BASEBALL GAME RECAPS 8-17-08

Angels lose first series to AL opponent since May

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jensen Lewis pitched like Francisco Rodriguez to make sure Los Angeles' closer never got a chance.

Lewis worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his third save to help the Cleveland Indians beat the Angels 4-3 in the deciding game of a three-game series Sunday.

It was the Angels' first series loss to an AL opponent since a three-game sweep in Tampa Bay from May 9-11. They hadn't lost any series since dropping two of three interleague games to the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 27-29.

"You set the standard so high and you lose one series and ask 'what's wrong,' " Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. "That's what we're saying. We've been riding the wave so long. We have to get another wave."

One key to the Angels having baseball's best record (76-46) has been Rodriguez. The right-hander has 47 saves and is on track to shatter the record of 57 by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox in 1990.

Jeremy Sowers (2-6) gave up eight hits but only two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings for his first win in five starts. He again struggled in the first inning, allowing two runs. In 15 starts, Sowers has given up 15 runs in the opening inning.

"We got timely hitting and good relief work," Sowers said after earning his first home win in 13 starts at Progressive Field since beating Detroit on Aug. 25, 2006.

The left-hander has his former Vanderbilt teammate to thank for it.

"This was just like college," Lewis said. "Jeremy would start and I would finish. I told him during the anthem, 'I'm going to come in and save it for you.'

"But if he doesn't pitch like he did, we don't have the chance to win. He did a great job."

So did Lewis and Rafael Perez, who struck out three over 1 1/3 perfect innings.

Juan Rivera blooped a single in front of center fielder Grady Sizemore to open the ninth against Lewis. Gary Matthews Jr. ran for Rivera and was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter Sean Rodriguez. Pinch-hitter Kendry Morales singled Matthews to third before Lewis got Chone Figgins on an infield popout and Erick Aybar to foul out to left field.

"You talk about the definition of a save and that's it," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "Lewis showed a lot of moxie out there. We were playing 'no doubles' on defense, so that first ball drops in. Jensen had to bow his neck and that's what he did."

Cleveland took a 4-3 lead in the sixth against Justin Speier (1-6). Sal Fasano hit a leadoff double and was sacrificed to third. Sizemore then fought off an inside fastball that jammed him, blooping an RBI single to right-center.

The Angels had scored 164 runs in their previous 26 games and quickly added to that total.

Singles by Figgins, Aybar and Mark Teixeira to open the game gave them a 1-0 lead. When Teixeira's soft single to center hopped past Sizemore for an error, the runners went to second and third. Aybar then scored on a grounder by Vladimir Guerrero, though Teixeira was out trying for third.

Cleveland's Franklin Gutierrez had three singles for his first three-hit game since April 29. His two-out, two-run single off Joe Saunders with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first tied it at 2.

The Indians scored once in the third. With Jamey Carroll on third base and two outs, Ryan Garko checked his swing and hit a high bouncer over Saunders' head for an RBI single. Carroll scored easily as Saunders stumbled while going for the ball and his left shoulder collided with second baseman Howie Kendrick's knee.

"It tightened up a little bit, but I'm not coming out of the game because of something like that," Saunders said. "It should be fine. I'm not planning on missing my next start."

Figgins singled to start the fifth and eventually scored an unearned run on a passed ball by Fasano to tie it at 3.

Saunders wasn't as sharp as he's been in earning a team-high 14 wins. The lefty left after five innings with a 3-3 tie, though he remained unbeaten in his last six starts. He gave up three runs and eight hits -- the 11th consecutive start in which has not allowed more than three earned runs.

Game notes
The Angels fell to 53-9 when scoring first. ... Indians OF Ben Francisco went 2-for-4 for his eighth two-hit game in his last nine starts. ... Indians DH Travis Hafner (weak right shoulder) and 2B Josh Barfield (middle finger surgery, left hand) will start injury rehab assignments at Triple-A Buffalo on Monday. ... C Victor Martinez (right elbow surgery) went 2-for-4 with a homer as the DH at Double-A Akron on Sunday and will transfer his rehab work to Buffalo on Tuesday. ... Angels OF Garret Anderson, on a 20-game hitting streak, got a day off. ... With the Angels headed to Tampa Bay on Monday, manager Mike Scioscia has kept on eye on Tropical Storm Fay, due to hit Florida. "I'm sure in the next 48 hours we'll have a lot better feel for what's happening," Scioscia said. Last April, the Angels had a three-game series moved from Cleveland to Milwaukee because of a blizzard.




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Mora, Scott hit two homers each as Orioles crush Tigers


DETROIT (AP) -- Melvin Mora had two chances to hit the triple he needed for the cycle. He was fine with the double and home run he hit instead.

Mora went 5-for-6 with two homers, two doubles and a career-high six RBIs in Baltimore's 16-8 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

"I just feel real confident when I get to the plate right now," said Mora, who is hitting .500 in his last 15 games. "To be able to go out there and crush the ball against a team like Detroit was really something."

The Orioles and Tigers combined for 24 runs on 37 hits, including 15 for extra bases, and added 13 walks for good measure. The ten pitchers needed 390 pitches. All 19 starters had at least one hit.

Baltimore, which also got two homers from Luke Scott, set season highs for runs, hits (22) and extra-base hits (12). It was the most hits in a game for Baltimore since they had 22 on July 22, 2006, at Tampa Bay.

"That was an unbelievable game," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. "I'm going to get a tape of this one and run it over and over during the winter."

The Orioles, winners of four of their last five games, have scored in double digits in three of their last four games. The Tigers fell to 5-11 in August.

"Our entire pitching staff had a bad day, and when that happens, you are going to get embarrassed," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Our offense came ready to win this game, but when you give up four runs in three of the first five innings, it takes all the wind out of your sails."

Fernando Cabrera (2-1) got the win with three shutout innings of relief, while Casey Fossum (2-1) got the loss, allowing four runs in his two innings of work.

Both starters allowed five runs in less than two innings of work -- Detroit's Zach Miner got only four outs while Baltimore's Garrett Olson managed five.

Baltimore's bullpen, though, made the difference. Their four relievers gave up three runs in 7 1/3 innings while Detroit's allowed 11 runs in 7 2/3.

The Orioles started the game with five straight hits, including three doubles, to take a 4-0 lead off Miner.

"I felt good before the game, and then before I could blink, they had five hits," Miner said. "I was just shocked. They weren't all good pitches, but they weren't all bad, either."

Detroit got a run in the bottom of the inning on Miguel Cabrera's RBI double, but Baltimore made it 5-1 in the second when Miner walked Kevin Millar with the bases loaded.

Olson, though, couldn't hold the lead in the bottom of the second.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with two out, and Placido Polanco's walk forced in Detroit's second run. Gary Sheffield followed with a two-run single, chasing Olson, and Cabrera's single drove in the tying run.

The teams combined for 10 runs and 138 pitches in the first two innings, which took 74 minutes to play.

After a quiet third, Mora's solo homer off Fossum put Baltimore back ahead in the fourth, and Scott added a three-run shot later in the inning to make it 9-5.

Mora's two-run double increased the lead to 11-5 in the fifth, and Aubrey Huff hit a two-run homer two pitches later. Scott's second homer, a 412-footer down the right-field line, gave the Orioles a nine-run lead in the seventh.

Mora's throwing error allowed the Tigers to get within 14-6 in the seventh, but Matt Joyce grounded out with the bases loaded and Mora hit his second homer of the game moments later.

"He's 'The Natural' right now," Tremblay said. "He's on an incredible run streak, and I'm just enjoying sitting there and watching it."

Brandon Inge's two-run triple in the ninth finished the scoring.

"There's not much you can do about this one," Inge said. "Everything Mora swung at, he hit hard, and the whole team followed suit."

Game notes
The Tigers put reliever Todd Jones back on the disabled list Sunday and purchased the contract of veteran reliever Gary Glover from Triple-A Toledo. Jones missed the first half of August with shoulder problems, then allowed five runs in his first outing back on Friday. ... Baltimore's 12 extra-base hits were a record for Comerica Park, which opened in 2000.



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Yankees rout Royals to split season series
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mike Mussina kept turning around to see poorly hit balls find holes in the Yankees' defense, his body language conveying just a touch of exasperation. By the time he walked off the mound after the first inning, Kansas City had a three-run lead.

"His luck wasn't real good in the first," manager Joe Girardi said, "but it changed after that."

Helps when your offense wipes out the deficit -- and then some -- in a hurry.

Jason Giambi hit a grand slam, Alex Rodriguez sent a three-run homer bouncing into Monument Park and New York broke loose against Brian Bannister and the Royals in a 15-6 rout Sunday that salvaged a split of the season series.

Cody Ransom added a two-run homer and Xavier Nady also went deep for the Yankees, who totaled six runs in the previous two games but got that many in the first inning alone. Rodriguez finished 3-for-3 with five RBIs, and Derek Jeter went 4-for-4 and scored three times.

"They got out to a three-run lead and we had a real good first inning," Rodriguez said. "That's really the key to our offense."

Mussina (16-7) settled down after the shaky start, retiring his last 14 batters and improving to 6-0 against teams from the AL Central. It was win No. 266 for the right-hander, tying him with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th on the career list.

Despite winning at least 15 games 11 times, Mussina has never been a 20-game winner -- something he could certainly accomplish if the Yankees get on a roll.

"That's probably the fourth time I've given up a couple in the first inning and we came back," he said, praising the offense rather than himself. "I don't want to try that too much."

Ross Gload hit a two-run homer and Billy Butler had a two-run double for the Royals, who wasted two chances over the weekend to win their first season series against New York since 1999. Instead, they've lost nine of 11 after a modest three-game winning streak.

The Yankees (66-58) closed within five games of Boston for the AL wild-card spot. They open a six-game trip Tuesday at Toronto, and will play 22 of their final 38 on the road -- all but 10 of those games against teams with winning records.

"We have our backs up against the wall and every game is very important," Rodriguez said. "You've got to take it like it's the last week of September."

A-Rod struck the first big blow, a drive to left that bounded off the concrete beyond the wall and rattled around like a pinball among the stone monuments. His 28th home run tied the game at 3, but a miserable afternoon was only beginning for Bannister.

The right-hander served up a 1-1 pitch to Nady moments later that he drove off the foul pole in right. After a visit to the mound by pitching coach Bob McClure, Robinson Cano singled, Jose Molina hit a run-scoring double and speedy youngster Brett Gardner -- who had the winning hit in the 13th inning Saturday -- tripled for a 6-3 lead.

"I knew right away it was going to be tough," said Bannister, who didn't manage another out after retiring Johnny Damon to end the first inning. "Missed over the plate and every time it hurt me."

Jeter singled and Bobby Abreu and A-Rod each walked to load the bases in the second for Giambi, who hit his second grand slam of the season into the appreciative Bleacher Creatures in right.

Nady followed with an infield hit and Cano a double down the line, finally chasing Bannister (7-12) after one of the worst starts of his career.

"Just a lack of command and control," Royals manager Trey Hillman said, "and probably at this point confidence."

Rodriguez added a run-scoring single in the third, and Abreu and A-Rod each drove in runs in the seventh before Ransom's fourth career homer into the left-field seats.

Bannister wound up allowing 13 of the 16 batters he faced to reach safely, on 10 hits and three walks, and the 10 runs he yielded were a career high. His ERA in four starts against New York ballooned to 15.07, and he's allowed 30 hits and six homers in just 14 1-3 innings.

"Since I was a little kid, I wanted to pitch in this ballpark, and it hasn't been that nice to me in return," he said. "It kind of leaves a bitter taste in your mouth."

Game notes
Jeter was hit by a pitch just below the left elbow in the seventh inning but remained in the game. ... Giambi's 14th slam tied him with Gil Hodges, Mark McGwire and Mike Piazza for 14th on the career list. A-Rod is tied for eighth with 16. ... Yankees DH Hideki Matsui (left knee) took 15 at-bats in a simulated game and could be activated from the disabled list Tuesday. ... Royals OF Jose Guillen, a huge football fan, tried to win over some New York fans when he sported a Brett Favre jersey.




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Rios, Blue Jays hammer BoSox pitching to coast


BOSTON (AP) -- Josh Beckett missed his spots early and the Blue Jays made sure he didn't last long enough to find his control.

Alex Rios had five hits, matching a club record with four doubles, and Toronto chased Beckett in the third inning of a 15-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

"He just made some mistakes early in the game and the guys hit him," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "Otherwise, that doesn't happen to him too often. Some days that happens."

Adam Lind had a solo homer and four RBIs and John McDonald added three hits and three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who set a club record with 10 doubles. They won their fifth in six games and improved to 6-2 against the Red Sox this season. The teams meet again for three games in Toronto next weekend.

"Whenever you have a chance to get those pitchers out of the game quick, it's good to get to their bullpen and work their bullpen," Rios said. "It was a good day for everybody. I guess that gave us a little more confidence."

The Blue Jays, seemingly out of the AL wild-card race a week ago, completed a 5-1 road trip by sweeping the rain-shortened, two-game series in Boston. Toronto, which is seven games behind the Red Sox for the wild-card spot, opens a key homestand against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

Boston lost consecutive games for the first time in August and fell to 21-23 within the AL East, its only losing record against any division. The Red Sox open a nine-game road trip -- all against division foes -- Monday night in Baltimore.

Shaun Marcum (8-5) gave up one run and five hits in five innings. He's won his last three starts, allowing four runs in 18 innings.

Beckett (11-9), coming off a splendid outing Monday in Chicago when he held the White Sox to one run in eight innings, was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings. It was his shortest start since going 1 1/3 innings against the Yankees on June 5, 2006.

The common phrase in Boston's clubhouse was Beckett had "a bad day."

"The fastballs he threw ran back over the middle. They were elevated," manager Terry Francona said. "We spent the majority of the day doing that. They were pretty consistent in scoring."

Toronto scored in all but two innings and equaled its season high with 22 hits, the most Boston pitchers have given up this year.

"Just a bad day all the way around," Beckett said.

Kevin Youkilis hit his 23rd homer and Dustin Pedroia his 12th -- both solo shots -- for the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays scored six times against Beckett in the first. After Joe Inglett opened the game by striking out, the next six hitters reached. Marco Scutaro singled, Rios doubled and Vernon Wells walked to load the bases before Lind's RBI single. Rios also scored on the play when left fielder Jason Bay bobbled the ball for an error.

Lyle Overbay singled in a pair after Rob Barajas was hit by a pitch. McDonald added a two-run double to make it 6-0.

"The way we came out swinging the bats against Beckett today is a big lift for us," McDonald said. "I think we thought today was going to be one of those games where one or two runs was going to be tough to come by. To have our guys set the tone early was a big lift."

Lind homered deep into the right-field seats leading off the third. One out later, Overbay doubled. Brad Wilkerson greeted reliever David Aardsma with a triple that rolled around the right-field corner, making it 8-0.

Francona pulled catcher Jason Varitek and first baseman Youkilis after four innings. Right fielder J.D. Drew left with tightness in his lower back after three.

Game notes
Rios equaled his career high for hits and became the third Blue Jays player with four doubles, the first since Shannon Stewart on July 18, 2000. ... Toronto homered in its sixth straight game, matching a season high also accomplished April 18-23. ... Former Red Sox manager Dick Williams, inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 27th, was honored during an on-field ceremony before the game. ... Boston RHP Clay Buchholz, pushed back in the rotation after recent struggles and again with a rainout Friday, gave up a run in an inning of relief.




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Nathan closes door in Twins' defeat of M's

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- This is why the Minnesota Twins were willing to give Joe Nathan so much money. Their choice not to trade him has proven to be prescient -- and particularly beneficial for this pennant race.

Earning his 33rd save with four pressure-filled outs against the free-swinging Seattle Mariners, Nathan helped the Twins hang on for a too-close-for-comfort 11-8 victory and a three-game sweep by leaving the bases loaded in the eighth and the ninth.

"You see why they pay him what they do and why they want him around," said starter Glen Perkins, who watched an 8-0 lead nearly vanish in a four-run sixth inning when the Mariners homered three times.

Nathan signed for $47 million and four years, plus a club option for a fifth, after many observers assumed he would follow Johan Santana and Torii Hunter out of Minnesota while the Twins tried to rebuild.

Instead, the All-Star closer is a big reason they're a surprising playoff contender.

Nathan got Ichiro Suzuki to ground out to end the game. In the eighth, the right-hander struck out Adrian Beltre to end that threat.

"Wow! I grew a beard there in that game," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said, having a hard time believing his team had swept the series.

Jason Kubel had four hits and scored four runs and Justin Morneau homered and drove in two runs for the Twins, who stayed tied for first place in the AL Central with the Chicago White Sox.

Leads were not safe in this series, though, even against a Mariners team long out of contention. They've got plenty of good hitters, as they reminded the rather weary Twins.

"You win ugly sometimes," said Perkins, who lost a large early lead at Seattle two weeks ago in an 11-6 loss.

In six games against Minnesota this year, the Mariners have scored 39 runs -- with a whopping 30 of those coming from the sixth inning on.

"We're not going to bow down to anybody the way we've hit the ball the last three weeks," interim manager Jim Riggleman said. "You can sense it, that the other club knows they've got their hands full when they play us."

The problem has been pitching.

"If it's not one thing, it's another," Riggleman said.

After starter Ryan Feierabend's first major league appearance of the season lasted only three innings, four relievers combined to throw 131 pitches over the final six frames as the Mariners stumbled to their seventh loss in eight games.

Knuckleballing reliever R.A. Dickey matched a major league record by throwing four wild pitches in an inning, and Seattle never got closer than two runs.

Minnesota's Boof Bonser gave up two runs in the seventh, making it 10-6. Struggling setup man Matt Guerrier, who had been held out of the last three games for a mental break, started the eighth and was charged with two runs after giving up two walks and a double.

Guerrier has given up 21 hits and 16 runs over 11 innings in 14 appearances since the All-Star break.

"We're going to need him," Gardenhire said. "He's just going to have to keep going back out there. He's just going to have to fight through it and make better pitches."

Dennys Reyes allowed a pair of infield singles, leaving the bases loaded. Then Nathan fanned Beltre by getting him to reach for an 89 mph slider.

Nathan gave up a one-out double to Wladimir Balentien in the ninth and walked Kenji Johjima, but Bryan LaHair flied out. Pinch-hitter Jeff Clement reached on an infield single, bringing the potential winning run -- Suzuki -- to the plate.

"These guys swing the bats," Nathan said.

Perkins (10-3) improved to 8-1 in his last 14 starts, capping a memorable week for the left-hander. His wife gave birth to their second a daughter last weekend, and he followed that by throwing eight shutout innings in a win over the New York Yankees on Monday.

Perkins was on his way to another long outing, the type the Twins' overexposed bullpen has been in need of, until the humbling sixth. He finished the inning, but the eight-run lead was halved after Beltre, Balentien and Johjima took him deep. Beltre's homer, his 20th, followed a single by Raul Ibanez and landed about 20 rows up in left.

"You never feel like you're out of the game. Riggleman has a lot to do with it," said Ibanez, who went 5-for-5.

Feierabend (0-1) finished the third inning, but only when Adam Everett was out trying to stretch a single -- he slid too far past second base. After going 7-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 13 starts for Triple-A Tacoma, Feierabend allowed 10 hits and six runs in a disappointing audition for 2009.

"All I can say is, welcome back to the big leagues," Feierabend said.

Game notes
Ibanez is batting .413 (25-for-62) with 13 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs in 15 games this month. He is 14-for-26 against the Twins. ... Kubel went 8-for-10 with a homer and six RBIs in the series, raising his average 15 points to .278. He is 13-for-19 against the Mariners this year with three homers and nine RBIs.



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White Sox smack four homers to change eight-year fortune in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Carlos Quentin felt right at home in Oakland.

Quentin hit his 34th homer and drove in four runs, Alexei Ramirez added a grand slam and the Chicago White Sox won a series in Oakland for the first time in eight years by beating the Athletics 13-1 Sunday.

Quentin, who was a standout player at Stanford, went 6-for-9 with two homers in his first three games in Oakland.

"There's a lot of people I still care about here in the Bay Area," Quentin said. "I love coming back to Stanford, although I didn't have a chance to go back this trip. The Bay Area is familiar to me and I always liked the Bay Area."

Javier Vazquez (10-10) allowed four hits in eight innings to help the White Sox win consecutive games in Oakland for the first time since August 2000. Chicago also took the season series from the A's for the first time in eight years.

"When I get that many runs I think just throw strikes and be aggressive," Vazquez said. "Everything was working. With that many runs, just continue to pound the strike zone."

Juan Uribe added a two-run shot and Jermaine Dye also homered as the White Sox won for the fifth time in six games to remain tied with Minnesota atop the AL Central. DeWayne Wise had an RBI for Chicago, which moved a season-best 17 games over .500 at 70-53.

"Every time we come here we get some crazy games," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We start out good with the Uribe home run and we took advantage of the guy not throwing strikes. He was all over the place and when he tried to find the plate, we didn't miss them."

Cliff Pennington doubled for his first major league hit and Daric Barton had an RBI single for the A's, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Gio Gonzalez (1-2) was tagged for eight runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. The A's rookie, who walked five and struck out two, was making his third career start and was coming off his first victory. The A's have lost 10 straight series, falling to a major league-worst 5-23 since the All-Star break.

"I tended to put too much pressure on myself," Gonzalez said. "I was trying to do too much, trying to be very detailed on every pitch, and I let it get the best of me.

Quentin hit a two-run shot in the third, followed by Dye's homer. Ramirez's slam in the seventh made it 13-0.

"We have a very good team in all aspects of the game," Quentin said. "We can play defense, hit and pitch and our bullpen is very good. I think we're doing a good job of bringing the same effort level every day."

Quentin, the Stanford product who took over the big league home run lead, had three hits in his first 24 career at-bats against the A's.

"You come in with the same game plan, read up on the pitchers, check out the scouting report and that's baseball," Quentin said. "You go play the game and whatever happens, happens."

Vazquez, who had a 15-inning scoreless streak snapped when the A's scored in the eighth, also reversed a bad streak against the A's by winning his first game in Oakland in five starts. He also kept the ball from leaving the park for the first time in seven games against the A's.

"He worked ahead in the count and moved the ball through the strike zone," A's slugger Frank Thomas said. "He didn't straighten anything out. He was sinking it, stayed on the corners and was pretty good at it."

The right-hander gave up 19 runs in his first 24 innings in Oakland.

Vazquez retired 13 of his first 14 batters. He struck out eight and did not walk a hitter as he moved into a tie with Al Leiter for 66th place on the career strikeout list at 1,974.

Game notes
For the first time in major league history, three members of the 500 home run club (Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome and Frank Thomas) were pinch hit for in the same game. ... In response to Nick Swisher' warm welcome in Oakland, White Sox players pinned up a Swisher A's jersey on the A's right field wall, officially "retiring" his No. 30. ... The A's play their next seven series in seven different cities, the first such trip since 1999. ... A's LHP Dan Meyer was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento after the game.




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Upton back from benching, helps Rays add to East lead

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- B.J. Upton responded to a benching exactly the way Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon hoped he would.

Upton homered and drove in three runs, Scott Kazmir allowed two runs in six innings and the Rays added a game to their AL East lead with a 7-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday night.

Maddon pulled Upton during Friday night's game against the Rangers for failing to run hard on a double-play grounder. Maddon kept Upton in the dugout for all of Saturday night's 3-0 loss to Texas before deciding to return his center fielder to the lineup.

"I thought he was pretty darned good," Maddon said. "He was swinging the bat well. I saw him raise the level of his play. He was getting the bat head out in front of the ball. Before the game I was saying what a catalyst he can be for us."

Upton had three hits and Carlos Pena homered for the Rays, who took two of three from the Rangers and have won seven of nine overall.

Upton said he didn't change anything about his preparation for the game.

"I used the same approach as every day," Upton said. "I just happened to swing the bat a little better."

Texas challenged in the ninth, but Maddon employed an unusual bit of strategy with his closer Troy Percival sidelined.

After Brandon Boggs' RBI groundout off Grant Balfour in the ninth made it 7-3, Michael Young walked to reload the bases. With Josh Hamilton coming to bat as the potential tying run, Maddon had the major league RBI leader walked to force in a run.

"I don't think I've ever done that, even in the minors," Maddon said. "But I told [pitching coach] Jimmy [Hickey], if we walk Young to load the bases, we're going to walk Hamilton. I just thought that was prudent. With the kind of year [Hamilton] has been having -- I wouldn't say it's spectacular, it's beyond that -- he very easily could have hit a grand slam there."

Maddon brought in Dan Wheeler, subbing for Percival. Wheeler struck out Marlon Byrd swinging for his fifth save in six chances.

"That just shows the respect [Maddon] has for Hamilton," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "I was hoping that Hamilton would get the chance to swing the bat but Joe didn't let that happen. I still felt good with Marlon up there. He had a couple pitches that he could have done something with, he just didn't do it."

The victory coupled with Toronto's 15-4 win over Boston gave the Rays a 4½ game pad over the second-place Red Sox.

Kazmir (9-6) earned his first win since July 21, giving up four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks to help the Rays improve to 20-9 since the All-Star break.

Kazmir won six straight starts in May and June, but has scuffled lately. Entering Sunday, he had lost three of four decisions and failed to pitch into the sixth inning in any of his previous four outings.

"I felt a whole lot better," Kazmir said. "Being able to go out in that sixth inning was huge. I was relaxed, my slider was working. I got a lot of called strikes and a couple of swinging strikes with it."

Travis Metcalf homered for the Rangers, who've lost nine of 11.

Tampa Bay scored four runs in the third inning against Texas starter Dustin Nippert (1-3), highlighted by Upton's RBI double and Pena's three-run homer, his 25th.

The Rays stretched their lead to 7-1 in the fourth on Jason Bartlett's run-scoring double and Upton's two-run homer, his eighth.

Vicente Padilla, who's won a team-high 12 games, was originally scheduled to start Sunday night, but Padilla's ongoing neck problems forced the Rangers to bring Nippert out of the bullpen for his first start of the season and sixth of his career.

Nippert allowed seven runs and eight hits in four innings.

"I left some pitches up and they capitalized," Nippert said.

Game notes
Percival, on the DL with cartilage damage in his right knee, played catch on Sunday. "I felt good. There was nothing debilitating," he said. Percival will visit the Rays' team doctor at home on Monday, with arthroscopic surgery an option. ... Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler was removed from the game after seven innings due to a strained groin. He's day to day. ...Texas DH Milton Bradley was a late scratch due to back stiffness. ... Rangers INF Hank Blalock's sore right shoulder prevented him from a pregame infield session. Blalock, on the 15-day DL since July 29, is still set to begin a three-game rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Monday night. Normally a 3B, Blalock is expected to rejoin the Rangers on Friday to play 1B with rookie 1B Chris Davis moving to 3B. ... The Rangers announced an attendance of 18,363 plus 378 canines in the park for a Dog Day promotion.



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Volquez blanks Cards for seven as Reds cruise to victory

CINCINNATI (AP) -- A little rest was all that Edinson Volquez needed.

A revived Volquez pitched seven shutout innings and traded up-and-in fastballs with counterpart Kyle Lohse on Sunday, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-3 victory that ended the St. Louis Cardinals' four-game winning streak.


Despite getting only three hits off Volquez (15-5), the Cardinals headed home in a good frame of mind. St. Louis went 6-4 on its trip and got hints that its offense in coming around in time for a run at the NL wild card. The Cardinals remain close behind Milwaukee for the playoff spot.

"It's not exactly where we want to be, but we've got a shot," Lohse said.

They couldn't get to Volquez, who has been one of Cincinnati's few bright spots. The Reds have lost 17 of their last 22 games, putting them on course for an eighth straight losing season.

Troy Glaus' single off David Weathers ended the shutout in the eighth, and the Cardinals scored twice in the ninth off Francisco Cordero.

Jay Bruce and Jeff Keppinger had run-scoring singles off Lohse (13-6), who helped the Cardinals' injury-depleted rotation get through the first half of the season but has slipped into a slump of his own, losing three of his last four starts. Brandon Phillips hit a three-run homer in the seventh off Jaime Garcia.

"A 6-4 road trip is a good trip, but I just look at my two starts and we lost both of them," Lohse said. "If we won both, it could have been a great trip."

Volquez didn't let it happen.

The 25-year-old pitcher looked run-down after he made his first All-Star appearance in July. In his next four starts, he gave up nearly a run per inning. His control was a little off, his pitches were a little flat and his innings were piling up.

Manager Dusty Baker gave him two extra days of rest before his last start, and it fixed the problem.

"It was great for me because I'd been struggling last month," Volquez said. "I got on my mechanics a little bit better now. I'm keeping my head straight, too."

Volquez was back in form last Tuesday at Pittsburgh, giving up only one run. He threw 96 mph fastballs and was nearly unhittable at the outset Sunday, allowing only one ball out of the infield in the first four innings. Adam Kennedy got the Cardinals' first hit, a line-drive single to center with one out in the fifth.

"Nobody goes a whole year without scuffling," Baker said. "We wonder if they're getting tired, and Volquez gets upset for us even asking about it."

The pitcher-vs.-pitcher matchup turned intriguing later in the fifth.

When Lohse came to bat with two runners aboard, Volquez threw a fastball that sailed past his head. Volquez led off the bottom of the inning and got an identical up-and-in fastball on Lohse's first pitch, prompting plate umpire Greg Gibson to warn both dugouts.

"Same spot," Lohse noted, referring to his reply pitch. "Wasn't trying to hit him, though."

The drama ended there, though not the debate. Volquez hit Felipe Lopez in the side with a pitch in the seventh -- Gibson deemed it an accident -- and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa argued vainly from the dugout, trying to get Volquez out of the game.

They couldn't get to Volquez that way, either.

"I have no comment on anything to do with him," La Russa said.

Game notes
Lohse went 6-12 with the Reds last season. It was his second career appearance against the Reds. He got no decision when he faced them in 2001 with the Twins. ... Reds rookie OF Chris Dickerson singled in the first inning, ending his extra-base streak. His first six hits in the majors were for extra bases -- four doubles, a triple and a homer.




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Healthy Lincecum looks strong, K's 10 in Giants' win

ATLANTA (AP) -- Saved by the stretch.

Giants ace Tim Lincecum struck out 10 and allowed three hits to help San Francisco beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Sunday.

Despite the impressive numbers, Lincecum said he was struggling to throw strikes "in just about every inning" and decided to pitch from the stretch starting in the sixth.

"I had to make an adjustment," Lincecum said. "I felt a little more comfortable going from the stretch. Less moving parts. It's easier to get toward the target, and that helped me out."

San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy wasn't concerned when Yunel Escobar, the first batter Lincecum faced while pitching out of the stretch, gave the Braves their first hit since Kelly Johnson's single with one out in the second.

"Those first two innings he was out of sync, walking the leadoff hitter," Bochy said. "But that's what you like about the kid. He adjusted. He did his job."

Lincecum is now 12-2 in 21 starts that follow a loss for San Francisco, which had dropped five of six. The right-hander lowered his road ERA to 1.88, best in the majors, and the Giants improved to 9-1 in his 13 starts and one relief appearance away from home.

Showing no bad effects from the bruised knee that forced him to leave his last start, Lincecum (13-3) allowed one run and four walks in 7 2/3 innings. Five of his 10 strikeouts came with runners in scoring position. Despite taking a liner off his knee in Houston and leaving his previous start Tuesday after 4 1/3 innings, Lincecum had a fluid delivery and lost none of his velocity, which was still around 95 mph in the eighth.

After warming up in the bullpen, he felt no need to wear a sleeve or any added protection on his knee.

"It was a dead issue," Lincecum said. "I didn't feel it at all. Nothing nagging at all."

Bochy pulled his ace after Chipper Jones' single gave the Braves two baserunners in the eighth. Reliever Jack Taschner allowed an RBI single to Mark Kotsay, the first batter he faced, and Bochy brought in closer Brian Wilson.

Wilson intentionally walked pinch-hitter Brian McCann before ending the eighth on Jeff Francoeur's fielder's choice grounder. Wilson then pitched the ninth to earn his NL-leading 33rd save in 35 chances,

"The last thing you want to do is give up somebody else's runs," Wilson said. "Giving up my runs, I really don't care as long as I get the save, but it's not as satisfying to save the game if you give up someone else's runs."

Travis Ishikawa's first career homer, a two-run shot in the second, opened the scoring. San Francisco led 3-0 in the fifth when Randy Winn tripled and scored on Emmanuel Burriss' RBI single.

Rookie Charlie Morton (3-7) remained winless in seven starts at Turner Field after giving up three runs and seven hits with six strikeouts in six innings in his first career appearance against the Giants.

The Braves have lost five of six.

Lincecum improved to 17-0 and lowered his ERA to 3.13 when the Giants support him with three runs or more in his 29 career starts.

"When he throws an 83 mph slider, it's tough to get locked into the zone," Kotsay said after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout against Lincecum. "He'll throw a curveball for a strike, then bounce one in the dirt, then throw a changeup down."

Game notes
Francoeur's average dropped to .120 this year in 25 at-bats with the bases loaded. Over his previous two games, Francoeur had gone 7-for-14 with five RBIs to boost his overall season average 11 points to .233. ... Winn is now hitting .444 this month in 63 at-bats. ... San Francisco improved to 43-0 when leading after eight innings.




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Soriano, Ramirez power Cubs past fading Marlins


MIAMI -- The Chicago Cubs put together a big seventh inning to make Ryan Dempster a winner and secure a 5-1 road trip.

Two-run doubles by Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez and a three-run double by Reed Johnson sparked an eight-run seventh and the Cubs rallied past the Florida Marlins, 9-2 on Sunday.

Dempster (14-5) struck out 10 batters in six innings to win for the fourth time in six starts. He gave up two runs, the sixth straight game in which he has allowed two runs or fewer.


"It was a grind ... mentally and physically ... to bear down and make pitches," said Dempster, who worked through a sixth inning in which the Marlins scored once and seemed primed for more with runners on first and third with none out.

Dempster then struck out Mike Jacobs and Dan Uggla, and after an intentional walk, got out of the inning by getting Cody Ross to line out to center.

The Cubs, who had their nine-game road winning streak snapped with a 2-1 loss on Saturday, rebounded to win for the sixth time in seven games overall. Chicago began the day with a 4½ game lead in the NL Central.

"A 5-1 road trip -- you gotta be pleased," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "The position we're in, winning series is what we're shooting for."

The third-place Marlins lost for the fourth time in five games to fall 4½ games behind the New York Mets in the NL East.

"Its been a tough stretch," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Everybody goes through it. Well go out on the road and try to turn this thing around."

Trailing 2-0 in the seventh, the Cubs sent 12 batters to the plate.

Mike Fontenot opened with a double to right and took third on Johnson's single. Florida starter Chris Volstad was replaced by Renyel Pinto (2-5), who walked pinch-hitter Mark DeRosa.

Soriano then hit a liner to left that fell in front of diving Luis Gonzalez to go for a double that scored Fontenot and Johnson to tie the score. After Ryan Theriot grounded out, Derrek Lee was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Ramirez then smashed a 3-2 pitch to the right of third baseman Jorge Cantu to score DeRosa and Soriano for a 4-2 lead.

"Through three at-bats I didn't feel too good but I got a hit at the most important part of the game," Soriano said.

Gonzalez refused to second guess his decision to dive, which resulted in the ball bouncing away from the left fielder.

"If I make the play, its a great play. If not, like today, I'm sure somebody is going to call and say, 'You should have stayed back.' That's baseball," Gonzalez said.

Following Kosuke Fukudome's sacrifice fly and a walk to Geovany Soto, Logan Kensing replaced Pinto. Kensing walked pinch-hitter Ronny Cedeno before yielding Johnson's bases-clearing double to deep left-center that made the score 8-2.

"Those are guys that can swing the bat and hit the ball out of the park, so you never know. You want to keep tacking on runs when you play a team like that," said Johnson, whose four hits included two doubles.

Volstad was charged with two runs and six hits in six-plus innings. Pinto gave up five runs in two-thirds of an inning. It was the third straight appearance in which Pinto has allowed at least a run, and he has allowed 11 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in August.

The Cubs' highest-scoring inning of the season was a nine-run frame against the Chicago White Sox on June 21. They now have 36 come-from-behind wins.

The Marlins runs scored on John Baker's third-inning groundout and Gonzalez's sixth-inning double.

DeRosa had a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Florida's Jacobs and Uggla each struck out four times.

Notes
Florida's Jeremy Hermida was 0-for-17 on the homestand before his single leading off the fifth. ... The Cubs tied a season-high with six doubles. ... Chicago is 6-0-1 in its last seven series. ... Pinto stood at his locker following the game but ignored questions asked of him.





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Stewart, Hawpe, and Smith homer as Rockies hand Nats 10th straight loss

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After the Nationals lost their 10th straight game, manager Manny Acta had a few things to say to his team.

Enjoy a barbeque, spend time with your family. These were some of his suggestions on getting the Nationals back to a winning mindset after Washington's 7-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

At a postgame meeting, Acta reacted to the freefall reaching double digits not by chewing out his struggling players, but by imploring them to focus on family, barbecues and relaxation, anything but baseball, on Monday's scheduled off day.

"They're trying. You just got to keep on being positive with them, bring them back to where they were before," Acta said. "I don't want to lose. Obviously, it's not easy. But the effort, it's there. Guys want to catch the ball, they want to hit the ball, they want to throw strikes. They're just not doing it right now."

It's the longest skid for the Nationals since they moved to Washington before the 2005 season, and the franchise's worst since the Montreal Expos dropped 11 games in a row from June 23-July 4, 1991.

Their longest losing streak in 17 years isn't the only concern for the Washington Nationals, who must now play above .500 for the remainder of the season to avoid the franchise's first 100-loss campaign since 1976.

With 37 regular-season games remaining, Washington will need a decisive turnaround to avoid another unwanted milestone. The Nationals must finish 19-18 to dodge the club's first 100-loss season since the Expos went 55-107 in 1976.

"It ain't always easy and this year has been tough for us. I think it should make you hungrier to come out and play starting Tuesday. ... You never want to be a part of something like [100 losses], but you can't play .500 the rest of the season unless you take care of Tuesday night," first baseman Aaron Boone said.

Added Acta: "What can you do? You can't flip-flop the whole team with another 25 guys. All they can do is give me the effort. This is what we have and this is what we're going to finish the season with. Hopefully, we can get better."

Ian Stewart and Seth Smith hit three-run homers for Colorado and Aaron Cook struggled through five innings for his 15th victory.

Cook (15-, whose scheduled Thursday start was pushed back because of lower back fatigue and tightness, won for the first time in three August outings. The right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits, walked three, struck out four and averted his first three-game losing streak of the season.

"My back feels fine," said Cook. "I just didn't execute some of my pitches. Got away with some. Guys kept making plays behind [me]. When they score some runs, it makes it easier to win."

Brad Hawpe added a solo homer for Colorado, which has won four of five overall after the weekend series sweep. The Rockies have won nine of their last 13 road games.

The Nationals' struggles were a surprise to Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, who remembers the same Washington team winning three of four from Colorado at Coors Field earlier this month. In fact, the Nationals swept a doubleheader last Thursday at Coors Field, and haven't won a game since.

"They had a couple of different defining moments where they could have jumped up and changed the momentum of the game," Hurdle said. "It's not like they weren't trying -- 7-2, it's a lot closer ballgame than that."

Washington grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second when Ronnie Belliard led off with a single, moved to third on Ryan Langerhans' double to left and scored on Pete Orr's grounder to first.

The Rockies, who had a streak of 10 straight games with a home run snapped in a 13-6 victory Saturday night, went ahead for good on Stewart's three-run shot in the fourth. He leads all NL rookies with 27 RBIs since the All-Star break.

The Nationals got within 3-2 with one out in the fifth when Emilio Bonifacio walked, Willie Harris singled and Lastings Milledge bounced a ground-rule double into the left-field bullpen.

Perez (5-9) went six innings, giving up three runs -- two earned -- and four hits. He walked four and fanned three.

Hawpe hit his 21st homer off Charlie Manning leading off the eighth. Jesus Colome relieved and hit Chris Iannetta with a pitch, issued a one-out walk to Stewart and then surrendered pinch-hitter Smith's three-run blast.

Game notes
Colorado's Willy Taveras had two steals, his career-best fifth straight game with a swipe. ... Colorado is 6-1 when Stewart homers. ... Washington C Jesus Flores sat out with a strained right calf. ... Before the game, the Nationals traded RHP Luis Ayala to the New York Mets for a player to be named. The player coming to Washington is expected to be minor league INF Anderson Hernandez, who has yet to clear waivers. ... Colorado OF Cory Sullivan will report to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday. Sullivan was optioned to the Sky Sox on Thursday, but remained with the Rockies while C Yorvit Torrealba recovered from a minor knee injury.





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Johan saves the bullpen, goes the distance to blank Bucs

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Johan Santana's goal was to give the struggling New York Mets bullpen a break.

Turned out, those relievers got the entire day off.

Santana pitched a three-hitter for his fifth career shutout and the streaking Mets got home runs from Brian Schneider and Carlos Beltran in a 4-0 victory Sunday over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"I was very aggressive throwing the first pitch for strikes," said Santana, who got ahead in the count on 26 of 31 hitters. "That allowed me to go out there for the ninth. I was just doing my job."

Argenis Reyes added three hits for the Mets, who have won six straight and 10 of 13. New York began the day leading the NL East by two games over Philadelphia, scheduled to play later at San Diego.

Santana (11-7) retired his first 10 hitters before Jack Wilson singled and Freddy Sanchez reached on an error in the fourth. Wilson had two hits for the Pirates, who have dropped four straight and seven of nine.

Santana threw 85 of 113 pitches for strikes en route to his eighth career complete game and second this season. His previous shutout was June 19, 2007, when he blanked the Mets for Minnesota.

"He's one of the best pitchers in baseball," Pittsburgh manager John Russell said. "That's what he's capable of doing."

The left-hander was at 108 pitches through eight innings and had no thoughts about coming out of the game.

"He was adamant about going back out there, which is always a good thing," New York manager Jerry Manuel said. "If you can, you like to reward."

The Mets, who acquired reliever Luis Ayala from Washington before the game for a player to be named, didn't need to rely on their shaky bullpen, which had trouble nailing down wins in the first two games of the series without injured closer Billy Wagner.

Santana's third career three-hitter gave the Mets six consecutive road victories for the first time since 2001. The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner struck out seven, including Adam LaRoche three times, and didn't walk a hitter.

That continued a strong run by New York starters, who are 6-0 with a 1.51 ERA in their past seven games.

The Mets, who will go for a four-game sweep on Monday, have fashioned their winning streak on the road against the Pirates and Nationals, two teams at the bottom of the standings.

Manuel said that shouldn't diminish the accomplishment.

"We're playing good baseball and getting good pitching," he said. "We're executing, for the most part, in different facets of the game. Those are still things you must do, no matter who you're playing. These are games you would like to win, but it's baseball, so you never know."

New York went ahead early against Pittsburgh for the third game in a row.

Daniel Murphy drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the second against Jeff Karstens (2-2). After Fernando Tatis struck out, Schneider hit his fourth home run into the right-field seats.

Schneider's two-out RBI single down the right-field line in the fourth scored Beltran from first after he was running on the pitch. The three RBIs were the catcher's first in 44 career at-bats at PNC Park.

"Hitting in front of Johan, I didn't think I would get too many chances," Schneider said. "But I got some pitches to hit."

Beltran homered leading off the sixth.

Karstens went six innings, allowing four runs and nine hits. The right-hander has allowed two home runs in each of his past two outings.

"I made some bad pitches, and they hit them," Karstens said. "I expect better from myself."

Pirates left fielder Brandon Moss left in the seventh after spraining his left ankle while trying to break from the batter's box on a groundout. He was helped off the field by trainers.

Tests were negative, and Moss said his ankle was feeling better after the game. He will be evaluated further on Monday.

Game notes
New York 3B David Wright was given the day off. Wright, who missed his second game this season, is hitting .367 (18-for-49) during his current 11-game hitting streak. ... Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said Zach Duke will remain in the starting rotation despite the left-hander's 0-5 record with a 7.97 ERA in six second-half starts. "He's now going through a tough stretch," Huntington said. "We're going to try to work through it with him." ... The Pirates allowed a runner to reach base in the first inning for the 10th consecutive game. ... Pittsburgh turned two double plays, giving the Pirates 27 in their past 16 games. ... Pirates 3B Andy LaRoche committed two errors. ... Pirates closer Matt Capps (right shoulder bursitis) pitched 1 2/3 innings and walked three batters in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Indianapolis. There is no timetable for his return.





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Wigginton's homer enough for Astros to get win

HOUSTON (AP) -- Roy Oswalt downplayed how well he pitched on Sunday. The rest of the Houston Astros couldn't recall him looking any better.

Oswalt allowed one hit in eight innings and struck out 10, outpitching Randy Johnson in Houston's 3-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ty Wigginton hit a three-run homer off Johnson in the first inning as the Astros averted a three-game sweep and won for the ninth time in 11 games. Arizona, which had won three straight, fell into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

The Astros retired Craig Biggio's No. 7 before the game, and the seven-time All-Star waved to fans and touched his heart during a lively ceremony.

Then, Oswalt went to work.

The right-hander, 5-0 in his last seven starts, walked two and matched a season high for strikeouts. He improved to 7-1 in his career against Arizona.

"Roy was just phenomenal," Houston manager Cecil Cooper said. "Without question, this was his best outing of the year. It probably was the second-best outing I've ever seen him throw after the [NLCS] playoff game in 2005.

"You saw two of the best pitchers ever out there. Randy pitched a great game, too. He just made one mistake."

Oswalt (11- said he was off his game more than it appeared.

"I got through it," he said. "They were hitting it pretty well but I got them to hit it right at someone."

Oswalt had given up at least five hits in all 23 previous starts this season. But he didn't think Sunday's effort was his best of the year.

"I can't say the best," he said. "It's better results than I've had in a while."

Astros slugger Lance Berkman called it Oswalt's best performance in at least two seasons. But he dispelled the notion that Oswalt was more locked in because he was facing Johnson (10-9).

"I think it was the other way around," Berkman said. "I think Randy was more focused because he was facing Roy. Randy was pretty dominant and Roy was real dominant."

Wigginton provided all the support Oswalt needed with his fourth homer in seven games, following a walk to Mark Loretta and a single by Miguel Tejada. Wigginton extended his hitting streak to 14 games and is hitting .510 (26-for-51) since the streak began on Aug. 3.

Arizona catcher Chris Snyder said Wigginton hit a split-finger fastball from Johnson.

"Wasn't that bad of a pitch," Snyder said. "I mean, any time that guy puts wood on it, it's a base hit right now."

Oswalt gave up a single to Stephen Drew in the third inning. But Snyder, who had walked and been sacrificed to second, tried to score on the hit to shallow right and was thrown out at the plate by Hunter Pence to end the inning.

Oswalt retired 15 straight batters from there before he was taken out after eight. Jose Valverde finished the two-hitter, allowing only Drew's single in the ninth before earning his 31st save in 37 chances.

Arizona manager Bob Melvin said his scouting reports said Oswalt had lost some velocity this season, but he didn't see much drop-off on Sunday.

"That's probably as hard as he's thrown all year," Melvin said. "He was on it today."

Trying for his 295th win, Johnson allowed eight hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out five but lost for the first time in seven career starts against Houston. The Big Unit entered 4-0 with a 3.60 ERA against the Astros.

After winning the first two games by a combined score of 23-7, the Diamondbacks were shut out for the fifth time this season.

"You kind of knew after the first two games, to see that kind of a performance three times would've been a lot to ask for," Johnson said.

Game notes
The game started 19 minutes late because of the ceremony to honor Biggio. ... It was Oswalt's second 10-strikeout performance of the season. The first came against Milwaukee on June 10. ... Houston's 55 errors are the fewest in the major leagues. The Yankees rank second with 61.





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Ethier's second homer gives Dodgers share of first in NL West

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The euphoria that filled Milwaukee's dugout after a game-tying rally in the ninth inning quickly disappeared when Andre Ethier came to bat again.

Ethier hit his second homer of the game and the Los Angeles Dodgers recovered to beat the Brewers 7-5 on Sunday after Ryan Braun capped Milwaukee's error-aided comeback against Chan Ho Park with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth.

"Me and Matt Kemp were out there looking at each other when they tied it up, saying, 'What the heck's going on?' It's a big emotional swing, but you've got to jump right back on it and stay mentally tough in that situation," Ethier said. "We've had to come up big in some situations. And when they present themselves, don't back down. Go up there, tough it out, really grind out that at-bat and make the most of it."

The Dodgers also got homers from Kemp and Manny Ramirez to move into a first-place tie with Arizona in the NL West.

"We're certainly in a good place right now, with a lot of confidence," manager Joe Torre said. "We expect to win when we come out here. I mean, it's that intensity without being tense, which is where you really want to be. I like that type of attitude that we have right now."

Jason Johnson pitched 2 1/3 innings of two-hit ball after relieving starter Clayton Kershaw, and was two outs from his first major league save when Torre brought in Park after a single by Jason Kendall. Pinch-hitter Craig Counsell followed with a grounder toward the hole that first baseman James Loney misplayed, and he compounded the error by throwing it past first base with Park covering the bag.

Ray Durham, who replaced injured second baseman Rickie Weeks in the sixth, singled home two runs and Braun drove an 0-2 slider to left field for his team-high 31st homer.

Park slammed his glove to the ground when the ball cleared the fence. All four runs in the inning were unearned.

"That was a gut-wrencher there, when you lose that kind of lead in the ninth inning, especially with two out," Torre said. "And then to be able to come back and win the game, what can I cay? I mean, it goes from tragic to magical."

Kemp led off the bottom of the ninth with a single against Carlos Villanueva (4-6) and Ethier followed with a drive to right field on a 1-2 pitch for his 15th homer.

"He didn't just pick me up. He picked the whole team up," Loney said. "There were some crazy things in the ninth."

Joe Beimel (4-0) relieved Park after Braun's homer and got one out for the win. Ramirez had three RBIs for the Dodgers, who have won six of seven.

Kershaw allowed eight hits over six innings. Milwaukee's only run against the 20-year-old left-hander came in the fourth on Mike Cameron's 21st homer.

Braun, who also leads the Brewers in average (.301) and RBIs (86), was 2-for-4 in his return to the starting lineup. He missed six games because of tightness in his lower back, then entered Saturday night as a pinch hitter and doubled in two at-bats as Milwaukee won 4-3 in 10 innings.

"That's the type of team we are. We play a tough nine," said Brewers starter Jeff Suppan, who gave up three homers for the first time in more than two years. "Even when we lose, we still put a lot of pressure on the other team."

The Brewers have lost three of four following an eight-game winning streak, but they still lead St. Louis by two games in the NL wild-card race. Six of their final 12 games will be against the Chicago Cubs, who lead Milwaukee by 5½ games in the NL Central.

"You want to win your division," Kendall said. "But we can't even think that far ahead right now."

Suppan found himself behind 3-0 after 10 pitches. Kemp drove the right-hander's first offering into the left-field pavilion for his first career leadoff homer and 15th this season. Jeff Kent singled with one out and Ramirez followed with a drive that traveled an estimated 439 feet to left-center.

Ramirez, who has 26 homers overall this year, is 25-for-59 (.424) with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 16 games with the Dodgers after a bitter split with the World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

Ethier made it 4-1 in the fifth with his 14th homer and the 21st allowed this season by Suppan. Ramirez drove in the Dodgers' fifth run with an RBI single in the seventh against Seth McClung.

Game notes
The Dodgers are 6-1 when Ramirez homers, 8-3 when he drives in at least one run. ... Kendall reached the 1,000 mark in innings caught for the 11th time in 12 big league seasons. He led all catchers in starts for five straight years before Dodgers counterpart Russell Martin ended that streak last season with 143. ... It was the 17th time this season that the 40-year-old Kent started a day game after starting the night before. The Dodgers are 8-9 in those matinees, with Kent going 14-for-63 (.222) with a homer and two RBIs. ... Weeks left the game because of a sprained left thumb.





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Hamels goes eight, Burrell homers as Phils beat Padres


SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Cole Hamels knew if he was patient, the wins would come. He never figured it would take this long.

Hamels pitched eight sharp innings to snap a seven-start winless drought, Pat Burrell hit a go-ahead homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Sunday night.

Hamels (10- limited the Padres to one run on seven hits as he won for the first time since a 4-1 victory at Atlanta on July 3 and helped the Phillies stay two games back of the Mets in the NL East. The Mets were 4-0 winners at Pittsburgh.

"Every one of us on the starting staff tries to put up good innings and quality starts and hope for the best," Hamels said. "We have been able to do that but, unfortunately, it hasn't gone my way. That's baseball."

Hamels stayed in control of San Diego by throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count. The left-hander didn't worry about Philadelphia's recent offensive struggles.

"I think when you really try to be extra fine, you get yourself in trouble," he said. "That's when you put too much pressure on yourself. That's something that I learned over the past month."

Although the Phillies scored three runs or less for Hamels for the sixth time in his last eight starts, Burrell came through again with a big home run.

Burrell hit his 29th homer of the season, a solo shot with an out in the sixth that proved to be the difference. He also homered on Friday night in the Phillies' 1-0 win over San Diego.

"This team will hit because we've all done it before," Burrell said. "But until we pick it up, we'll have to make sure we are at least getting the clutch hits."

Philadelphia has hit just .197 with seven homers and 32 runs scored in its last 11 games.

"It's nice to win two of three especially when you score six runs," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "We battled, it was a standoff."

Hamels was 0-3 with a 3.61 ERA during his career-high winless skid despite solid outings. Hamels has allowed two or less runs in seven of his last nine starts and 10 of 14.

"He was due to win one because he's pitched some real good ballgames," Manuel said. "This guy has had some tough luck in getting some decisions, getting some wins. He's pitched much better than his record."

Brad Lidge struck out the side in the ninth -- and gave up a walk -- to pick up his 30th save in 30 chances. Lidge has 33 consecutive saves dating to last season.

San Diego lost its ninth consecutive home series since winning two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers, June 10-12. Since then, the Padres have dropped 20 of 27 at home.

Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies going in the first inning with a single off Cha Seung Baek (4-7). He stole second and continued to third on catcher Luke Carlin's throwing error. Jayson Werth followed with a sacrifice fly.

Burrell then homered off Baek to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead in the sixth. The RBI tied him with Greg Luzinski (811) for eighth place on the Phillies' all-time list.

"It was supposed to be a slider away but it was up," Baek said. "It should have been down."

The Padres strung together consecutive one-out singles by Kevin Kouzmanoff, Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley to cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth.

"[Hamels] was throwing three pitches for strikes," Headley said. "I looked up one time and he was throwing three strikes for every one ball."

Hamels threw 97 pitches, 73 for strikes.

Baek allowed two runs -- one earned -- on four hits over six innings. He dropped to 0-7 at home with a 5.86 ERA in eight starts.

Game notes
San Diego is 14-30 against left-handers, 6-15 at home. ... Hamels hit Gonzalez with a pitch, his first this season. ... The Phillies are 55-0 when leading after the eighth inning. Philadelphia is one of five big league teams who are undefeated with a lead heading into the ninth inning. ... Padres' first-round draft pick Allan Dykstra took batting practice. Dykstra, who signed his contract on Friday, was a freshman when Hamels was a senior at the same San Diego area high school, although they were not teammates on the varsity team.





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