giants for infielder Jeff Keppinger on Tuesday, threw seven shutout innings in his debut with Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday night. He allowed four hits and struck out five. ... Cubs manager Mike Quade declined to pick a starter for Tuesday's game at Milwaukee, saying he wanted to see how the weekend series with Houston unfolded. Rodrigo Lopez, who has three straight quality starts, is the most likely candidate to take the turn. ... Aramis Ramirez hit his 231st homer as a member of the Cubs, tying him with Gabby Hartnett for sixth on the club's career list. ... The Cubs snapped a nine-game streak with at least one error, their longest since June 4-13, 1987. The Cubs entered the game with 87 errors on the season, 15 more than the Astros, who had the second-most in the National League.

Davis, Jays send Mariners to 12th straight loss

2011-07-21T15:15:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge felt the need to air out his frustrations after his team's latest loss -- its 12th in a row.Rajai Davis hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Mariners 7-5 on Thursday.The Mariners locked the door to their clubhouse after the game as Wedge blasted his struggling team, telling them to toughen up."We've got to get tougher," an exasperated Wedge said. "This game will eat you up if you don't get tougher. They fought back today, but we've got to do a better job from inning to inning."A lot of these guys are getting eaten up right now," Wedge added. "We can't give in, we can't keep pouting about it and we damn sure can't quit. You've got to just keep going, and you've got to be tough enough when you're doing that."Miguel Olivo erased a 5-1 deficit by hitting Seattle's first grand slam of the season in the top of the eighth, but the Mariners couldn't add on.Reliever David Pauley (5-4) got two quick outs in the bottom half before Mike McCoy doubled to left and Yunel Escobar walked. Davis followed with a double over the head of Ichiro Suzuki in right, scoring both runners."It was just a good pitch to hit," Davis said. "I was able to square it up and hit it where they ain't."Shortstop Brendan Ryan said Wedge's speech was pointed and direct."He doesn't waste his words," Ryan said. "When he says something, he means it and there's something behind it."Olivo had no problem with his manager's postgame address."We need to step up a little more," Olivo said. "Everything he said is true."The Mariners have not won since beating the Athletics in Oakland on July 5. It's Seattle longest losing streak since dropping 12 straight from Sept. 11-22, 2008."I don't want to say it's embarrassing, but I don't even know how many in a row it is now," Ryan said. "This is ridiculous."Jon Rauch (4-3) worked 1 2/3 innings for the victory as Toronto wrapped up a three-game sweep and won for the eighth time in 10 games.The Mariners used a single, a walk and three stolen bases to put runners at second and third with two out in the third, but Ricky Romero caught Ryan looking at a curveball for the final out.Seattle opened the scoring in the fifth. Chone Figgins walked and stole second and, after a walk to Jack Wilson, came home on Suzuki's single to center.Toronto promptly tied it in the bottom half when McCoy's two-out double down the left field line scored Edwin Encarnacion from second base.The Blue Jays took the lead in the sixth. Eric Thames reached on a wild third strike and scored when Jose Bautista followed with a double off the wall in left-center.Toronto made it 5-1 in the seventh thanks to an error by right-hander Doug Fister, who bobbled the ball on McCoy's bunt, missing a chance to force out Corey Patterson at third."He's probably one of our best athletes," Wedge said. "He just tried to be too quick and it got away from him."That loaded the bases for Escobar, who lined an RBI single to center that ticked off the 6-foot-8 Fister's glove. After Thames followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk, Chris Ray came on to face Bautista and gave up a sacrifice fly.But Romero and the Blue Jays couldn't hold the lead. Suzuki and Ryan reached on infield singles in the eighth and Casey Janssen came on in relief after Adam Kennedy walked to load the bases. Olivo crushed Janssen's second pitch to center for a grand slam, his 13th homer of the season and his second career slam.Janssen left after giving up singles to Justin Smoak and Josh Bard, with Rauch coming on to get the final two outs.Fister, who has not won since May 30 against the Baltimore Orioles, allowed five runs, four earned, and five hits in six-plus innings. He walked three and struck out four.Romero gave up four runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out nine.Game notes Seattle recalled right-hander Josh Lueke from Triple-A Tacoma and optioned infielder Kyle Seager to Tacoma. ... Figgins made his first start in the outfield since joining Seattle before the 2010 season. Figgins started in left and Kennedy played third. ... Bautista made his third straight start at DH after missing three games with a sore right ankle but is expected to return to third base on Friday. ... With the temperature expected to exceed 100 degrees, the retractable roof at Rogers Centre remained closed. It was the first time the roof has remained closed because of heat.

Valencia helps Twins salvage split vs. Indians

2011-07-20T15:20:00.001-07:00

MINNEAPOLIS -- Danny Valencia thinks of himself as one of the big hitters in the Minnesota Twins lineup.If he keeps coming up with clutch hits like he did against the Cleveland Indians, there will be no doubting his importance.Valencia singled home the go-ahead run for the second straight day, this time in the eighth inning, and Minnesota beat Cleveland 7-5 in a sloppy game played on another sweltering day at Target Field."You know, hitting behind Jim Thome, obviously you know they are going to pitch around him to get to me," Valencia said. "To be able to come into those situations and capitalize, and for our team to win is all I care about."Minnesota salvaged a split in the four-game series with the AL Central-leading Indians that was played in extreme heat and humidity. Temperatures were in the mid- to high-90s for each game.Twins manager Ron Gardenhire left the stadium during the game and was replaced by bench coach Scott Ullger. Gardenhire has been dealing with a viral infection and has had trouble dealing with the heat.Matt Capps (3-5) earned the win in relief of Nick Blackburn, who gave up four runs -- one earned -- in six innings. Joe Nathan gave up a solo homer to Lonnie Chisenhall but earned his sixth save.Valencia, who won Tuesday night's game with an RBI single in the ninth, lined a ball to right field, which just eluded the glove of second baseman Orlando Cabrera, to score Alexi Casilla, who had three hits, two runs and an RBI. Tsuyoshi Nishioka added a two-run single to cap the Twins' rally."I like being in those situations," Valencia said. "Anybody on this team wants to be in that position. Fortunately it's been coming up in my hands and I've been able to take it and run with it, and come through. It was a huge team win. We needed this. We're within striking distance of getting back on top of this division."Casilla had reached off Cleveland reliever Tony Sipp (4-2) after his long fly ball to the warning track fell between left fielder Luis Valbuena and center fielder Ezequiel Carrera. The ball bounced off the warning track and into the bullpen for a ground-rule double."Nobody called the ball," Valbuena said. "I tried to catch, but I feel he's right there next to me and I was scared I was going to run into him."Sipp allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in just a third of an inning. Indians starter Josh Tomlin pitched six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits.The misplay between Valbuena -- playing just his third major league game in the outfield -- and Carrera was just one of several defensive miscues by both teams."If you have an everyday outfielder, I'm sure that it probably could have been caught," Cleveland manager Manny Acta said about Casilla's double. "But we know what we're dealing with. Luis is playing out of position he played a lot of left field in Triple-A but it's a different ballgame up here."Carrera and Valbuena were part of a depleted outfield for the Indians, who were missing center fielder Michael Brantley and Travis Buck.Acta said Brantley -- the team's leadoff hitter -- was diagnosed with heat exhaustion after playing in both games of Monday's doubleheader and was still having stomach issues on Wednesday.With the Twins leading 4-3 in the sixth, the Indians tied it on a passed ball by Twins catcher Drew Butera that allowed Travis Hafner to score from third.Butera was catching with Joe Mauer playing first base for the second straight game. Mauer was given the choice of where to play by Gardenhire.Mauer had two hits and is hitting .563 (9-for-16) as a first baseman. His defense at first has been sparkling and he scooped a short-hop throw by Casilla to end the seventh inning, stranding two runners in scoring position."He looks pretty good," Ullger said. "He looks like he's been there awhile. He's just a natural athlete. I think he could probably play any position. He could probably play shortstop if he wanted to play shortstop. He's just that kind of athlete."Game notes Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said right-hander Scott Baker felt "great" throwing his bullpen session and will come off the DL to start Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. ... Buck was still experiencing headaches before the game and was unavailable. Buck was hit in the head by a pitch from Francisco Liriano on Tuesday but hasn't shown signs of a concussion. Acta said Buck is not subject to the MLB concussion testing. ... Valencia's is now 10-for-18 with the bases-loaded in his career, with 22 RBIs. He also has 21 RBIs this season in the seventh inning or later, which is tied for fifth in the league.

Red Sox snap scoreless tie, top Rays in 16th

2011-07-18T15:13:00.001-07:00

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The streaking Boston Red Sox worked some serious overtime for their latest victory.Dustin Pedroia singled with two outs in the top of the 16th inning, snapping a scoreless tie and giving the AL East leaders a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday night. Josh Beckett and five relievers combined to pitch a three-hitter for the Red Sox, who won for the eighth time in nine games, retaining a 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees in the division.Pedroia lined a single to right field off Adam Russell (1-2), driving in Josh Reddick from third base. Reddick drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on Marco Scutaro's infield hit."I just wanted to go home. I think everybody did," said Pedroia, who was 3 for 7 while the remainder of the Red Sox went 2 of 45 against nine Tampa Bay pitchers."They threw the ball outstanding all night and we did, too. It was a great game. I'm just happy we won."Alfredo Aceves (5-1) pitched three scoreless innings for the win. Jonathan Papelbon worked the bottom of the 16th for his 21st save in 22 opportunities.It was the longest 1-0 game in the major leagues since the Brewers at Angels on June 8, 2004, went 17 innings, according to STATS LLC. The longest 1-0 game ever was 24 innings between the Mets and Astros in 1968. Both teams got outstanding performances from their starting pitchers, with Beckett allowing one hit -- an infield single -- and Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann limiting the Red Sox's potent lineup to pair of singles through eight innings. They both also wasted opportunities to win it long before it ended after 5 hours, 44 minutes -- the longest by time in Rays history.Beckett limited the Rays to one hit in a 3-0 complete game shutout at Tropicana Field last month, and the All-Star right-hander was equally tough on them this time.Reid Brignac's third-inning, infield single was Tampa Bay's lone hit off Beckett on June 15. Evan Longoria's grounder back to the mound bounced off the pitcher's right foot with two outs in the first and was the only blemish on his pitching line Sunday as he struck out six and retired the last 22 batters he faced.Niemann was almost as good while working a season-high eight innings, allowing a two-out single to Adrian Gonzalez in the first and Pedroia's single down the left field line leading off the fourth. The 6-foot-9 right-hander walked Reddick with one out in the fifth and Scutaro with two outs in the eighth, fanned a career-high 10 and didn't allow a runner past second base.Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 15 games, one shy of his career best. He's also reached base in 27 consecutive games dating to June 15, the longest current stretch in the majors."By that time it's not just physical, but it's mentally draining," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Pedroia's winning hit. "That's probably the one guy you know is going to figure out a way."Both teams wasted opportunities to win it in the ninth.The Red Sox loaded the bases on Pedroia's double and two walks before reliever Kyle Farnsworth escaped by getting Reddick to fly to center field. Longoria flied to right, sending the game into extra innings after Boston's Daniel Bard gave up a two-out single to Johnny Damon and walked Ben Zobrist in the bottom of the ninth.Sean Rodriguez had Tampa Bay's third hit, a leadoff single in the bottom of the 11th."We shut them down for 16 innings, that's pretty impressive," Pedroia said. "One run scored in 16 innings, that's unbelieveable."Boston narrowly missed going ahead when Gonzalez lined a pitch toward the left field corner that tailed into foul territory in the 10th, then failed to score after loading the bases with no outs on three walks in the 11th. Jake McGee struck out Reddick and Cruz fanned Varitek and got Scutaro to foul out to get out of the inning.Rays manager Joe Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez were ejected by plate umpire Chad Fairchild during the 11th inning. Maddon was tossed during a pitching change, leaving Martinez to lead the Rays. Martinez was ejected after leaving the dugout to have words with Fairchild after Scutaro slammed his bat to the ground in frustration after popping up.The bat bounded toward catcher Kelly Shoppach, but did not prevent him from making the catch.The Red Sox improved to 12-2 since June 30, hiking the best record in the AL to 57-36. The third-place Rays have lost 9 of 15 to fall a season-high seven games off the pace in the division."It was a nice win. It was a long win," Francona said. "But they don't give us extra credit."Beckett was scratched from the All-Star Game in Phoenix last Tuesday night after feeling soreness in his left knee while warming up in the bullpen. The right-hander pitched just five innings in his last start before the break against Baltimore after slightly hyperextending his knee on a wet mound at Fenway Park.Since spending six weeks on the DL because of lower back strain, Niemann has turned his season around with four strong performances over five starts since his return on June 20 against Milwaukee. In six starts prior to going on the DL, he went 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA.Game notes Gonzalez went 1 for 15 in the series, dropping his batting average 12 points to Boston manager Terry Francona said LF Carl Crawford (strained left hamstring) will be in the starting lineup for Monday night's game at Baltimore. He finished a two-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday. ... Tampa Bay RF Matt Joyce was scratched from the starting lineup because of a sore knee. The first-time All-Star was injured when he fouled a ball off his right kneecap during the fifth inning Saturday. He pinch hit in the ninth against Bard and lined out. ... Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (strained back muscle) is scheduled to rejoin the rotation a week from Tuesday and pitch against Kansas City. ... David Ortiz had no news about his appeal of a four-game suspension stemming from Boston's bench-clearing melee with Baltimore on July 8. The slugger thinks he could get an update Monday.

Thome slugs 596th HR to lift Twins past Royals

2011-07-17T15:19:00.001-07:00

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jim Thome has been plagued by aches and pains for the better part of a decade. They just seem to be coming around a little more often in his 19th season.A strained oblique and bothersome toe injury on his left foot have slowed his chase of 600 career homers, but the Minnesota Twins are sticking with him for moments like the sixth inning on Sunday against Kansas City.With the game tied and his team in desperate need of a jolt, Thome hit his 596th home run to lift the Twins to a 4-3 victory over the Royals.Thome's tiebreaking three-run drive off Felipe Paulino soared into the upper deck in right-center field, leaving him four shy of becoming the eighth player to hit 600 home runs."It's always special," Thome said. "That feeling you want to kind of last forever. It went out, it put us ahead. And that's No. 1."Jeff Francoeur homered and Melky Cabrera added two hits for the Royals. Paulino (1-3) struck out eight in seven innings, yielding four runs and seven hits.Brian Duensing (7-7) gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings for the Twins, who started a crucial 12-game homestand by taking three of four from the Royals.After a relatively healthy season last year in which he hit 25 homers in 108 games, this one has been a tough one. He will turn 41 in August, and it's getting tougher and tougher to get his body ready to grind out each at-bat.On a sweltering day where the heat index climbed past 110 degrees, Thome looked plenty loose when he sent a 3-2 pitch from Paulino an estimated 490 feet into the stands for a 4-1 lead. He also became the 11th player to hit 500 homers in the American League, according to STATS, LLC."He's had some injuries and we know we have to limit what you can do with him to keep him healthy," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That was a big at-bat and it was one mistake. That's what those guys do. You make one mistake and he's going to put it in the seats. That's why he's got that many home runs."Francoeur came back with a two-run shot of his own in the top of the seventh, but Glen Perkins pitched a perfect eighth and Joe Nathan, who resumed his closer role when Matt Capps began to struggle, picked up his fifth save of the season.It was a tough loss for Paulino, who has pitched well since joining the Royals at the end of May. Paulino hit 97 mph on the Target Field radar gun. He only walked one hitter, an intentional pass for Joe Mauer, who had two hits and an RBI."We're at the point where one mistake kills us," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We're just walking a thin line. Just keep battling through it. We're getting better. We've just got to keep trudging through it."The Royals made Duensing work through the first three innings.The Twins left-hander needed 58 pitches to get to the fourth, giving up an RBI single to Alex Gordon to fall behind in the first inning. But he breezed through innings four, five and six, averaging just 10 pitches per frame to keep the Twins in it.Gardenhire returned to the ballpark Sunday after missing Saturday's game with a chest cold that has bothered him for weeks. He played it safe by watching the game from the air-conditioned clubhouse, while bench coach Scott Ullger made the pitching changes.Paulino fanned Thome and got him to ground into a double play the first two times up. But he left a slider out over the middle of the plate in the third at-bat, and paid for it."He knows what his game's all about," Nathan said. "He came to us and pretty much said, 'There's going to be a lot of times I strike out. There's going to be a lot of times I walk and there's going to be a lot of times that I'm going to barrel one up.'"We got to see a lot of that today. He punched out, but he also got to barrel one up and we got to see one fly a long way."Game notes The Twins host the Indians for a doubleheader on Monday. Scott Baker will pitch Game 1 against Cleveland's David Huff. Anthony Swarzak will face Fausto Carmona in the nightcap. ... Royals 1B Eric Hosmer made a terrific, over-the-shoulder catch of a foul popup by Danny Valencia in the seventh inning. ... Gardenhire and SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who is Japanese, had a bet on the women's World Cup championship. "I wish I could trash talk in Japanese, because he would hear all of it," Gardenhire cracked before the game. But Nishioka had the last laugh, sprinting through the clubhouse saying, 'Oh sorry! Sorry!" after Japan sealed the victory.---Jon Krawczynski can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski

CC wins 14th as Yanks figure out Jays, halt skid

2011-07-16T15:12:00.001-07:00

TORONTO -- CC Sabathia ensured the New York Yankees didn't have to wait another day for their next win.Sabathia won his seventh straight start to become the first 14-game winner in the majors, Brett Gardner had three hits and the Yankees beat Toronto 4-1 on Saturday, ending the Blue Jays' five-game winning streak. "To not win for a week, and that's what it felt like because we hadn't played for a few days, you need a win," manager Joe Girardi said. "CC went out and got one for us."The Yankees got back in the win column after losing their first two games following the All-Star break. Their last victory was Sabathia's most recent start, July 10 against Tampa, the day before the break."He's great, he is every time," Gardner said of Sabathia. "You guys keep asking me how he is and it seems like every time I tell you the same thing: He's just dominant."Sabathia (14-4) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings. He walked three and struck out eight.Derek Jeter got two hits and matched Al Kaline for 26th place on baseball's career list. Jeter singled in the ninth for hit No. 3,007.Gardner doubled in the second, hustled for a double and scored in the fourth, then stole second after reaching on a bunt single in the sixth.Sabathia has struck out 59 and posted an ERA of 1.68 over his seven-start winning streak. The left-hander has won 11 of his past 12 outings, his only defeat in that span being a June 9 home loss to Boston."His slider was good today," Girardi said. "I thought all his stuff was good. His velocity was great, his changeup was very good. He just knows how to pitch."New York's staff ace set down 12 of 13 at one stretch and allowed just one extra-base hit, John McDonald's double to left in the eighth."CC was very good," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. "There were not a lot of opportunities to take advantage of."After accusations in the first game of the series that Toronto was stealing signs, catcher Russell Martin gave pitcher Freddy Garcia multiple signs Friday. But Sabathia and batterymate Francisco Cervelli didn't bother with that."Me and Cervi talked about it before the game and just used a different set than we normally use with a runner on second. I don't really think it's something that you can really do anything about. You just go out and try to pitch," Sabathia said.Mariano Rivera pitched around a pair of singles to finish in the ninth for his 23rd save in 27 chances. New York got some much-needed rest for its bullpen, which had worked 10 1/3 innings of relief in the previous two games as Toronto outscored the Yankees 23-8.Sabathia's career-long streak of 23 2/3 scoreless innings came to an early end when Toronto scratched out a run in the first. Rajai Davis led off with a walk and stole second before coming home on Yunel Escobar's single up the middle."My command was off early," Sabathia said. "I just stuck with it, tried to be aggressive and I ended up getting better as the game went on."The Yankees gave Sabathia a lead he would not relinquish with a two-run second against left-hander Ricky Romero (7-9). Nick Swisher doubled and scored on a single, Gardner doubled and Eduardo Nunez followed with an RBI groundout.New York added one more in each of the third and fourth innings.Starting as the designated hitter, Curtis Granderson walked to open the third and went to third on a one-out single by Robinson Cano. After Romero's pitch to Jones bounced away from catcher J.P. Arencibia, Cano made a move toward second. When Arencibia threw to Aaron Hill at second, Granderson broke for the plate, scoring easily when Hill's errant throw sailed to the backstop.Gardner doubled to begin the fourth, moved up on Nunez's sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out single by Jeter.For Jeter, the RBI was his 1,160th, tying him with Tony Lazzeri for eighth place on the Yankees' all-time list.Romero lost his second straight start and has now failed to pitch into the seventh in three straight games after doing so in each of his previous nine outings."I didn't really get comfortable and was a little wild with my fastball," Romero said.Romero allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out seven.Game notes Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista (right ankle) missed his second straight game after injuring himself on a slide Thursday. Bautista, who leads the majors with 31 home runs, is still wearing a walking boot but said swelling in the ankle has gone down and that he can put more weight on it. ... New York RHP Rafael Soriano (elbow) threw at the Yankees' spring training complex in Florida but RHP Mark Prior (groin) was scratched from his appearance with the Gulf Coast Yankees. ... Attendance was 45,606, Toronto's biggest crowd since opening day (47,984). ... Yankees RHP Phil Hughes (0-2) faces Blue Jays RHP Carlos Villanueva (5-1) in Sunday's series finale.

Crasnick: Starting 9 -- What to watch for in the second half

2011-07-13T15:12:00.001-07:00

A total of 19 clubs sported sub-4.00 ERAs at the break. In 2001, only five MLB pitching staffs achieved that feat. And ESPN Stats & Information duly notes that there have been 87 double-digit strikeout games this season, the most in 10 years. Run production in the two leagues is at its lowest level in two decades. "The game in general has been headed in that direction the last few years," said Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun. "If you look at it, there are a lot of young starting pitchers coming up who have really good stuff. It feels like guys are throwing harder overall, and velocity always gives you room for error. "Now that they've cleaned the game up -- the drug testing is legit -- there are far less guys who are able to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. That's really changed the game in its entirety. There's more focus on pitching and defense and baserunning." Braun, Michael Cuddyer and other hitters aren't just imagining things when they point to a rampant uptick in gun readings. According to FanGraphs, 41 starting pitchers this season have an average fastball velocity of 92 mph or above. Only 16 pitchers fit that description in 2002. Although pitchers are thriving, lots of established hitters are giving new meaning to the term "struggling." Adam Dunn looks so lost and forlorn, Jose Canseco is giving him hitting tips. Dan Uggla has been a major disappointment in Atlanta. Ichiro Suzuki has a .640 OPS. Joe Mauer is homerless with a .288 slugging percentage. And Jayson Werth, Washington's $126 million man, is in a deeper funk than Teddy Roosevelt, who's still riding a career oh-fer in the between-innings presidential races at Nationals Park. Airtight races In the six major league divisions, the biggest gap between first and second place is in the NL East, where Philadelphia leads Atlanta by 3½ games. The most jumbled mess exists in the NL Central, where the Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates and Reds are separated by only four games. The most compelling heavyweight smackdowns are taking place in the two East divisions. In the American League, the Yankees are within a game of first-place Boston even though they're 1-8 head-to-head against the Red Sox this season. Still, good luck finding a Boston player who'll so much as chuckle at the perception that the Red Sox "own" Team Steinbrenner this season. "I remember a few years ago people said the same stuff and [the Yankees] ended up winning like eight in a row against us," said Boston's Josh Beckett. "You never feel like they're out of a game. It doesn't matter if they're down eight runs. If they're down eight, you feel like, 'We've still got to make pitches here. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.'" While Boston and New York outslug the masses, the Phillies and Braves keep putting opponents into sleep mode. Philadelphia is first in the majors with a 3.02 ERA, and Atlanta is right behind at 3.11. The teams meet only six more times this season, but that three-game series at Turner Field in late September has a chance to be very interesting. The trade deadline Everyone looks forward to the trade deadline with great anticipation. But a multitude of factors suggest the headlines will be moderate in comparison to recent years. [+] Enlarge William Perlman/The Star Ledger/US PresswireThe Mets' Carlos Beltran ranks third in the NL in OPS (.880) among right fielders. For starters, there's no transcendent star player who's assured of dominating the conversation, as Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Matt Holliday and Cliff Lee have done in recent years. Three difference-making position players are on the cusp of free agency and might typically be mentioned in July trade speculation. But Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are playing for teams enmeshed in pennant races, so they're staying put. And every signal the Mets emit suggests they plan to hang on to Jose Reyes and take their chances in November. Obstacle No. 2 to a trade-deadline blockbuster: A select few teams (that means you, Astros, Orioles, Royals, A's and Cubs) are so bereft of hope that they've already reached the lost-cause stage. The Padres, Dodgers, Marlins and Mariners appear to be moving in that direction. "I think there's going to be action," a National League executive said. "But there are so many teams still in it, you're not going to see as many early trades. I think you're going to see an intense week from July 25 to the deadline. A lot of teams are going to wait." Some names we're likely to see making the rounds: Carlos Beltran, Jeremy Guthrie, Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy, Hunter Pence, Brett Myers, Chad Qualls, Ryan Ludwick, Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Francis, Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jamey Carroll, Carlos Pena, Kosuke Fukudome, Erik Bedard and Jason Marquis. That's just a trade-speculation appetizer. The Dodgers' debacle The Dodgers aren't winning many games this season, but they're churning out embarrassing headlines with proficiency. The daily updates from Chavez Ravine alternate between sad and surreal, black comedy and outright lunacy. On Friday, Steve Garvey confirmed that he's been fired from his job in the team's marketing and community relations department. Garvey has made no secret of his desire to assemble a group to buy the beleaguered franchise. On Saturday, the Dodgers came within an out of getting no-hit before pulling out a 1-0 win over San Diego. A group of fans congregated outside the park to protest Frank McCourt's ownership, but apathy is so rampant in L.A. that fewer than 100 people mustered the outrage to attend. Feel free to pick a side. McCourt is the obvious villain with his flair for finding new and innovative ways to debase the franchise. But commissioner Bud Selig and MLB owners also deserve their share of criticism for welcoming McCourt into the club despite an abundance of caution flags. As the McCourt saga plays out in bankruptcy and divorce courts, the negative impact on one of baseball's marquee franchises is undeniable. The Dodgers are on pace to draw fewer than 3 million fans for only the second time since the strike in the mid-1990s. And the longer the ownership picture remains in chaos, the more difficult it will be for the franchise to sign All-Star outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to long-term deals. Two good things to emerge from the McCourt fiasco: (1) Compared to the Dodgers, the Mets look like a pillar of stability; and (2) those "Frankrupt" T-shirts make for a witty fashion statement. Rust Belt revivals The Indians and Pirates left spring training as long shots to rank high on anybody's list of 2011 feel-good stories. But here we are, more than halfway through the season, and they continue to make noise in their respective divisions. The Pirates, at 47-43, are 10 victories short of their total for all of 2010. The players have responded to new manager Clint Hurdle's approach, and the city has embraced the team with zeal. PNC Park, one of baseball's most aesthetically appealing venues, is seeing bigger, more enthusiastic crowds, and the Pirates are feeding off the energy. But is it sustainable? The Pirates rank near the bottom in the National League in multiple offensive categories. They're ninth in the majors in team defensive efficiency, and they'll have to continue to play fundamentally sound ball behind a rotation (Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton, Paul Maholm, James McDonald and Jeff Karstens) that doesn't miss many bats. The Indians, who blazed out to a 30-15 start, went into a funk when the schedule got tougher, then regained their equilibrium. But lots of questions remain. What kind of contribution will Grady Sizemore and the injured Shin-Soo Choo provide the rest of the way? Can prospects Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis have an impact down the stretch? And what can coaches Tim Belcher and Scott Radinsky do to fix Fausto Carmona, who gave the team seven quality starts in 18 outings in the first half? If Indians GM Chris Antonetti makes an addition through a deadline trade, it's likely to be an outfield bat. If Cleveland needs a starter, it most likely will be Zach McAllister, David Huff or somebody else on the farm. "We continue to be encouraged by the way we've played and how our guys have responded to adversity," Antonetti said. "We'll continue to look at opportunities to improve the team as we approach the trade deadline." General-manager-speak? Sure. But when the Indians are looking to upgrade in July rather than sell, it's welcome news in Cleveland. Jim Thome's 600th homer Now that Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit is in the books, the next big milestone target belongs to Thome, who needs five homers to become the eighth member of the 600 club. Thome has been bothered by injuries to his back, quadriceps and left oblique this season, and now he has a sprained big toe, so he's gradually running out of healthy body parts. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez didn't generate many positive vibes with their 600th, but Thome is widely regarded as a "clean" player and one of baseball's nicest and humblest stars. The Twins' biggest challenge might be finding enough guys to hoist the big lug around on their shoulders. "Selfishly, you want to be a part of something like this no matter who it is," teammate Michael Cuddyer said. "Then you look at the person. For me, there's not a better guy I've met in my life than Jim Thome. Maybe Harmon Killebrew, and that's it. "He's so unassuming. He's the type of guy, if you're his next-door neighbor, he'll mow your grass for you if you're going away for two weeks. To see a guy like that accomplish a feat like this would be incredible." Albert Pujols, with 426 career homers, has a lot more exploding scoreboards in his future, but the outlook is thin beyond "The Machine." Chipper Jones (444) and Vladimir Guerrero (443) probably don't have enough left in the tank to reach 500. The free agents-in-waiting Pujols, Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes are all destined to become wealthy men this offseason (or maybe "wealthier" is a more accurate description). We won't know where they'll land until sometime after Thanksgiving. But there should be plenty of intriguing plot twists along the way. [+] Enlarge Steve Mitchell/US PresswireHow much is Prince Fielder worth on the open market? Probably too much for the Brewers. Pujols, the best player of his generation, has been tested over the past few months. He looked very un-Albert-like in April and May, then broke his wrist in June. But Pujols showed quick-healing power by returning in 15 days, and now he's intent on punishing the ball in the second half. Broadcaster Tim McCarver recently speculated that Fielder, who's having a monster year, has been the beneficiary of all the attention thrown Pujols' way. "There has been so much emphasis put on Pujols and the Cardinals that this has allowed Prince to relax and have a terrific year this year, unlike Albert," McCarver told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I don't think Prince feels it like Albert does. Players deny that, but from the way I see it, I think you certainly can make a case for it." The two sluggers aren't the only ones who'll take their contract talks to heart. Scott Boras represents Fielder, and Dan Lozano is the agent for Pujols, and if you don't think they want to outdo each other on the big stage, you don't know much about the agent business. Reyes has burnished his superstar credentials with a monster first half for the Mets. But he's on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, and he needs to get healthy and come back strong if he wants to land a deal in the Carl Crawford, $142 million range. There's nothing like a strong finish to keep a guy from slumming in the eight-figure neighborhood. Baseball labor deal Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires this year, and players and owners have been negotiating for months amid a cone of silence, free of threats, doomsday proclamations and public posturing. Selig and Michael Weiner, head of the players' association, both used the word "constructive" Tuesday to describe the state of the talks. Given the climate in the NFL and NBA, is anyone out there complaining over the lack of blow-by-blow details? Of course, MLB has its share of issues. Oakland and Tampa Bay have major stadium problems to address. The Dodgers are a mess, and the Mets have a lot of work to do to move past Bernie Madoff. The Yankees sported an Opening Day payroll of $202 million, while Cleveland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Kansas City all came in below $50 million. Players and owners have to find common ground on realignment, the first-year player draft, scheduling issues and a slew of other questions. But revenue sharing and the luxury tax have helped produce more parity in the game, and Selig began his annual All-Star meeting with baseball writers Tuesday by crowing over attendance, revenues and other tangible signs of the game's popularity. If Weiner and Rob Manfred, MLB's top lawyer, can get a deal done, it will assure baseball of a two-decade run without a shutdown. To borrow one of Selig's favorite adjectives, that's "remarkable" for a sport that wrote the book on contentious labor relations.

Clemens defense to target probe; jury seated

2011-07-12T15:19:00.001-07:00

ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack explains what is going on with the Roger Clemens trial. More Podcasts " The dispute over the committee's proper role came as Walton considered what preliminary instructions to give the jury, which was seated Tuesday afternoon after 3½ days of screening potential members. The jury of 10 women and two men includes a woman whose cousin, former outfielder Al Bumbry, was a coach for the Boston Red Sox when Clemens played for the team. Another woman on the jury said she believes Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was "done wrong" in his criminal conviction in connection with dogfighting. Four other people were seated as alternate jurors in case any of the 12 can't serve. Prosecutors and Clemens' defense team removed 20 people from the pool of 36 jurors, offering no public explanation for their decisions. Clemens has denied allegations that he took steroids and human growth hormone, and has been charged with perjury, false statements and obstruction of Congress. The obstruction count charges Clemens with making 15 false or misleading statements to the committee, including his repeated denials he didn't take performance-enhancing drugs during his 24-season career and even whether he attended a 1998 pool party at then-Toronto Blue Jays teammate Jose Canseco's home in Miami. McNamee says he saw Clemens and admitted steroids user Canseco talking at the party with another man and that after they returned to Canada, Clemens asked McNamee to inject him with steroids for the first time. Clemens and Canseco say Clemens was never at the party but was golfing at the time. Attanasio said that dispute suggests how improper the whole inquiry was and that jurors should be able to determine whether a "he said, he said debate" between Clemens and McNamee was a legitimate congressional concern. "We're going to have a mini-trial on whether Roger Clemens went swimming," Attanasio said. "We're going to have a trial in U.S. District Court, Congress is going to have a hearing on these things? That's our point." Assistant U.S. attorney Daniel Butler responded that the committee has responsibility for oversight that is broad and goes beyond legislation. He said steroids in baseball is a drug matter and pointed out that a 2005 hearing into the issue led to legislation to regulate steroids and triggered Major League Baseball to commission a report by former Sen. George Mitchell into the extent of the problem in the league. The Mitchell report was released in December 2007 and named Clemens and 85 other current and former ballplayers as using drugs. Clemens denied the allegations and Butler pointed out that leaders of the House committee said they needed to investigate Clemens' denials to determine what weight to give the Mitchell report and its recommendations. Attanasio argued that if the committee's purpose was to come full circle on the Mitchell report, it had done so with a January 2008 hearing featuring testimony by Mitchell, baseball commissioner Bud Selig and former players union director Donald Fehr. "That ship had left. That work was done. And now it becomes a question between Mr. Clemens and Mr. McNamee," Attanasio said. But U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said if "one of the icons of baseball" was taking exception to the Mitchell report, "it seems to me that Congress has the authority to hold hearings to determine which view is correct." Attanasio said the issue will be addressed in testimony from the first two witnesses prosecutors plan to call after opening arguments Wednesday morning. He said the first will be retired House Parliamentarian Charles Johnson, followed by Phil Barnett, who was chief counsel for the committee at the time it investigated Clemens.

Verlander K's 9 Royals to earn historic 12th win

2011-07-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Justin Verlander became the first Tigers pitcher to earn his 12th win before the All-Star break in 24 years and Detroit climbed past Cleveland into first place in the AL Central on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.Verlander (12-4) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings in the sweltering heat to match Jack Morris' win total in 1987. Striking out the side in the second and sixth, he fanned nine altogether and raised his league-leading strikeout total to 147. He allowed six hits and did not walk a batter while getting charged with one unearned run. He has not allowed more than two runs in nine straight starts.The 28-year-old right-hander threw 119 pitches, 82 strikes, as temperatures got as high as 98 degrees. The heat index on the concourse of the stadium in the eighth inning was 113. Lifetime, Verlander improved to 12-2 in 18 starts against the Royals, who lost three of the four games against their AL Central rivals and went into the break with a league-worst 37-54 record.The Tigers, winners of four of their last five, moved a half-game ahead of Cleveland, which lost to Toronto 7-1.Jeff Francis (3-10) took the loss even though he had one of the his best outings of the season, going six-plus innings and surrendering two runs on just four hits, with one walk and six strikeouts, matching his season high.Verlander lost the shutout in the eighth when Alcides Escobar singled, went to third on Chris Getz's single and scored with two outs when Brandon Inge threw high to first on Alex Gordon's slow roller to third. Joaquin Benoit relieved and struck out Billy Butler. All-Star closer Jose Valverde worked around a leadoff double by Eric Hosmer in the ninth for his 24th straight save. He saved all three of the victories against KC.It was 95 degrees with a heat index of 105 when the game started and 97, 112 by the sixth inning.Francis retired the first nine Tigers but Casper Wells doubled leading off the fourth and made it 1-0 on an RBI single by Brennan Boesch. In the sixth, Wells walked, went to second with his first career steal and came home on Magglio Ordonez's RBI single.Verlander, as usual against KC, was dominant most of the hot, sticky afternoon.After Butler singled leading off the second, struggling rookie Mike Moustakas broke an 0 for 21 streak with a two-out single into right. But Verlander ended the threat by striking out Brayan Pena. Jeff Francoeur singled to start the Royals fifth, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on Moustakas' roller to first. But Verlander kept him there by striking out Pena and retiring Escobar on an easy infield grounder.Hosmer made a terrific defensive play to end the eighth, diving to his right to snare Don Kelly's hot grounder wide of the bag and, from his knees, whipping the ball to pitcher Aaron Crow on the bag, nipping the runner by half a step.Game notes Verlander's pitch hit Escobar on the inside of his right arm in the third inning but home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi refused to let him take first, apparently ruling the ball had glanced off the bat. Replays clearly showed the ball hitting Escobar. The batter and manager Ned Yost argued in vain.... Morris was 18-11 after winning 12 games in '87 before the break. ... Melky Cabrera's sixth-inning single stretched his hitting streak to nine games.

McGehee's 3-run bomb lifts Brewers, Gallardo

2011-07-06T15:04:00.001-07:00

MILWAUKEE -- Pinch-hitter Casey McGehee launched a three-run homer in the seventh inning, then spiked his batting helmet in the dugout while apparently letting out weeks of frustration, as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Wednesday.McGehee, benched three of the previous five games because of a season-long slump, hit his first home run since May 20. He had been hitting .171 since last homering.Yovani Gallardo (10-5) pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run and four hits, and helped prevent Arizona from sweeping the Brewers for the first time. He had lost three of his past four decisions, allowing 14 runs in 28 innings over that stretch.Against the Diamondbacks, Gallardo was more like the pitcher who won six consecutive starts earlier this season. He gave up a leadoff home run to Kelly Johnson on his third pitch of the game, but quickly recovered and struck out six, walked one and retired 13 of 14 batters during one stretch.Gallardo became the sixth NL pitcher with double-digit victories.LaTroy Hawkins pitched a scoreless eighth and John Axford earned his 22nd save in 24 chances by striking out the side in the ninth.Arizona rookie Josh Collmenter pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits. He had lost his last four starts.Reliever Joe Paterson (0-2) struck out Prince Fielder to start the seventh before giving up consecutive singles. Sam Demel came on to face McGehee, who hit a 3-2 pitch off the slight overhang in center field for his third career pinch-hit home run and second this season. The other was April 10 against Chicago.The Brewers' offense was all McGehee as the rest of the team struggled, especially with All-Star Ryan Braun missing his fourth consecutive with a sore left calf.Game notes Johnson hit his ninth career leadoff home run. ... All-Star second baseman Rickie Weeks made a nice diving catch in the third to rob Johnson of a hit up the middle. ... Roenicke came out to check on Gallardo before he faced Juan Miranda with two out in the seventh. The right-hander, who already had thrown 116 pitches, stayed in the game and struck out Miranda.