BASEBALL GAME RECAPS 8-19-08

Youkilis, Varitek make sure Dice-K gets the win despite struggles

BALTIMORE (AP) -- On a night in which he struggled to get through five innings, Daisuke Matsuzaka got offensive support from an unlikely source: batterymate Jason Varitek.

Matsuzaka won his fourth straight start, the Boston Red Sox got homers from Varitek and Kevin Youkilis in a 7-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Matsuzaka (15-2) gave up two runs, six hits and five walks. The right-hander failed to retire the side in order but stranded nine runners, including five in scoring position, before being lifted after 105 pitches.


"Whether I allow hits or I allow walks, I always think that the important thing is not to allow the runners to score," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. "That's the way I thought last year and it's still the same this year."

It was Matsuzaka's 30th career win, most ever by a Japanese-born pitcher in his first two major league seasons. Hideo Nomo had 29 in 1995-96.

"I think I'd like to reach 15 wins every year, if possible," Matsuzaka said. "It's not that easy to get those wins."

Especially on a night in which he allowed 12 of 26 batters to reach base.

"He finds a way to win. That's all you can ask from a starting pitcher," teammate Dustin Pedroia said. "He's not giving in and we know that. Sometimes it's frustrating, but it keeps you on your toes."

Varitek's second homer in two games put Boston up 3-0 in the second inning. The drive enabled Boston's captain to become the first Red Sox catcher to hit at least 10 home runs in nine seasons, breaking a tie with Carlton Fisk.

Varitek added an RBI double in the fifth after Youkilis hit his 24th homer with a man on. It was only the third time this season he drove in three runs.

Varitek was batting .166 in his last 64 games, a skid that dropped his batting average from .295 to .216.

"I haven't had results, but I've been swinging the bat over the past two weeks, three weeks," he said. "Because I hit a homer doesn't make the difference, but I think all that other stuff was just compiling. I've returned more to normal since the All-Star break than I was before that."

Youkilis added an RBI single in the eighth to cap a three-hit, three-RBI night.

Daniel Cabrera (8- gave up both homers in another poor outing against the Red Sox. The right-hander, who allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, is 2-11 with a 7.13 ERA in 16 career starts against Boston.

"They're just a team," Cabrera said. "I was just trying to go up there and throw strikes. They take a lot of pitches. Maybe that's why they're so good."

It was a tough day for the Orioles, who placed closer George Sherrill on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. With 31 saves and three wins, the All-Star left-hander has played a part in more than half of Baltimore's 60 victories this season.

Brian Roberts had three hits, but Baltimore stranded 11 and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

"We had some opportunities and Matsuzaka made some big pitches and got out of them," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "But we hung in there the best we could. When your team's playing good, everything seems to go your way. And when it's not going your way, it seems like guys out in the field got extra gloves on."

The Red Sox used an RBI single by David Ortiz and a sacrifice fly by Jason Bay to go up 2-0 in the first inning, and Varitek homered leading off the second.

Baltimore closed to 3-2 in the third. After Matsuzaka retired the first two batters, Melvin Mora singled and Aubrey Huff walked before Ramon Hernandez and Luke Scott delivered run-scoring singles.

The Orioles loaded the bases in the fourth before Matsuzaka struck out Mora and retired Huff on a popup.

"We had the right guys up there and it didn't happen," Trembley said.

Opponents are 0-for-14 against Matsuzaka this season with the bases loaded.

"Now that you said it, I think someone's going to get that hit," he said. "It doesn't matter whether the bases are loaded or not, my job is to not allow the runners to score. If there's a base empty, of course, it's a little easier. But it's not something I worry about."

Game notes
The sellout crowd of 48,515 was the largest of the season and included the 50 millionth fan at Camden Yards. The 17-year-old stadium reached 50 million quicker than any ballpark in baseball history. ... RHP Josh Beckett's next start for Boston has been pushed back a few days because of lingering numbness in his right hand. ... Boston rookie Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases to raise his AL-leading total to 40.




http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819101&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Sizemore slows down slump with homer as Tribe remain in stride, top Royals

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Grady Sizemore finally got a pitch to his liking and enjoyed the results even more.

Sizemore broke out of his slump with a three-run homer, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 9-4 on Tuesday night.

"The way they've been pitching me, I just looked for something out over the plate," said Sizemore, adding that he had been falling behind in the count too often while going 10-for-61 (.164) before coming up with two on and two outs in the sixth inning.

Sizemore swung at the first pitch he saw from reliever Leo Nunez and lined it over the wall in right for his 28th homer and a 7-3 lead. It was the All-Star center fielder's first homer since July 31.

"It's just one day and obviously this has been a tough stretch," said Sizemore, who reached on an infield single and scored in the ninth.

Nunez came on after starter Luke Hochevar (6-12) left with a team trainer as he was warming up for the sixth. The Royals listed the right-hander as day-to-day with tightness in his right ribcage.

"We're not going to know anything definitive until [Wednesday]," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "Thankfully, after he felt it he said something. Generally, when somebody feels something that we think is muscular and it's a pitcher, that's usually not a good sign, but I don't want to be the Grim Reaper until we know more."

Hochevar allowed seven hits and four runs, including solo homers to Shin-Soo Choo and Ryan Garko. The first overall pick in the 2006 draft has lost five straight decisions and is 1-7 in nine starts since July 1.

"I went to warm up and on the first pitch, it took my breath away," Hochevar said. "I tried to throw another pitch and something in my ribcage just grabbed me. I never felt anything like this before. It caught me by surprise."

Anthony Reyes (2-1) gave up two runs and six hits over five innings in his third start for Cleveland. The right-hander was acquired July 26 in a trade with St. Louis.

"I'm throwing strikes and happy with what I'm doing," Reyes said. "I got into a lot of bad habits the last couple of years and I'm working on them. I still have stuff to work on."

The Indians got 13 hits and won for the eighth time in 11 games. They have had 10 or more hits seven times in that span.

Jose Guillen had two hits and two RBIs for the Royals, who fell to 2-10 in their last 12 games. Kansas City has dropped six of seven on a nine-game trip that ends Thursday.

Hillman held a closed-door meeting with his coaches for 20 minutes after the game.

"I would have invited you all in there if I had wanted you to know what it was," Hillman said. "We were talking about game situations and looking for ways to try to get better."

Reyes walked Mike Aviles to open the game. He moved up on a groundout and scored on David DeJesus' double to right-center.

Choo tied it with his fifth homer with one out in the second. Later in the inning, Kelly Shoppach added an RBI double and scored on a single by Asdrubal Cabrera to make it 3-1.

Shoppach snapped out of a 3-for-31 slump with the double, but later struck out twice. He has struck out 20 times in his last 37 at-bats.

Garko opened the fourth by hitting his 10th homer just over the wall in left.

"Grady got the big hit," Garko said. "There's a big difference between a four-run lead and one run."

Since being pulled from a game Aug. 6 at Tampa Bay for failing to run out a ball, then being benched the next game, Garko has hit .405 with 12 RBIs over his last 10 games.

"Ryan has stepped it up," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "His approach is better, his discipline is better."

Jason Smith's one-out RBI single off Brendan Donnelly got the Royals within 4-3 in the sixth. Miguel Olivo was thrown out trying to go from first to third on the play. Aviles followed with a single, but Donnelly got DeJesus on a called third strike with the bases loaded to end the rally.

Sizemore reached on an infield single in the eighth and scored on Franklin Gutierrez's double. Gutierrez advanced on a wild pitch and throwing error by catcher Olivo on the same play.

Game notes
The Royals signed RHP Kip Wells and optioned LHP Josh Newman to Triple-A Omaha. Wells gave up two walks, three hits and two runs in 1 1/3 innings. ... Indians C Victor Martinez went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk for Triple-A Buffalo in a rehab assignment. Martinez caught for the first time since having right elbow surgery June 13. ... Royals 3B Alex Gordon, in a 4-for-21 slump, didn't play. Hillman said Gordon had a stiff back and hopes to be in the lineup Wednesday. ... The Royals made two errors and have nine in seven games. ... Indians OF Ben Francisco, hitting .362 (25-for-69) in his last 17 games, got a day off.





http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819105&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Damon's fielding misplays, Burnett's dominating performance doom Yanks

TORONTO (AP) -- Johnny Damon was left "baffled" by a pair of blunders in the outfield, the latest hit to the New York Yankees' fading playoff hopes.

Damon allowed two balls to glance off his glove, including an eighth-inning drive by Marco Scutaro that became the go-ahead double in the Toronto Blue Jays' 2-1 victory over New York on Tuesday night.

"I missed two balls tonight and that's unacceptable," Damon said. "I know that stuff happens sometimes, but catching routine fly balls should not be that much of a problem."

A.J. Burnett won his sixth straight start, and first baseman Lyle Overbay helped preserve the lead in the top of the ninth when he made a brilliant throw to get Alex Rodriguez trying to stretch a leadoff hit into a double.

New York, which got Hideki Matsui back from the 15-day DL, dropped 11 games back of Tampa Bay, the Yankees' largest division deficit this season. New York, whose streak of postseason appearances could end at 13, fell 6 1/2 behind Boston in the wild-card race.

"We're still fighting for our division," manager Joe Girardi said. "Every night that you lose, it makes it more difficult."

With the score tied 1-all in the eighth, Joe Inglett hit a two-out single to center field off Jose Veras (3-2). Scutaro followed with a deep drive to center. Damon, the center fielder, ran back to the warning track and stopped, then jumped, only to have the ball tick off the top of his glove and off the wall, allowing Inglett to score.

"I just didn't get back far enough maybe on that last one and made myself have to jump," Damon said. "When you do that, your head shakes a bit. I couldn't believe I didn't come down with it, especially in that situation and especially twice in the game. We need to make plays, especially routine plays."

Disgusted, Damon took off his glove and tossed it to the ground after throwing the ball to the infield. Damon was playing in center for just the 10th time this season. He also made 68 starts in left.

"If this team is going to use me in center more, I need to be better," Damon said. "That's uncharacteristic of me and most center fielders in the league."

It was the second time in the game that Damon had a ball bounce off his glove. He also dropped Alex Rios' fly ball in the first and was charged with a two-base error.

Blue Jays stopper B.J. Ryan got an assist from Overbay in closing out the Yankees.

Rodriguez led off the ninth with a flare down the right-field line that bounced off the turf and into foul territory. Overbay chased the ball down, sliding on a knee to grab it before it went off the wall, and made a strong throw to second as he popped off the ground to nab A-Rod as he slid in headfirst.

After striking out in his first three at-bats, Rodriguez said he wanted to "push the envelope a little bit," never expecting Overbay would reach the ball so quickly.

"I really had no idea that he would throw me out," Rodriguez said. "He made an unbelievable play. I saw it on the replay. He slid on his knees, barehanded it and threw a strike. The way we're swinging the bats right now, I thought being aggressive was the best option."

Ryan got the final two outs without further trouble for his 24th save in 27 opportunities.

Burnett (16-9) allowed one run and five hits in eight innings and has won seven straight home starts. He struck out a season-high 13, the 21st time in his career he has posted double-digit strikeouts.

"Give him credit, he was 0-2 on everybody throwing in the high- to mid-90s and he had a snake for a breaking ball," Rodriguez said.

Burnett, 3-0 against New York this year, can become a free agent at the end of the season.

"He's a real good pitcher," Damon said. "I hope he opts out of his deal."

Matsui returned to the Yankees lineup after missing 50 games with a sore left knee. Starting as the designated hitter and batting seventh, he finished 0-for-3.

"He looked fine to me," Girardi said. "I'll be interested to see how he feels tomorrow after being on the turf."

New York's Darrell Rasner, winless in six starts since beating Toronto July 12, blanked the Blue Jays through 6 1/3 before giving up a tying home run to Adam Lind in the seventh.

"It was a 3-2 count and I didn't want to walk him," Rasner said. "It was a cutter and it got a little inside. He did a good job of keeping it fair."

Damon scored the lone New York run in the first, leading off with a walk and scoring when Bobby Abreu lined a double down the third-base line.

Damon's first-inning error put Toronto runners at second and third with one out, but Rasner struck out Vernon Wells and got Lind to ground out.

Game notes
Yankees RHP Joba Chamberlain (rotator cuff tendinitis) played catch for the second straight day Tuesday. He'll take Wednesday off and play catch again Thursday, then throw a bullpen session Saturday in Baltimore. ... Girardi said he will announce Thursday whether RHP Carl Pavano or RHP Phil Hughes will start against the Orioles on Saturday. ... Toronto LHP Scott Downs, who sprained his ankle last Wednesday, is ready to pitch again, manager Cito Gaston said. ... Former Blue Jay Roberto Alomar attended the game.





http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819114&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Aybar's double in eighth propels Rays past Angels again

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- One night the Tampa Bay Rays play long ball. The next they rarely get the ball out of the infield and still beat the Los Angeles Angels.

The surging Rays won for the ninth time in 11 games Tuesday night, using Willy Aybar's two-run single to break an eighth-inning tie in a 4-2 win over the Angels that gave Tampa Bay the best record in the American League.

The AL East leader overcame a strong pitching performance by Los Angeles' Ervin Santana, who took a no-hit bid into the sixth and left with a 2-1 lead after allowing one run and four hits in seven innings.


"It just means we're starting to do things in the right way," manager Joe Maddon said after Tampa Bay improved to 77-48 and held on to its 4 1/2-game lead over second-place Boston in the division.

"We're making less mistakes. We're starting to believe in what we're doing. It just validates the work that we've done," Maddon added. "It's good. But still, there's a long ways to go. It's just nice to be there right now."

Los Angeles let the game slip away in the eighth when the Rays loaded the bases with no outs against Scot Shields (5-4) on two walks and an error. Carlos Pena drew a one-out walk from Darren Oliver, forcing in the tying run before Aybar singled.

James Shields (11-7) allowed two runs and nine hits in eight innings, and Dan Wheeler pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances as Tampa Bay improved to 6-2 against the AL West-leading Angels, including 5-0 at home.

The Rays won the series opener 6-4, getting two-run homers from Eric Hinske and Cliff Floyd. They got their first run Tuesday night on B.J. Upton's infield RBI single, then scored three unearned runs in the eighth, with Aybar's hit the only ball getting to the outfield.

"I don't think we've played particularly bad in any of these games, but tonight was one bad inning," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

"We set the table for them and cracked it open further with an error and those guys capped it off with a hit. We just didn't get it done late. We've been doing a terrific job of that, but not tonight."

Vladimir Guerrero hit his 23rd home run for Los Angeles, a solo shot in the second. Garret Anderson made it 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI double that extended his hitting streak to 22 games.

Maddon was ejected in the sixth for arguing with first base umpire Jerry Meals after Upton beat out his RBI infield single to trim the Angels' lead to 2-1. Upton was called out when Meals ruled he turned toward second and was tagged out by second baseman Howie Kendrick.

Replays showed Upton, who hit a high chopper to first baseman Mark Teixeira, contorted his body to avoid a potential tag by Santana, who was covering first. However, it did not appear Upton, in the spotlight lately for a lack of hustle, turned toward second before being tagged by Kendrick, who was backing up the play.

Maddon bolted from the dugout and had an animated discussion with Meals before being ejected. The manager also had an exchange with second base umpire and crew chief Gary Darling before leaving the field.

Maddon said the call was flat-out wrong, going as far as to describe it as "fabricated."

Upton apologized before the game for a "mental lapse" on the bases Monday night when he was thrown out at second base on what should have been a routine double, saying he didn't want to become a distraction for the Rays.

He was just happy to get some support Tuesday night from his manager, who in the past two weeks has benched the 23-year-old for two games and part of a third for not hustling.

"Things haven't really been the best lately ... and he went out there and he had my back," Upton said. "You've got to love it, and I'm glad he did. It shows me a lot."

Santana retired 11 straight before walking Pena with two outs in the fourth. Jason Bartlett doubled down the line in left for the first hit with one out in the sixth.

"We've been pitching well, it's just, at the end, we cracked the door for them and let them win," Scioscia said. "It's frustrating because we didn't play well enough, certainly in the eighth inning. There's not much more you can say about it."

Game notes
Guerrero is 10-for-23 with two homers lifetime against James Shields. ... Angels INF Maicer Izturis had season-ending surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. He's expected to be ready for the start of spring training. ... The Rays are two games into a stretch in which they play 28 of 31 against teams in playoff contention, including six against the Red Sox.





http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819130&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Joyce's big bat helps fellow rookie Galarraga conquer former team

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Even though he's a rookie, Matt Joyce made a wise decision listening to veteran manager Jim Leyland.

Joyce homered twice, including a three-run shot in a nine-run seventh inning, and Armando Galarraga beat his former team as the Detroit Tigers defeated the slumping Texas Rangers 11-3 on Tuesday night.

Leyland, who is in his 17th season managing in the big leagues, pulled Joyce aside recently with a message.

"I talked to him the other day," Leyland said. "I said, 'You know, you have a chance to be a good player but you need to play with a little more tenacity.' He said, 'I can do that.' If he bears down, grinds it out and goes the extra mile, he should be a very good player."

Joyce has taken his skipper's words to heart in the past two games against the Rangers. He is 4-for-8 with four runs scored and recorded the first multihomer game of his career.

Joyce's blast gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead and keyed the huge inning as they rallied in the seventh for a second straight game.

"I thought I'd be in [Triple-A] Toledo all year and maybe be a September callup," said Joyce, who was most recently promoted on June 29. "But it didn't happen. I'm thankful for the opportunity to play at this level."

Galarraga (12-4) had a shutout through five innings against the Rangers, who lead baseball in runs scored. The rookie right-hander allowed three runs and six hits, striking out five in six innings.

Texas designated Galarraga for assignment before spring training to make room for Jason Jennings, who has spent most of the season on the disabled list. The Tigers acquired Galarraga, who became the first rookie to 12 wins, on Feb. 4.

"They didn't give me much of a chance," said Galarraga, who is 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his last six starts. "I won't be the first or the last. That's baseball. But I'm glad because it gave me an opportunity to be in the big leagues."

Rookie Chris Davis hit a three-run homer for the Rangers, who have lost 11 of 13 since they were a season-best six games over .500. Texas (62-65) fell three games under .500 for the first time since May 20.

The Rangers, who have the worst team ERA in baseball at 5.43, have allowed at least seven runs in 10 of 11 games.

"It's not going to get any easier," Rangers catcher Gerald Laird said. "We're going to have to gut it out and get some momentum going into next season. We either turn it around or it's going to be a long month and a half."

Vicente Padilla (12-7), who was supposed to start Sunday but was pushed back because of an inflamed joint in his neck, gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings.

Texas led 3-1 going into the sixth before Detroit -- who scored four in the seventh and eighth to rally from a 3-0 deficit Monday -- struck again in the late innings.

Carlos Guillen walked and Gary Sheffield singled to set the stage for Joyce, who lined a 1-2 pitch into the upper deck in right for his 12th homer.

"We felt a little more comfortable," Joyce said. "We got pitches we could do something with and had some big hits."

Edgar Renteria homered four pitches later to knock Padilla out of the game.

Magglio Ordonez had an RBI single, and Miguel Cabrera had a run-scoring groundout to extend Detroit's lead to 7-3.

The Tigers finished their scoring in the seventh thanks to a Texas gaffe in the outfield.

On Joyce's fly ball to left center with the bases loaded, Josh Hamilton and Brandon Boggs both converged on the play.

They appeared to have a play on the ball before Hamilton and Boggs both stopped, allowing the ball to drop between them as three runs scored. Boggs, who was the left fielder, was given an error on the play.

"This was the worst game we've played all season," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

The Tigers, 5-0 against Texas this season, have beaten the Rangers seven straight dating to last season.

Joyce's home run leading off the fifth gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Davis' 12th homer with two outs in the sixth gave Texas a 3-1 lead.

Game notes
Rangers DH Milton Bradley was pulled from the game in the seventh with left knee soreness. ... Tigers 2B Placido Polanco was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before the first pitch with a sore right knee. He was replaced by Ramon Santiago. Leyland said after the game that Polanco will not play Wednesday. ... Boggs was back in the lineup after leaving Monday night's game in the seventh with a sore right shoulder.





http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819113&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Slowey fans career-high 12, Buscher knocks in five RBIs as Twins coast


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- There are no 96 mph heaters from Kevin Slowey. No bat-breaking sliders or splitters that feel like bowling balls to opposing hitters.

It's all about pitching smarts and location for the 24-year-old right-hander.

Facing an Oakland Athletics lineup that is turning swinging and missing into an art form, that combination proved to be just as dominant on Tuesday night.

Slowey had a career-high 12 strikeouts and Brian Buscher matched his career best with five RBIs in the Minnesota Twins' 13-2 victory over the Athletics.

"I'd love to throw it 96 or 97, but I definitely don't. I don't have a slider like Joe Nathan," Slowey said. "But the Twins are huge proponents of location over velocity and I'm always making a big point of that. If you keep the ball low, 92 looks a lot harder than 97 at the belt."

Buscher had three hits, including a two-run homer, and the Twins pummeled Sean Gallagher (1-2) for 10 earned runs in five innings to bounce back from a lackluster effort in a 3-2 loss to Oakland on Monday.

Justin Morneau had two doubles among his three hits and every Twins hitter registered at least one hit against Gallagher and Santiago Casilla, who gave up three runs in the sixth.

The Twins remained one game behind first-place Chicago in the AL Central.

"These are the games we need to win, playing a team that's struggling a little bit this year," Twins outfielder Denard Span said. "These are games we're supposed to win."

It was one of the ugliest losses in a season full of them for the A's, who fell to 6-24 since the All-Star break, trail the Angels by 19½ games in the AL West and haven't won consecutive games since July 10-11.

"We're in a serious funk," Gallagher said. "The whole goal coming into a season is to win as many series as you can and we obviously haven't been doing a good job of that. For whatever reason we can't get that final game to win a series."

As bad as it was for Oakland on the mound, it only got worse when the A's stepped to the plate against Slowey.

After striking out just three hitters in his previous two starts combined, Slowey (10- racked up the most strikeouts by a Twin since Johan Santana fanned 17 Texas Rangers on Aug. 19, 2007.

Jack Cust struck out three times, bringing his season total to a staggering 156. It was his 45th multi-strikeout game and the 17th time this season he's struck out at least three times in a game.

Slowey allowed two runs -- one earned -- and five hits with no walks in seven innings. His lone mistake was to Kurt Suzuki, who hit the first pitch of the second inning into the seats in left to give the A's a 1-0 lead.

Buscher's two-run shot and an RBI triple by Span had the Twins up 3-1 after two innings. Brendan Harris and Morneau had run-scoring doubles in a three-run third to put the Twins ahead 6-1.

"We had to after we got beat yesterday," Buscher said. "We came out and hit the ball pretty good tonight."

With his bullpen overextended after ace Justin Duchscherer left with an injured hip in the third inning on Monday night, A's manager Bob Geren had to leave Gallagher out there longer than he would have liked.

Carlos Gomez's homer highlighted a four-run fifth that pushed the lead to 10-2, and Geren could bear to watch no longer.

"The bullpen was really thin and we needed him to go out and give us four or five innings," Geren said.

The 10 runs allowed by Gallagher were the most by an Oakland starter since Colby Lewis allowed 10 to the Chicago White Sox on May 22, 2007.

In the dog days of August, Gallagher sounded like the dreaded "dead arm" might be setting in.

"I just felt like I didn't have anything in my arm," he said. "The ball felt like a feather. I just didn't feel like I had anything behind it."

Game notes
Geren did not have an update on Duchscherer before the game. He was flying home to California for an examination. ... Twins C Joe Mauer extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games with a single in the third. ... The Twins played without LF Delmon Young (ankle) and SS Adam Everett (hand). Both could miss the series finale on Wednesday as well. ... It was the struggling Gomez's sixth homer, but first since June 6, a span of 224 at-bats.




http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819109&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Richard gets 1st career win as ChiSox hold on to one-game Central lead

CHICAGO (AP) -- The game ball and lineup card stayed with Clayton Richard, and the memory will, too.

Richard pitched six innings for his first major league win, Nick Swisher and Jim Thome homered, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 Tuesday night.

"One thing I like is this kid is not afraid to throw the ball," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He's going to be around the plate. He should feel proud of himself. That ballclub out there, they can put a lot of numbers in a hurry and he did a tremendous job tonight to shut it down."

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly against his former team, and A.J. Pierzynski had three hits as the White Sox won for the seventh time in eight games and maintained a one-game lead over second-place Minnesota in the AL Central.

Richard (1-2), making his fourth major league start, allowed five hits, struck out two and walked one in his first appearance since he was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. Picked for the U.S. Olympic team, the 24-year-old left-hander reported to Chicago instead of Beijing when the White Sox purchased his contract from Charlotte on July 21.

Instead of going for the gold, he's in a pennant race.

"It's what you grow up as a kid and wish for," Richard said. "It's definitely exciting to be a part of."

He was 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA in three starts in his first callup, but he's looking like a different pitcher this time. He threw a scoreless inning of relief at Oakland on Sunday after being recalled two days earlier and dominated the miserable Mariners.

"We were hitting the ball good, but he was making pitches, too," Miguel Cairo said. "He pitched good."

Richard escaped trouble in the first after his throwing error allowed Ichiro Suzuki to reach second. Cairo followed with a single, but Swisher fielded Raul Ibanez's grounder to first, stepped on the bag and threw home for a double play.

Richard maintained his poise after leadoff doubles by Adrian Beltre in the fourth and Ibanez in the sixth.

"I was really excited for him to throw the ball the way he did today," Guillen said.

No one was more excited than Richard's father, Barry, who gave his son a big hug in the clubhouse afterward.

"It's just so awesome that he was able to accomplish this, and that the Sox had the faith in him and belief in him to give him the opportunity," said Barry Richard, who made the 2-hour trip from Lafayette, Ind.

Matt Thornton, Octavio Dotel and Bobby Jenks finished with an inning each.

Felix Hernandez (7- lasted just five innings for Seattle. The Mariners have lost five straight and 10 of 12, dropping to an AL-worst 46-79.

Hernandez dropped to 0-2 in his last six starts, giving up five runs, 11 hits and three walks in five innings. He failed to strike out a batter for the first time in 24 starts this season. The only other time he did not have a strikeout was when he left after just one-third of an inning with tightness in his right elbow against Minnesota on April 18, 2007.

"That's a tough lineup," Hernandez said. "Those guys hit homers. If you make a mistake, you're going to pay."

Griffey's sacrifice fly in the second was just his fourth RBI since the White Sox acquired him from Cincinnati on July 31. Chicago made it 3-0 in the third on back-to-back doubles by Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin and a run-scoring single by Alexei Ramirez.

Swisher homered leading off the fourth, connecting for the second straight game, and Thome homered starting the fifth. Chicago has 10 homers in three games and leads the major leagues with 184.

"All cylinders are clicking right now," Swisher said. "We're getting it from batters one through nine. We're getting it on the hill. ... It's just a lot of fun right now."

Game notes
White Sox 3B Joe Crede, who has been on the DL with a back injury since July 25, was to resume his rehab stint with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. The All-Star appeared in one game for Charlotte, on Aug. 1, before his back flared up again. ... The White Sox lead the season series 4-1 after losing seven of eight to Seattle last year. ... Ibanez went 2-for-4, making him 17-for-30 through seven games on this trip.





http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819104&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Werth's solo shot lifts Phils, sends Nats to 11th straight loss

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Making Jayson Werth an everyday player might be what solves the Philadelphia Phillies' hitting troubles.

Werth hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning to lift the Phillies over Washington 5-4 on Tuesday night, the Nationals' 11th straight loss.

The losing streak is the longest for the Nationals since they moved to Washington before the 2005 season. It is the franchise's longest since the Montreal Expos dropped 11 straight from June 23-July 4, 1991.

Werth drove a 1-2 pitch from Steven Shell (0-1) to the seats in left-center for his career-best 17th homer. The right-handed hitting Werth has platooned most of the season with Geoff Jenkins in right field. He's gotten more starts against right-handers lately, including this one.

"I like Werth's talent," manager Charlie Manuel said.

Despite a stiff wind blowing in, Werth knew his shot was going out once he connected.

"I hit it pretty well," he said. "It didn't go as far as I thought."

The Phillies remained 1½ games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets with their third win in four games since losing four straight in Los Angeles.

Jimmy Rollins got a mixed reaction from the crowd in his first home game since calling Philadelphia fans "frontrunners" last week in a television interview.

The reigning NL MVP heard boos and cheers each time he came to bat and went 0-for-4.

"There's been a lot worse booing than that," he said. "If they want to boo me, that's fine. Just keep it off everybody else."

Ryan Madson (3-1) pitched a perfect eighth and Brad Lidge finished for his 31st save in as many chances. Lidge has 34 consecutive saves, dating to last season with Houston.

The Phillies, who usually have trouble with situational hitting, had three sacrifice flies. Shane Victorino doubled, tripled and scored twice.

Washington's Ronnie Belliard was 4-for-4 and Willie Harris hit a solo homer.

"Another tough loss," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "We played a good game, but a couple things hurt us."

Victorino's speed helped the Phillies score the tying run in the seventh. After Pat Burrell led off with an infield single, Victorino reached on a fielder's choice. He advanced to third on Greg Dobbs' single to left-center and scored on Chris Coste's sacrifice fly to right.

Victorino started a two-run fifth with a triple to left-center. He scored when Harris dropped Dobbs' shallow fly to left. Dobbs stole second, went to third on Coste's single and scored on pinch-hitter Jenkins' sacrifice fly.

Harris gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the first when he drove one out to right.

Ryan Howard singled leading off the bottom of the second, advanced to third on Victorino's one-out double and scored on Dobbs' sacrifice fly to tie it.

Singles by Lastings Milledge, Belliard and Jesus Flores to start the fourth put the Nationals ahead 2-1.

Zimmerman had an RBI triple in the fifth and Belliard singled him in with two outs to make it 4-1.

Phillies starter Joe Blanton allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings in his sixth start since joining the Phillies in a trade with Oakland.

Nationals starter Jason Bergmann gave up four runs -- three earned -- and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

"Bergmann threw well," manager Manny Acta said. "We're not helping ourselves when we get good pitching."

Game notes
Belliard is batting .440 (22-for-50) in August. ... A crowd of 44,143 was the 40th sellout in 60 home games at Citizens Bank Park. ... Blanton is 1-0, but the Phillies are 4-2 in his starts.





http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819122&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Mets have rare success with bases loaded, come back to beat Braves

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Mets got big hits with the bases loaded and their bullpen was outstanding, for a change. If they keep that up, they'll have a much better chance of hanging on in the NL East.

Carlos Delgado hit a go-ahead double off the left-center fence to end New York's long stretch of bases-loaded futility, and the Mets broke loose in the eighth inning to rally past Atlanta 7-3 Tuesday night.

Damion Easley delivered a two-run single with the sacks full, and Ramon Castro added an RBI double to cap a five-run eighth against the Braves' bullpen.

Delgado's clutch hit snapped New York's 3-for-42 skid with the bases loaded.

"Sometimes we as hitters, as players, put a little too much pressure on ourselves," Delgado said. "You've still got to see the ball and hit the ball. It's not like he's going to make up a pitch with the bases loaded."

One night after their six-game winning streak was snapped in Pittsburgh, the Mets won for the 10th time in 13 games and maintained their 1½-game division lead over Philadelphia.

New York received a strong effort from its unsteady bullpen, including newcomer Luis Ayala, after getting more bad news about All-Star Billy Wagner.

An MRI earlier in the day showed the injured closer has increased swelling in his left elbow, so he's out indefinitely. The Mets don't know when he might be able to return to the mound, if at all, this season.

The eighth-inning outburst left Scott Schoeneweis to close this one out with a one-hit ninth in a non-save situation. Aaron Heilman (3-7) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

"We just have to pick up the slack and do the best we can. At this point, I don't even know what else the organization can do," Schoeneweis said. "It's nice to be on the other end of one of those games. Someone else's bullpen gave it up and ours didn't. It's amazing how that works sometimes."

Oliver Perez kept New York in the game by allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings against a lineup that had Omar Infante batting cleanup. Infante has three home runs this season.

With the Braves trying to hold on for their first one-run win on the road since Aug. 9 last year at Shea Stadium, Jeff Bennett (2-5) walked consecutive batters with one out in the eighth.

Carlos Beltran's dribbler for an infield single brought up Delgado, who popped out with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning Monday, keeping the score tied.

This time, he drove left-hander Will Ohman's pitch the other way and clapped his hands as he cruised into second with the Mets up 4-3.

"It's the toughest situation a bullpen can be put in and every reliever should crave it. I know I do," Ohman said. "I made a very below-average pitch to an above-average hitter and I paid for it. It doesn't matter how many times you get a guy out. The one time you don't stinks."

Easley singled off Julian Tavarez, and Castro's double made it 7-3.

Starting pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes stymied the Mets in his return from the minors, but Atlanta has lost eight of nine to fall a season-worst 14 games under .500.

The Mets improved to 3-7 this year against the Braves. The longtime rivals met for the first time since May 22 in Atlanta, where the Braves finished a four-game sweep that left them ahead of New York in the standings.

The teams have gone in opposite directions since.

New York gave Perez a 2-0 lead, scoring in the first inning for the ninth time in 12 games.

Jose Reyes drew a leadoff walk from Jo-Jo Reyes, went to third on Nick Evans' single and scored when David Wright hit a sacrifice fly. Fernando Tatis added a two-out RBI double.

Jo-Jo Reyes started rolling from there, allowing only one more hit. He struck out five and walked three in six innings, retiring 13 of his final 14 batters.

"I think I just got the jitters. It's a different atmosphere. Once I settled down, I did good," the left-hander said.

Atlanta went ahead with three runs in the third. Perez walked leadoff batter Gregor Blanco, who scored on Chipper Jones' single. Brian McCann had an RBI groundout with the bases loaded and Jeff Francoeur added a sacrifice fly.

Ayala made his Mets debut in the seventh, taking the ball with runners at the corners from Perez, his buddy from Mexico. Ayala knocked down Infante with his first pitch and escaped the jam by inducing a popup and an easy fly.

"That probably kind of changed the momentum right there," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "To hold them right there probably was the turning point in the game."

Ayala was acquired Sunday from Washington for a player to be named.

Game notes
Before Delgado's double, left-handed hitters were batting .169 against Ohman. ... Jones, who leads the majors with a .365 batting average, has hit safely in all 10 games since coming off the disabled list. ... New York is 16-5 at home since June 29. ... Jose Reyes walked three times, tying a career high. ... It was the first time since June 24 that Perez allowed more than one run in a start at Shea Stadium.






http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819121&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Sheets suffers 4th loss in last 5 starts as Blum burns Brewers with 3-run homer

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Brian Moehler sounded as if he's on a losing skid, not a winning streak.

Moehler extended his winning stretch to five games by pitching into the sixth inning and allowing one earned run, and Geoff Blum hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth to help the Houston Astros beat Ben Sheets and the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Tuesday night.

"I was very fortunate tonight," Moehler said. "I am just struggling right now. I made some pitches when I had to. My mechanics are off and I just need to work on it Friday and Saturday in the bullpen."

The right-hander (9-4) gave up nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one to beat Milwaukee for the first time since Aug. 25, 2006. Moehler was 0-3 in his last eight starts against the Brewers, including 0-2 this season.

"We got some big hits and made some big defensive plays tonight," Moehler said. "Blum's hit was huge."

Blum was hitless in nine at-bats before he hit a 1-2 pitch from Sheets (11-7) to right-center for his career-high 12th home run, giving the Astros their 10th win in 13 games. Houston is 14-5 in August.

"I was looking off speed," Blum said. "I know that sounds a little weird with Ben Sheets throwing 94-95 mph. My previous at-bats he had gotten me out on some off-speed pitches. He just happened to leave it out over the plate and I was able to get a hold of it."

Darin Erstad led off the sixth with a single and stole second. On the next pitch, Sheets hit Michael Bourn in the lower leg as he was squaring to bunt. Ty Wigginton then flied out before Lance Berkman struck out.

Four relievers combined to shut down Milwaukee the rest of the way, including Jose Valverde, who pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 38 attempts.

"Moehler kind of bent, but didn't break," Houston manager Cecil Cooper said. "He didn't have the good command like he normally does. He battled them and kept it close, and then Geoff got the big hit for us."

Sheets lost for the fourth time in his last five starts, and afterward, Milwaukee manager Ned Yost was asked if he was concerned.

"No, I'm not concerned," said Yost, who turned 54 on Tuesday. "He pitched very good tonight but he made a couple of mistakes with two outs."

The right-hander gave up five runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one, as the Brewers snapped their five-game home winning streak.

"It seemed like I didn't make many mistakes but the ones I did they hit hard," Sheets said. "I ain't pitching great but I don't think I'm pitching as bad as it's made out to be. I've pitched plenty of winnable games and I've pitched plenty of losable games in that stretch.

"In the first half I came away with a lot of victories pitching the same way that I am now," he added. "Earlier I had a lot of room for error. Now when I'm pitching sometimes I think I get caught up in trying not to make a mistake. Because one can be the difference now."

Milwaukee played without Ryan Braun, who left the game in the sixth inning Monday with a strain around his lower ribcage. The left fielder, who also missed six games last week because of the injury, is day to day.

Braun's replacement, Gabe Kapler, was 0-for-4 and left the bases loaded on two different occasions.

Houston tied the score at 2 in the third. After singles by Humberto Quintero and Erstad, Bourn hit a two-out, two-run triple to right field.

Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead when Ray Durham led off the first with a single and scored on a double to right field by J.J. Hardy, who was thrown out trying to advance to third.

Craig Counsell led off the second and reached on an error when he popped up his bunt and Berkman dropped it for an error as he charged in from first base. Mike Cameron followed with a double for a 2-0 lead, but Kapler struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Kapler also left the bases loaded in the fourth when he flied out to center.

"We definitely had opportunities," Yost said. "We had opportunities to score some runs early. We scored one in the first and one in the second and had opportunities to score more but just couldn't get the big hit."

Game notes
Hardy celebrated his 26th birthday and teammate Chris Capuano, on the disabled list, turned 30. ... Houston's Felipe Paulino was examined by team medical director Dr. David Lintner on Tuesday, and the right-handed pitcher was diagnosed with bursitis in his right shoulder. He will begin a throwing program on flat ground and then move to the mound. ... Henry Winkler threw out the ceremonial first pitch. A bronze statue of the TV star from "Happy Days" was unveiled in downtown Milwaukee earlier in the day.






http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819108&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Harden, Cubs shut out Reds to stretch Central lead

CHICAGO (AP) -- Rich Harden's been as good -- maybe even better -- than the Chicago Cubs expected when they acquired him in a trade from Oakland six weeks ago.

Harden allowed two hits in seven innings Tuesday night, striking out 10 and bunting in the go-ahead run for his first major league RBI as the surging Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0.

Best Of Best

Since the start of the divisional play in 1969, four Cubs hurlers have struck out 10 or more, allowed two or fewer hits and no runs in a start. The last three times have come against Cincinnati, and one of the guys to do it -- Kerry Wood -- closed out Rich Harden's win on Tuesday.

"I think maybe a new league, seeing new guys and they haven't seen me that much," Harden said after his fourth 10-strikeout game in seven starts for the Cubs.

"I haven't seen them, also. It's a process," he added. "The more I see them I have to make adjustments and the more they see me they'll be making adjustments. But I definitely think it makes a difference."

Harden has made a difference for the Cubs, who already had a strong rotation with Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly. They thought Harden would give them the extra push toward the playoffs -- if they can keep him healthy.

"We just got to watch him, keep him fresh and keep him strong," Chicago manager Lou Piniella said. "This kid is a competitor. He pitches with confidence and he's done a real nice job here, obviously."

With the victory, the NL Central-leading Cubs (77-48) improved to a season-high 29 games over .500. Chicago has won seven of eight and 17 of its last 21.

"One thing about our pitching staff for a good while now, they've given us the chance to win games on a continual basis," Piniella said.

Harden (3-1) won a duel with Johnny Cueto (8-12), who gave up four hits over seven innings in the fast-paced game.

Harden, who picked up his first win at Wrigley Field, didn't walk a batter and allowed singles to Jeff Keppinger in the fourth and Chris Dickerson in the sixth. Dickerson was the lone Red to reach scoring position when he stole second with two outs before Harden fanned Keppinger.

"That's the first time that we've seen him," Reds manager Dusty Baker said of Harden, who came to the Cubs in a July 8 trade. "The thing about him is he'll throw 88 [mph], 89, 90 and then when he gets to two strikes, he can pump it up to 94 or 96."

Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless eighth and Kerry Wood gave up a two-out single to Keppinger in the ninth while completing the three-hitter.

Cueto (8-12) allowed the one run while walking two and striking out six.

"That's as well as he's thrown the ball since early in the year," Baker said.

Geovany Soto had a leadoff triple in the fifth when his long drive to right-center hit off the glove of a diving Corey Patterson.

After a walk to Kosuke Fukudome and a strikeout, Harden dropped down a bunt. When third baseman Edwin Encarnacion threw to first for the out, Soto broke for the plate and scored when first baseman Joey Votto made a low throw that bounded away from catcher Paul Bako. Harden got an RBI on the play, while Votto was charged with an error for allowing Fukudome to advance.

"I was looking behind my shoulder and he was freezing. That's why I went to first. It was a tough play," Encarnacion said.

Piniella lauded Soto's "heads-up" baseball on the play, saying it's not the type of daring baserunning often seen by a catcher.

"I just followed the third baseman down the line and I was pretty far down and whenever he let go of the ball, I thought it was going to be a cruise," Soto said.

"But I'm not that fast, so I just got to go headfirst into home plate. Luckily I scored."

Chicago added four runs in the eighth off relievers Mike Lincoln and Bill Bray. Derrek Lee had an RBI single, Aramis Ramirez a run-scoring double and Fukudome a two-run, bases-loaded single.

Game notes
Reds RHP Jared Burton, on the 15-day DL with a strained muscle in his back, is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game Wednesday, according to Baker. ... RHP Aaron Harang had his scheduled start pushed back a day from Thursday to Friday after he experienced neck spasms. RHP Josh Fogg will start on Thursday against the Cubs, while Harang will pitch Friday versus Colorado. ... The Cubs are 34-22 against the NL Central.






http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819116

Snell wins for just second time in 11 starts as Bucs beat Looper, Cards

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Ian Snell drew inspiration from watching a pitcher from another team.

One night after watching Milwaukee's CC Sabathia's latest overpowering start, Snell was dominant in leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Snell outpitched Braden Looper with seven scoreless innings and Ryan Doumit had three of the Pirates' five hits. Doumit's RBI double in the first in one run before a three-run ninth ensured success in what manager John Russell said was "by far" the best start of the year for his struggling right-hander.

"He was making good hitters not real comfortable, and that's a great sign," Russell said. "He's been building toward this and hopefully he can maintain some of it."

Snell was glued to Sabathia's fifth complete game in nine starts since moving to the National League, even watching the game on his cell phone when he was in a taxi. The biggest pointer: work off the fastball.

"Watching CC made me realize a whole bunch of things," Snell said. "I just brought a game plan into the game."

St. Louis, which made two ninth-inning errors that led to two unearned runs, has lost eight of 11 at home and is 33-29 this season at Busch Stadium while going a NL-best 37-29 on the road.

Snell (5-10) won for only the second time in 11 starts since June 17, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking one. He allowed just two runners to reach scoring position against a team that scored 19 earned runs in 19 innings against him in four previous starts this year.

Snell said his back was bothering him when he allowed six runs in four innings at St. Louis on June 1.

"It was good to have my velocity back," Snell said. "I challenged all of their hitters, no matter who it was. I think I threw more fastballs than I had thrown all year."

Center fielder Nyjer Morgan, recalled earlier in the day when Doug Mientkiewicz went on the bereavement list, made a nice running catch on Albert Pujols' drive to the warning track to end the eighth and preserve a one-run lead. T.J. Beam allowed pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy's RBI single before striking out Brian Barton with the bases loaded for his first career save,

Beam became the seventh Pirate to get a save, the most since eight Pittsburgh pitchers had at least one in 1996.

"Every time we play these guys it's never an easy win," Russell said. "They don't lay down and that ninth inning has always been an adventure.

"We've made it an adventure for them, too."

In the ninth, catcher Yadier Molina dropped a forceout relay, and center fielder Skip Schumaker's throwing error on a sacrifice fly allowed another run to score. St. Louis has 11 errors in the last eight games.

"That was really freaky, strange stuff," manager Tony La Russa said.

Kyle McClellan walked Steve Pearce with the bases loaded for a third run, one at-bat after Molina made an ill-advised and late throw to third on Jason Michaels' sacrifice bunt.

Looper (11-10) allowed one run and three hits in seven innings. He has a 2.03 ERA in his last six starts, going 2-3 in that stretch while losing 3-0 and 2-1 games.

"I was able to make the pitches that I had to make to limit the damage," Looper said. "I made one bad pitch, and it cost us the game."

The paid attendance of 39,502 was the Cardinals' first below 40,000 in 39 dates since May 14 -- when they played the Pirates.

Game notes
The Pirates expect Mientkiewicz to rejoin the team on Friday. ... Rick Ankiel started for the seventh time in LF while still hampered somewhat by an abdominal strain that limited him to pinch-hitting duty for 14 games, but La Russa said he'd move back to CF whenever he's ready. ... The Pirates were saddened by the death Tuesday of 18-year-old John Challis, who gave players a motivational speech in June while suffering from terminal cancer. Challis also delivered talks to the Penguins as well as visiting teams before Pirates games. "He was, and will continue to be, an inspiration to each of us," team president Frank Coonelly said in a statement. "John had every reason to complain about his situation, but he chose not to." ... St. Louis' Aaron Miles, who popped out to short with a runner on second to end the seventh as a pinch-hitter, is 2-for-22 in that role.






http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819124&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

New D-backs pickup Dunn takes NL home run lead in home debut

PHOENIX (AP) -- Adam Dunn confessed he had some jitters before taking the field for his home debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But any worries disappeared when Dunn hit his National League-leading 33rd home run, powering the Diamondbacks to a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.

"It's a good feeling to have," Dunn said. "Probably Opening Day and the opening day of deer season are about the only times I get butterflies."

Conor Jackson had two hits and two RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who have won four of five and six of eight.

Arizona starter Doug Davis (5-7) scattered seven hits over six innings for his first win since July 29, and his second win in his last nine starts. Tony Pena recorded the final two outs for his second save -- and first since May 16 -- in five chances.

"I ended up getting strike one more often tonight and was able to make them hit my pitch," said Davis, who has recorded three of five wins against the NL West.

Adrian Gonzalez had four hits and two RBIs for the Padres, who have lost five of seven.

Dunn, acquired by Arizona from the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 11, made it 6-2 with a towering two-run homer in the fourth on a pitch Padres starter Josh Banks said he "tried to bounce." Dunn tied Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the NL lead and moved within two homers of Carlos Quentin of the Chicago White Sox for the major league lead.

"I knew it was going to come and my homers come in bunches," Dunn said.

San Diego made things interesting in the ninth against Diamondbacks closer Brandon Lyon, who has struggled in non-save situations over the past month.

Trailing 7-3 entering the inning, Edgar Gonzalez doubled, Brian Giles drew a one-out walk and Kevin Kouzmanoff singled to right to load the bases. Adrian Gonzalez followed with a sinking line drive to center, scoring his brother and Giles to pull the Padres within 7-5.

Chase Headley then singled to right to make it 7-6.

"I don't think he's a guy who needs the emotional lift or adrenaline rush of a save situation," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said of Lyon, who allowed three runs to raise his ERA to 4.60. "He's just being a little bit fine with the fastball."

Lyon, pitching for the first time in nearly a week, gave way to Pena, who threw out Adrian Gonzalez at home on a fielder's choice and retired Nick Hundley on a fly ball to center to end the game.

"We put a nice finish on it," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Every hit in the ninth inning is big but we couldn't get that really big one at the end."

Banks (3-6) struggled with his control from the opening batter and Arizona capitalized.

Banks walked Augie Ojeda and Chris Young to start the game and Jackson blooped an RBI single to right. Banks walked Dunn to reload the bases for Mark Reynolds, who hit a sacrifice fly.

Chad Tracy was intentionally walked and Chris Snyder hit a run-scoring single to make it 3-0. Chris Burke lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right to score Dunn for a 4-0 lead before Banks struck out Davis to end the inning.

"The team going out there and scoring four runs made it a lot easier to go out and throw strikes," Davis said.

The Padres cut the lead to 4-2 on an RBI single by Tadahito Iguchi and a sacrifice fly by Sean Kazmar.

Banks allowed six runs, four hits and a season-worst seven walks with three strikeouts over four innings. In his last two starts, Banks has walked 13 and allowed 13 runs in 8 1/3 innings.

"I know I'm letting the team down," Banks said. "That's just not how I pitch. I'm not the most dominating pitcher but usually I can keep my team in the game."

Gerut singled home Adrian Gonzalez in the eighth to pull San Diego within 6-3. Jackson added a run-scoring single in the bottom of the inning, his second RBI of the game, to make it 7-3.

Game notes
Adrian Gonzalez's four-hit game was his third of the season and first since May 25. ... Davis' last win was also against the Padres, when he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. ... Dunn's home run was his first since July 30. ... Kazmar's RBI was the first of his fledgling five-game career. ... Before the game, the Padres activated RHP Brett Tomko from the DL. San Diego signed Tomko as a free agent on June 27 but he made only two appearances before going on the DL July 8 with a strained right elbow. ... Tomko entered the game in the sixth and pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings.







http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819129&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion

Dodgers lose for just second time in eight games thanks to Stewart, Rockies


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rookie Ian Stewart homered and drove in a career-high five runs and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

The loss was the second in eight games for the Dodgers, who dropped one game behind NL West-leading Arizona. Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday homered for the Rockies, who are eight games back.

Stewart hit a two-out, two-run single in the first off Hiroki Kuroda (7-9) and added a three-run homer off Hong-Chih Kuo in the eighth to cap a four-run rally that gave the Rockies a five-run lead. Holliday opened the third of his four hits, his 24th homer off Jason Johnson.

Stewart, a left-handed hitter, is 14-for-33 against left-handers this year, and five of his last 12 hits have been homers. The Rockies have hit at least one homer in 12 of their last 13 games, and have a total of 20 during that time.

Ubaldo Jimenez (9-11) earned the victory despite working a shaky five innings. He allowed eight hits and three runs with one walk and seven strikeouts before being relieved by Luis Vizcaino to start the sixth. Colorado relievers blanked the Dodgers the rest of the way.

Willy Taveras and Holliday singled and Garrett Atkins walked before Stewart hit his first-inning single.

Matt Kemp doubled to open the bottom of the first and scored on a ground-rule double by Jeff Kent -- the first of his three hits.

Hawpe hit his 22nd homer in the third on the first pitch after Holliday's shot up the middle glanced off Kuroda's left ankle into short right field for a one-out single.

The Dodgers scored twice in the fourth to draw within one run after Jimenez retired the first two batters. Nomar Garciaparra singled, took third on a double by Casey Blake and scored on Yorvit Torrealba's passed ball. Jimenez walked Kuroda, who came to the plate hitting .100, before Kemp hit an RBI double. Andre Ethier then struck out for the third time.

Kuroda, who had given up one run in each of his previous three starts, retired his last nine batters before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. He allowed six hits and four runs in six innings while walking one and striking out three.

With the Rockies leading 4-3, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh against Manny Corpas on singles by Kent and Manny Ramirez and a walk to James Loney before Russell Martin flied to right.

Game notes
Holliday matched a career high with his four hits. ... The game was played before an announced crowd of 46,687, lifting the season total at Dodger Stadium to 3,038,674 -- the 13th straight year the Dodgers have drawn over 3 million fans at home. ... The Rockies (19-12) and the Dodgers (18-12) have been two of the NL's better teams since the All-Star break. ... The win was the 500th for Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, enabling him to become the 81st manager in history to earn 500 wins with the same team according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Kent's first-inning double was the 560th of his career, tying him with Hall of Famer Eddie Murray for 20th on the all-time list. ... After their three-game series with the Rockies concludes Thursday, the Dodgers will have an NL-high 23 road games remaining on their schedule along with 12 home games. ... Tanyon Sturtze worked a scoreless inning for the Dodgers -- his first appearance in a big-league game since May 13, 2006, when he was pitching for the New York Yankees.






http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819119

Nolasco throws two-hitter, gets first shutout in Marlins' win

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Ricky Nolasco won a pot of cash for his first career complete game -- thanks to the Marlins' nearly two-year drought without a pitcher going the distance.

Nolasco pitched a two-hitter for his first shutout and drove in two runs with his first double, leading the Marlins past the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Tuesday night.

His reward: the money that had been accumulating in Florida's complete-game pool started some time after Anibal Sanchez pitched the last such game on Sept. 16, 2006, a major league-record 301 games ago.

"We've been reminded of the streak all the time. You just can't think about it," Nolasco said. "You have to go out and give your team the best chance to win."

The Marlins never even warmed up a reliever in the bullpen, a testament to the club's confidence in their 25-year-old right-hander.

"He was good, there's no getting around that," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's one of the best games pitched against us all year."

Jorge Cantu homered and doubled for the Marlins, who won their second in three games. Jeremy Hermida, Mike Jacobs and John Baker, who had three hits and reached base in all five plate appearances, also drove in runs.

The Marlins opened their nine-day, three-city road trip with a victory after a 2-5 homestand and will try for consecutive wins on the road for the first time since July 25-26 in Chicago.

Randy Winn beat out an infield grounder that hit off the heel of Mike Jacobs' glove with two outs in the first. As the game progressed, there was some talk about the lone hit being an error. It didn't matter, because Pablo Sandoval had a pinch-hit double for the Giants in the ninth.

"Honestly I didn't know there was any debate," Nolasco said. "He had to dive for it, so base hit. I didn't think about it. It got through."

Jacobs said he should have made the play.

"I think it probably should have went for an error," he said. "It wasn't that hard of a play and it hit off my glove. It's a play I definitely should have made. I'm kind of surprised they gave that a hit. There was a complete-game pool and he won it so I'm happy for him."

It was the Giants who were mistake prone. They committed a season-high four errors, two by first baseman Travis Ishikawa in the first two innings.

"When you have more errors than hits you know it's not a good night," Bochy said.

Nolasco (12-7) retired 21 straight following Winn's single. He walked one and struck out 11.

"It was a lot of fun knowing all my pitches were going for strikes," Nolasco said. "It's the best feeling when you're rolling along like that. I was throwing my breaking ball for strikes late in the game. Until someone showed they could hit it, I was going to keep throwing it."

Kevin Correia (2-7) lasted 4 2-3 innings, giving up five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits. He walked three and did not strike out anyone.

"I can handle all the other stuff," Correia said. "But giving up a double to the pitcher on a bad pitch was the frustrating thing. It was just that one pitch."

The Marlins have won a series in San Francisco once since 1995, and are 9-17 in the new ballpark, which opened in 2000.

Nolasco, who made his first career appearance against the Giants, was 1-2 in his previous seven starts.

Florida scored an unearned run in each of the first two innings. Nolasco hit his double as part of a three-run rally in the fifth. Cantu led off the sixth with his 22nd home run of the year.

Marlins catcher Matt Treanor promised to stay in the dugout for Wednesday night's game instead of retreating to the clubhouse to watch his wife, Misty May-Treanor, play for a gold medal in women's beach volleyball, which is scheduled at the same time as the Marlins-Giants game.

Game notes
Nolasco, 5-1 with a 2.49 ERA against the NL West, also got the game ball and said he was going to give it to his mother. ... Baker, who grew up in the East Bay, had a small but loud group of fans on hand. The three hits are a career high for the Cal-Berkeley product. ... Giants LHP Jonathan Sanchez was diagnosed with a mild rotator cuff strain and is expected to begin playing catch by the end of the week.






http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280819126

MY RAYS ARE PLAYING SOME GREAT BALL GO RAYS