Rockies’ Cook wins fifth straight start
June 28, 2009
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Aaron Cook(notes) took a shutout into the ninth inning and wonhis fifth consecutive start as the Colorado Rockies defeated the OaklandAthletics 3-1 on Sunday.
Chris Iannetta(notes), Carlos Gonzalez(notes) and Seth Smith(notes) each drove in a run for theRockies, who completed their first sweep of the A’s and their fourth sweep inJune.
Ryan Sweeney(notes) had two hits for the A’s, who lost their fifth, matching theirseason high.
Cook (8-3) gave up nine hits while walking one and striking out four. TheRockies’ franchise wins leader (60) had a 12-inning scoreless streak against theA’s end.
Former A’s closer Huston Street(notes) earned his 19th save in 20 chances bygetting the final two outs. He saved all three games of the series.
A’s starter Vin Mazzaro(notes) (2-3) gave up three runs on five hits in five-plusinnings. He walked four and struck out eight in losing his third straight, allin interleague play.
Series at a Glance Colorado 4 Oakland 2 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Colorado 11 Oakland 9 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Colorado 3 Oakland 1 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
The Rockies have won 20 of their last 23 games, and improved to 22-7 underJim Tracy.
The A’s finished 5-13 in interleague play, their worst performance againstthe National League.
The Rockies scored twice in the second inning on Iannetta’s RBI forceout andSmith’s run-scoring double. Gonzalez added an RBI double in the sixth.
Kurt Suzuki’s(notes) single to open the ninth ended Cook’s outing. Street gave upsingles to Cabrera and Sweeney before striking out pinch-hitter NomarGarciaparra(notes) and Mark Ellis(notes) and getting Adam Kennedy(notes) to fly out to left.^NOTES: Mazzaro failed to finish the sixth inning for the first time in hiscareer. … Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 11 games. … Smith’s doublegave him a career-high six-game hitting streak. … Ellis returned to the lineupafter missing the past 55 games. … A’s 1B Daric Barton(notes) was optioned toSacramento of the Pacific Coast League to make room for Ellis. … Rockies 1BTodd Helton(notes) recorded his second triple of the year and the 33rd of his career.
Liriano pitches Twins past Cardinals 6-2
June 28, 2009
ST. LOUIS (AP)—Francisco Liriano(notes) pitched so well, his unsightly stats cominginto the game must have been a typing mistake.
The Minnesota left-hander worked seven strong innings backed by JustinMorneau’s(notes) three-run, first-inning home run in the Twins’ 6-2 victory over theSt. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Liriano entered 3-8 with a 5.88 ERA but won his second straight startsduring a turnaround June, and this one was a huge improvement over afive-inning, 117-pitch effort at Milwaukee five days earlier.
“It was exciting for us to see,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We need toget him going.”
Joe Mauer(notes) singled his first two at bats for the Twins to hike his average to.400 before a double-play ball, a groundout and a strikeout dropped him to .394.Jason Kubel(notes) had three hits and an RBI and Brendan Harris(notes) had two RBIs to helpMinnesota take two of three from St. Louis while completing interleague play at12-6.
Series at a Glance Minnesota 3 St. Louis 1 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Minnesota 3 St. Louis 5 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Minnesota 6 St. Louis 2 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
Joe Nathan(notes) got the last out for his 19th save in 21 chances and 14th in arow after the Cardinals put runners on first and third in the ninth. St. Louismissed a chance to load the bases with one out when Joe Thurston(notes) was caught in arundown between second and third on pinch hitter Chris Duncan’s(notes) single off R.A.Dickey(notes).
Manager Tony La Russa said Thurston was probably looking down to touchsecond base when third base coach Jose Oquendo put up the stop sign forslow-footed catcher Jason LaRue(notes).
“Joe’s made a couple of mistakes, but I don’t think it was a baserunningmistake,” the manager said.
Mark DeRosa(notes), acquired Saturday night from the Indians for reliever ChrisPerez(notes) and a player to be named, batted cleanup for the Cardinals and had threegroundouts and a walk for the Cardinals. He contributed defensively with adiving catch in left field that robbed Morneau of extra bases in the eighth.
“It’s never good when the outcome’s a loss,” DeRosa said. “I was a littleoveranxious the first couple of ABs, but I felt comfortable. And the guys aregreat here, I can tell there’s a vibe I haven’t felt in a while.”
St. Louis Cardinals' left … AP – Jun 28, 6:19 pm EDT
Ryan Ludwick(notes) had two hits and an RBI for the Cardinals, who had threethrowing errors resulting in two unearned runs. They’ve lost four of five,including three against lefties.
Liriano (4-8) allowed two runs and four hits while striking out six andwalking two. He retired his first 11 batters and the Cardinals were hitlessbefore Ludwick and Rick Ankiel(notes) opened the fifth with doubles. Jason LaRue’s RBIsingle made it three straight hits before Liriano recovered to retire six in arow.
Liriano, who lowered his ERA to 5.62, emphasized getting ahead in the count.
“My location is getting better and that means a lot to me,” Liriani said.“I haven’t changed anything, just being more consistent, hitting my spots.”
Denard Span(notes) reached on shortstop Tyler Greene’s(notes) throwing error and Mauersingled with one out before Morneau, 3 for 18 with one RBI the first five gamesof a nine-game trip, hit a drive to right estimated at 432 feet to put the Twinsahead 3-0. Morneau’s first homer since June 9 was only the third allowed allseason by Joel Pineiro(notes) (6-9).
St. Louis Cardinals' Chris… AP – Jun 28, 6:10 pm EDT
“You try and back them off and you get a good hitter like that and youmiss,” Pineiro said. “That was really the whole ballgame right there.”
Pineiro allowed five runs, three earned, in 6 2-3 innings. He’s the onlymember of the Cardinals’ rotation to get a decision in every start. He leads theNL in losses.
NOTES: La Russa said before the game that Todd Wellemeyer(notes), 1-3 with a 6.82ERA in six starts this month, will take his next turn in the rotation. … St.Louis INF Brendan Ryan(notes) missed the series after a cortisone injection on Fridayfor a wrist injury but took grounders early Sunday and said his wrist felt“amazing.” He was announced as a pinch hitter in the eighth but replaced whenthe Twins switched relievers. … Twins pitchers were 0 for 21 in interleagueplay, going hitless for the first time. … Liriano is 7-1 with a 2.67 ERA ineight career interleague starts. … Mauer is 13 for 18 with four RBIs againstPineiro. …. St. Louis relievers had allowed two hits in 9 2-3 scorelessinnings in the series before Josh Kinney(notes) surrendered a run on two hits in theninth.
Royals’ Greinke gets to 10 wins
June 28, 2009
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Beating Zack Greinke(notes) and the weatherman in one day proved toodifficult for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Greinke didn’t allow any scoring until making his final pitch before a raindelay in the seventh inning, and the Kansas City Royals prevented the Piratesfrom sweeping an interleague series for the first time since 2001 by winning 3-2on Sunday.
David DeJesus(notes) hit a solo homer off Charlie Morton(notes) (0-1) and drove in tworuns to support Greinke (10-3), who gave up seven hits in 6 1-3 innings ahead ofthe 59-minute delay. Greinke became the AL’s fourth 10-game winner, striking outthree and walking none during a second successive effective start. His 1.95 ERAleads the majors.
“He’s one of best in baseball and showed why,” Freddy Sanchez(notes) said. “Hepretty much shut us down.”
The Royals, ending 8-10 against the NL, halted a three-game losing streakand made sure the Pirates didn’t finish with their best record since interleagueplay began in 1997. They went 8-7, the same record they had in 2001.
Series at a Glance Kansas City 3 Pittsburgh 5 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Kansas City 2 Pittsburgh 6 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Kansas City 3 Pittsburgh 2 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
Greinke wasn’t overpowering, yet didn’t allow an extra-base hit until AndyLaRoche(notes) tripled off the right-field wall during a driving rain in the seventh toscore brother Adam LaRoche(notes), who singled. Immediately after Adam LaRoche made itdown the muddy third-base line, plate umpire Tom Hallion stopped play.
“It felt like I could throw it wherever I wanted to (for five innings),”said Greinke, who had trouble gripping the ball once a hard rain began falling.“I’ve pitched in bad weather before, but usually better than that.”
Once the game resumed, reliever Jamey Wright(notes) got Jason Jaramillo(notes) to groundout, scoring Andy LaRoche with a run that was charged to Greinke. Wright andJohn Bale(notes) combined for a scoreless eighth. Joakim Soria(notes) retired all threebatters he faced for his ninth save in 11 opportunities.
“Zack was having a little bit of a problem … he always takes (the sign)from the set position with the ball in his hand, but in that situation he wasn’table to keep it dry,” manager Trey Hillman said.
The Pirates also felt the rain was a factor, and not in their favor.
Kansas City Royals closer Joak… AP – Jun 28, 5:57 pm EDT
“The rain delay kind of killed the rally,” Jack Wilson(notes) said. “Battlinganybody’s No. 1, especially the No. 1 guy in the big leagues, you’ve got to takeadvantage the one time they give you a chance and the door opens. I thought thatdoor was cracking, but the next thing you know the floodgates come in. I thoughtit was pretty bad timing.”
The Pirates had won four in a row since losing five in succession, butcouldn’t match their season’s best five-game winning streak from May 16-20.
DeJesus broke out of an 0-for-12 slide with a solo homer, his sixth, tostart the fourth. An inning later, Alberto Callaspo(notes) and Mark Teahen(notes) doubled andTeahen scored when first baseman Adam LaRoche’s throw to the plate was late onDeJesus’ grounder.
Greinke, making his first career start against Pittsburgh, allowed two runsor fewer for the 12th time in 16 games.
Morton, his third start for Pittsburgh pushed back two days by hamstringtightness, gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.
“It was all right, mediocre, I guess,” Morton said. “I got into some longcounts and that hurt me.”
Greinke was 0-2 with a 5.19 ERA in four starts after going 8-1 in his first10, but it 2-0 with three earned runs allowed in 14 1-3 innings in his last two.He pitched eight innings while beating Houston 2-1 on Tuesday.
NOTES: Ian Snell(notes), the former Pirates’ No. 2 starter who was demoted Thursdayafter deciding he needed a change of scenery, struck out 13 in a row afterwalking the leadoff batter Sunday for Triple-A Indianapolis against Toledo. Hefinished with 17 Ks and two hits allowed in seven innings, throwing 70 of 108pitches for strikes. Indianapolis won 2-1 in 10 innings. … Kansas City is14-31 since May 8 and 9-29 when scoring three runs or fewer. … Pirates C RyanDoumit(notes), out since April 20 with a broken right wrist, won’t return until afterthe All-Star break. … The Pirates, who took the first two games against KansasCity, haven’t swept an interleague series since taking three from Cleveland in2001.
Getz’s steal of home gets to Zambrano
June 28, 2009
CHICAGO (AP)—The squeeze was on as Chris Getz(notes) made a dash from third andheaded for the plate.
When Carlos Zambrano(notes) threw outside and wild, Getz got a steal of home Sundayand the White Sox were on their way to a whacky 6-0 victory over the Cubs.
It’s also the play that seemed to unnerve Zambrano. The emotional Cubs acehit DeWayne Wise(notes) with the very next pitch and a short time later was out of thegame.
“I was surprised that it was a stolen base, but looking back at it, I guessthat’s the only way you can rule it,” Getz said. “It was a suicide squeeze,Zambrano recognized that I was going and tried to avoid Wise from bunting it. Soit turned into a stolen base.”
Getz’s steal that made it 4-0 was just one rare play in the sixth inningSunday. After he was hit by Zambrano, Wise later scored when an infield fly rulewas called with the bases loaded
“With Getz on third we put the squeeze on. Zambrano threw a pitch reallywide. I stepped in the box and I kind of told myself, `This next pitch may be atme,”’ Wise said.
Series at a Glance Chi Cubs 5 Chi White Sox 4 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Chi Cubs 7 Chi White Sox 8 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Chi Cubs 0 Chi White Sox 6 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
“Sure enough it was.”
Wise had a few words for Zambrano as he headed to first and plate umpireBrian Runge stepped between them before ushering Zambrano back to they mound.
“I just told him that wasn’t right and moved on from there,” Wise said.
John Danks(notes) (6-6) allowed four hits over seven innings and reliever ScottLinebrink(notes) completed the shutout as the White Sox won two of three before selloutcrowds at U.S. Cellular Field. The teams split two games at Wrigley Field lastweek and still have a makeup game to play from a rainout in that earlier series.
Zambrano (4-3) gave up nine hits, including a homer to Alexei Ramirez(notes), andwas charged with five runs, four of them earned in 5 1-3 innings.
“When I saw this guy taking off I was trying to tell (catcher) Geo (Soto)`Get out, get out.’ But it was too late,” Zambrano said of the squeeze play.
Zambrano said the ensuing pitch that hit Wise was a cutter that “cut toomuch.”
“In that situation, I don’t want to get more in trouble. I want to get outof the situation and pitch my six or seven innings,” he said.
“I wasn’t even looking at him (Wise). I heard what he said, but I didn’tunderstand what he said. I just said, ‘What?’ The umpire was good (getting inbetween) because it was starting to get a little hyper.”
Cubs manager Lou Piniella went to the mound for a visit, and after Wisestole second and Scott Podsednik(notes) walked, he came out again to remove theemotional right-hander.
Ramirez then blooped a single to left against reliever David Patton(notes) to loadthe bases. As Jermaine Dye(notes) hit a towering pop that fell behind shortstop RyanTheriot(notes) into short left field, umpires called the infield fly rule. Dye wascalled out, but Wise had raced home when the ball fell in—Theriot was given anerror on the play—and the White Sox had a 5-0 lead.
“With the wind going and stuff like that, I think the call may have beencalled a little bit too early, but they felt like that was the decision to callit that early,” said Dye, who homered in the eighth. “It was a weird and wackyplay, but we ended up getting a run out of it.”
When Danks plunked Ryan Freel(notes) to start the seventh, Runge issued a warningto both benches.
“I knew it was coming,” Freel said. “I told the umpire, ‘It’s coming,right here, watch. Can you go ahead and give him a warning right now?”’
Podsednik, who had four hits Saturday, was hit by a pitch by Zambrano withone out in the third. Ramirez then drove a 1-2 pitch into the left-field seatsfor his 10th homer, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
Singles by A.J. Pierzynski(notes) and Gordon Beckham(notes) gave the White Sox runners atthe corners in the fourth. With Beckham breaking for second, Wise hit an infieldsingle off the glove of Cubs second baseman Andres Blanco(notes) to make it 3-0.
Danks ran into trouble in the sixth. A leadoff double by Alfonso Soriano(notes) andback-to-back two-out walks to Derrek Lee(notes) and Jake Fox(notes) loaded the bases.
But he was bailed out when Ramirez, who had two errors Saturday, went to hisknees in the hole to stab Soto’s hard grounder and threw to third to barelyforce out Lee.
^NOTES: The White Sox lead the interleague series that began in 1997 by36-35.
Lidge’s knee passes test in Phils’ win
June 28, 2009
TORONTO (AP)—Brad Lidge’s(notes) knee and Philadelphia’s bullpen each faced a bigtest Sunday. Both came through successfully.
Chase Utley(notes) hit a two-run triple, Jamie Moyer(notes) won back-to-back starts forthe first time in more than two months and the Phillies held on to beat theToronto Blue Jays 5-4 on Sunday afternoon.
Activated off the disabled list last week after being out since June 9 witha sprained right knee, Lidge had to move quickly when Blue Jays catcher RaulChavez(notes) bunted to begin the ninth, reaching safely when Lidge’s throw pulled RyanHoward(notes) off first base.
“They probably know why I came off the DL and they tried to test it,”Lidge said. “Unfortunately he laid a perfect bunt down, too. I was able to getto it and grab the ball and throw it and no damage. I walked around the moundjust to take inventory, make sure everything felt all right, and it did. Thatwas huge for me.”
John McDonald(notes) ran for Chavez and Lidge walked Marco Scutaro(notes). But he gotAaron Hill(notes) to pop out, then tested his knee again by spinning off the rubber andcatching McDonald in a rundown between second and third.
Series at a Glance Philadelphia 1 Toronto 6 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Philadelphia 10 Toronto 0 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Philadelphia 5 Toronto 4 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
“I kind of thought if there was something I would feel it on, it would bethose (fielding plays),” Lidge said. “I didn’t and thank goodness.”
A subdued McDonald said he broke too soon after getting the steal sign.
“I was watching (Lidge’s) tendencies and thought I was getting a good breakand might be able to steal a base,” McDonald said. “I felt like I was making aquality judgment.”
Two pitches later, Lidge got Vernon Wells(notes) to ground out, giving him his 14thsave in 20 chances.
“At the end there, we were hanging on for dear life but it worked out,”Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
Lidge said having full strength in his knee made him feel he had “controlof the game.”
“Being able to use my back leg and drive off that really helped my fastballstay on line,” Lidge said. “That’s the biggest thing for me, being able tothrow that pitch and being able to locate it better.”
Toronto Blue Jays' Aaron H… AP – Jun 28, 5:13 pm EDT
Following two perfect innings from Chan Ho Park(notes), the Phillies gave the ballto Ryan Madson(notes) and survived a scare in the eighth. A single, an error and atwo-out intentional walk loaded the bases for pinch-hitter Russ Adams(notes), whopopped out.
Moyer (6-6) allowed four runs and five hits in five innings to winconsecutive starts for the first time since April 21 and 26. He won just one ofhis following nine starts before beating Tampa Bay last Tuesday.
“Probably the brightest side for me was go out in the fourth and put up azero after we came back and scored some runs,” Moyer said.
Utley went 2 for 4 with a walk as the Phillies won a series for the firsttime since taking two of three from the New York Mets on June 9-11. Philadelphiahad lost four straight series and has won just four of its past 15 games.
Hill hit two solo homers, giving him his first career multihomer game, andJose Bautista(notes) added a two-run shot for the Blue Jays, who finished interleagueplay at 7-11.
Hill has a career-high 19 home runs this season to break the Blue Jaysrecord for homers by a second baseman that he shared with Roberto Alomar. Alomarhit 17 in 1993 and Hill tied the mark in 2007.
Toronto Blue Jays' John Mc… AP – Jun 28, 5:08 pm EDT
Philadelphia took the lead with a four-run fourth against left-hander BrianTallet(notes) (5-5). Carlos Ruiz(notes) hit a bases-loaded fielder’s choice, Shane Victorino(notes)followed with a sacrifice fly and Utley capped it with a two-out triple toright-center.
Tallet allowed five runs, four earned, and eight hits in six innings. Hestruck out six but his six walks were a career high.
Toronto’s Scott Rolen(notes) extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 gameswith a double in the third.
Philadelphia outfielder Jayson Werth(notes) had one hit and four walks and hasreached safely in 10 straight plate appearances.
Notes: Phillies LHP Antonio Bastardo(notes) (strained shoulder) will miss his nextstart. Bastardo, who left in the fifth inning of his last outing, is scheduledto see a doctor in Philadelphia on Monday. No replacement starter has been namedfor Thursday’s game at Atlanta. … Blue Jays C Rod Barajas(notes), who left Friday’sgame with a sore hamstring, took batting practice and said he will try to runMonday before deciding whether to go on the DL. “If I’m not able to run bytomorrow it might be smart to do something different,” Barajas said. … SSEric Bruntlett’s(notes) error in the eighth was Philadelphia’s 28th this season.Toronto (27) has the fewest errors in the majors. … Blue Jays pitchers matcheda season high with nine walks. … The Phillies went 6-12 in interleague play.
Tigers avoid sweep on Inge’s HR in 9th
June 28, 2009
HOUSTON (AP)—Brandon Inge(notes) knew what pitch was coming, and he salvaged theDetroit Tigers’ final game in Houston with a single swing.
Inge hit a two-run homer off Jose Valverde(notes) with two outs in the ninth inningand the Tigers averted a sweep with a 4-3 win over the Astros on Sunday.
Kaz Matsui’s RBI double off Edwin Jackson(notes) in the seventh gave Houston a 3-2lead.
Tim Byrdak(notes) retired two batters in relief of Russ Ortiz(notes) in the eighth andValverde (0-2) started the ninth, looking for his seventh save. Placido Polanco(notes)and Miguel Cabrera(notes) each flied out before Valverde walked Marcus Thames(notes), anat-bat that Inge watched carefully.
When Valverde missed the strike zone with his first pitch to him, Ingecorrectly guessed that a straight fastball was coming next. He promptly drovethe pitch over the left-field wall for his 18th home run to give Detroit itsfirst lead.
“I noticed he walked Marcus with a split-finger (fastball), and threw me afirst-pitch split-finger,” Inge said. “I thought, I don’t think he wants tofall behind both guys. I just tried to stay on the fastball and be aggressivewith it.”
Series at a Glance Detroit 4 Houston 5 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Detroit 1 Houston 8 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Detroit 4 Houston 3 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
Valverde has blown four saves in 10 appearances this season.
“I had no idea what happened,” Valverde said. “This guy’s a good hitter.There’s nothing I can do. I throw that pitch and he hit it.”
Bobby Seay(notes) (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth in relief of Jackson, andFernando Rodney(notes) shut out Houston in the ninth to stay perfect in 17 saveopportunities.
Thanks to Inge, the Tigers feel a lot better heading to Oakland for athree-game series starting Monday. They play three games in Minnesota at the endof the week.
“To start off a road trip with a sweep against you, that’s not how you wantto do it,” Inge said. “This is a big one, just to get us started in the rightdirection.”
Curtis Granderson(notes) added a solo homer for the Tigers, who improved to 5-3 inthe last eight games Jackson has started. Jackson came in with the AL’ssecond-best ERA (2.40), behind Kansas City’s Zack Greinke(notes), and was as happy asanyone in the dugout when Inge homered.
“It’s more for the team than for me,” Jackson said. “A swing like thatdefinitely gives us confidence going into the next series.”
Houston Astros pitcher Jose Va… AP – Jun 28, 4:56 pm EDT
Jackson allowed only one hit through the first four innings, but the Tigersgrounded into two early double plays. Detroit averaged only three runs inJackson’s previous seven starts.
Michael Bourn(notes) led off the Astros fourth with a triple to right-center.Jackson hit Jeff Keppinger(notes) with a pitch before Bourn scored on Lance Berkman’s(notes)sacrifice fly to put Houston ahead 1-0.
Carlos Lee(notes) singled and one out later, Hunter Pence(notes) doubled down theleft-field line. Keppinger and Lee scored, but a fan reached out of the standsand touched the ball. Lee’s run was nullified and umpires ordered him to returnto third base. Jackson struck out Ivan Rodriguez(notes) to end the inning and keep thescore 2-0.
Inge beat out an infield single in the fifth and scored on Gerald Laird’s(notes)double to left center. Laird was back in the lineup after leaving in the firstinning of Saturday night’s game with back spasms.
Granderson tied it in the sixth, driving a 1-1 pitch from Ortiz into theright-field seats for his 18th homer of the season. The Tigers have homered in12 consecutive games, matching their longest streak since Sept. 4-17, 1999.
Geoff Blum(notes), activated from the disabled list before the game, was hit by apitch leading off the bottom of the seventh. Two outs later, Matsui doubled andBlum scored to give the Astros a 3-2 lead.
Ortiz retired Adam Everett(notes) leading off the eighth before he was replaced byByrdak. The left-hander struck out the two batters he faced, not allowing a runfor the 15th time in his last 18 appearances.
NOTES: Ortiz made his 300th career appearance. … Detroit placedleft-hander Nate Robertson(notes) on the 15-day disabled list with a mass in his leftelbow. To take his place on the roster, the Tigers purchased the contract ofleft-hander Fu-Te Ni from Triple-A Toledo. He was 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA with 32strikeouts in 24 appearances.
Price helps Rays finish sweep of Marlins
June 28, 2009
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—David Price(notes) is showing flashes of what made him sodominant in Tampa Bay’s World Series run last season.
Price allowed one run over 6 1-3 innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat theFlorida Marlins 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep on Sunday.
“I’m close,” Price said. “I’m getting there. I’ve just got to keepworking. It’s going to fall in place at some point, and when it does I want toride the wave as long as possible.”
Price (2-2) gave up two hits, five walks and had four strikeouts. The firstoverall pick in the 2007 amateur draft was coming off a pair of losses in whichthe left-hander was touched for 15 runs and 17 hits in 11 1-3 innings.
“Starting pitching drives the engine. He did a great job today,” Raysmanager Joe Maddon said.
B.J. Upton(notes) homered for the Rays, who have won five in a row. Tropicana Fieldis the only park in the majors where at least one homer has been hit in everygame (39) played this season.
Series at a Glance Florida 3 Tampa Bay 7 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Florida 2 Tampa Bay 3 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Florida 2 Tampa Bay 5 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
The Marlins got a run-scoring single from Hanley Ramirez(notes). Andrew Miller(notes)(2-4) gave up five runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings.
“We had him (Price) on the ropes and it seemed the deeper he got into thegame, the more settled he got and his stuff got better,” Florida manager FrediGonzalez said. “He’s a good one.”
Jason Bartlett(notes) hit an RBI double and Gabe Kapler(notes) had a run-scoring grounderto put Tampa Bay up 2-0 in the second. Bartlett has driven in 22 runs over hislast 21 games, while Kapler has 12 RBIs during interleague play.
Florida got within 2-1 in the third when Ramirez completed a 12-pitch,two-out at-bat with an RBI single. He has 24 RBIs in 18 interleague games.
Upton put the Rays back up by two, at 3-1, on a first-pitch leadoff homer inthe bottom of the third. It was his first home run off a lefty since last Sept.26 against Detroit’s Bobby Seay(notes).
“You don’t get any breaks in that lineup,” Miller said.
Tampa Bay Rays batboys congrat… AP – Jun 28, 4:01 pm EDT
Evan Longoria(notes) and Ben Zobrist(notes) had RBI singles in the seventh to make it 5-1.
“We’re just playing better baseball,” Maddon said.
J.P. Howell(notes), the third Tampa Bay reliever, struggled with his control, butgot the final two outs for his fifth save.
Howell replaced Chad Bradford(notes) with two on and one out in the ninth. Afterhitting Cody Ross(notes) and walking pinch hitter Wes Helms(notes) to force in a run that cutthe Rays’ advantage to 5-2, the left-hander then struck out Ronny Paulino(notes) andRoss Gload(notes).
“That final game is really hard,” Howell said. “It’s tough to sweep anyteam. It feels really good.”
Howell also had two wins in the three-game series. He has not allowed a runover his last 16 2-3 innings.
NOTES: Tampa Bay is scheduled to face Toronto ace Roy Halladay(notes) (10-1) Mondaynight. The right-hander (groin) is set to be reinstated from the 15-day disabledlist to make the start. “I’m looking forward to that like a root canal,” asmiling Maddon said. … Marlins RHP Leo Nunez(notes), slowed by a strained rightankle, reported no problems one day after throwing an inning on Saturday night.… SS Kenny Diekroeger, taken 78th overall by Tampa Bay in this year’s amateurdraft, took grounders before the game. The 18-year old hasn’t decided if he willsign with the Rays or attend Stanford University. … Kapler went 11-for-22 ininterleague play. … Tampa Bay went 13-5 in interleague, while the Marlins won10 of 18.
Jeter returns, Damon still out with flu
June 28, 2009
NEW YORK (AP)—Derek Jeter(notes) is back in the New York Yankees’ lineup for theSubway Series finale, but Johnny Damon(notes) is still out because of a flu bug that’sgoing around the clubhouse.
Jeter missed the previous two games against the Mets with a fever, headacheand cough. The All-Star shortstop was set to return Sunday night, batting in hisusual leadoff spot.
Melky Cabrera(notes) was in left field to replace Damon, who also sat out Saturdaynight’s 5-0 win due to flu symptoms.
Manager Joe Girardi said Saturday that several Yankees have been sicklately, including Cabrera, pitchers Chien-Ming Wang(notes) and Phil Hughes(notes), and secondbaseman Robinson Cano(notes).
Wang was set to start Sunday night as the Yankees tried for a three-gamesweep at Citi Field.
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Phillies LHP Bastardo to miss next start
June 28, 2009
TORONTO (AP)—Philadelphia left-hander Antonio Bastardo(notes) will miss his nextstart because of a strained shoulder, the team said Sunday.
Bastardo left injured in the fourth inning of his last start and returned toPhiladelphia this weekend, where he is scheduled to see a doctor on Monday.
Pitching against Tampa Bay last Thursday, the rookie gave up six runs in thefirst two innings to waste a 4-0 lead. He was replaced by Chad Durbin(notes) after aone out walk in the fourth.
Bastardo is 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five starts and has lost his past threeoutings.
The Phillies are off Monday and begin a three-game series in Atlanta onTuesday. Right-hander Joe Blanton(notes) will start the opener, with left-hander ColeHamels(notes) pitching on regular rest in Bastardo’s spot Wednesday. No starter hasbeen announced for Thursday’s finale.
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Flu-ridden Hanson lifts Braves by BoSox
June 28, 2009
ATLANTA (AP)—Tommy Hanson(notes) was very much aware of who he’d be facing in thesetwo starts.
It didn’t faze him a bit.
The big right-hander became the first NL rookie to beat the New York Yankeesand Boston in consecutive starts, throwing two-hit ball over six scorelessinnings, and homers by Chipper Jones(notes) and Garret Anderson(notes) carried Atlanta pastthe Red Sox 2-1 on Sunday.
The Braves snapped a four-game losing streak and prevented a Boston sweep ina weekend series dominated by pitching. The teams combined for only nine runs inthree games, and Hanson (4-0) sure kept it going, despite a bout with the fluthat put his start in doubt even as he was riding to the ballpark with teammateKris Medlen(notes).
“I told Kris he’d better be ready to pitch,” Hanson said. “I felthorrible waking up this morning. Driving to field, I didn’t feel good at all.But once I got going, got my blood flowing, I felt a lot better.”
Series at a Glance Boston 4 Atlanta 1 Fri, Jun 26 – Final Boston 1 Atlanta 0 Sat, Jun 27 – Final Boston 1 Atlanta 2 Sun, Jun 28 – Final
The Red Sox would certainly vouch for that. They were limited to a pair offourth-inning singles by the 22-year-old rookie, who has been compared toeveryone from John Smoltz(notes) to Roy Halladay(notes)—after just five big league starts.
Hanson stretched his scoreless streak to 20 innings, including 5 1-3 inningsagainst the Yankees on Tuesday. The Braves took that one 4-0, and didn’t getanother win until Hanson went to the mound again.
“If he was sick,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said, “I really don’twant to see him when he’s not sick.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hanson was the first NL rookie to pulloff the Yankees-Red Sox double.
“Facing them and getting two wins is definitely awesome, especially back toback,” he said. “It’s definitely been fun. Hopefully we’ll keep on rolling andkeep winning some games.”
This might have been his most impressive showing yet considering his ailingbody and having to start on a day when it was when it was 91 degrees at thefirst pitch and climbed higher through the afternoon. Hanson threw 97 pitches,keeping the Red Sox off balance with a fastball in the mid-90s mixed with nastybreaking balls.
Hanson struck out only two. It didn’t matter.
“He threw a lot of strikes and stayed ahead of the hitters. That’s key,”Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “He didn’t get a lot of strikeouts, but he threwgood strikes.”
With two outs in the fourth, Jason Bay(notes) and David Ortiz(notes) has consecutivesingles and Jason Varitek(notes) walked to load the bases. But Hanson escaped the jamwith his 23rd pitch of the inning, grounded weakly to second by Jacoby Ellsbury(notes).
Hanson fanned his final hitter—Bay took a called third strike to end thesixth—and the Braves turned it over to the bullpen.
“That’s probably the best I’ve seen him,” Jones said. “He threw strikes.He executed. He threw pitches on the corners for strikes.”
Peter Moylan(notes) escaped a seventh-inning jam caused by shaky Braves defense,getting Nick Green(notes) on an inning-ending double play with runners at first andthird. Rafael Soriano(notes) pitched a perfect eighth, then Mike Gonzalez(notes) endured aneventful ninth for his ninth save in 12 chances.
The Braves botched a rundown, and Varitek kept it going by blooping atwo-out, run-scoring single to center. With two strikes on Ellsbury, a fan ranon the field and had to be tackled by security.
After a delay of several minutes while the handcuffed man was hauled off,Ellsbury went down swinging to end the game.
Jones, mired in a 10-of-60 slump, took advantage when Brad Penny(notes) (6-3) hunga breaking ball in the first, driving an opposite-field homer into the seats inleft. It was the first homer since June 8 for the defending NL batting champ,whose average has slipped from .335 to .289 during his slide.
“I got into some bad habits,” Jones said.
Anderson made it 2-0 in the fourth, driving one out in right for his fourthhomer.
The injury plagued Penny pitched well, as did every starter through theweekend. He went six innings, giving up six hits, striking out two and notwalking anyone.
“We lost the game, so there’s no satisfaction in whether I’m pitchinggood,” Penny said. “But it’s nice to be healthy.”
NOTES: Penny grabbed his hand after bouncing a pitch in the first inning,bringing out manager Terry Francona and the trainer. Penny said his thumb poppedout of its joint, but he simply snapped it back in, threw a couple of warmuppitches and was OK. … The crowd of 41,463 snapped a streak of three straightsellouts at Turner Field.
