Rockies split doubleheader with Mets
July 31, 2009
NEW YORK (AP)—For Johan Santana(notes), it was just another outstanding July. ToJorge De La Rosa(notes), it was a second straight month to remember.
De La Rosa set a franchise record by winning his seventh consecutive startand the Colorado Rockies beat New York 4-2 on Thursday night, earning a split inthe day-night doubleheader and snapping the Mets’ five-game winning streak.
“I feel great. I feel more relaxed right now,” De La Rosa said. “I thinkI’m pitching very good so I just have to be focused every game I go out andpitch.”
The Mets won the opener 7-0 behind Santana, who struck out eight in sevensharp innings. Angel Berroa(notes) had a two-run double in New York’s five-run secondand David Wright(notes) also drove in two runs.
“A well-located fastball makes the whole difference, and that’s what I wasdoing today,” Santana said. “I was able to command my fastball better thanbefore and then that opens up the strike zone.”
Series at a Glance Colorado 3 NY Mets 7 Mon, Jul 27 – Final Colorado 0 NY Mets 4 Tue, Jul 28 – Final Colorado 0 NY Mets 0 Wed, Jul 29 – Ppd. Colorado 0 NY Mets 7 Thu, Jul 30 – Final Colorado 4 NY Mets 2 Thu, Jul 30 – Final
Clint Barmes(notes) hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and De La Rosa pitched 6 1-3solid innings in the second game for the Rockies, who avoided a four-game seriessweep with the victory in the makeup of Wednesday night’s rainout. TroyTulowitzki(notes) had a nice all-around nightcap, robbing Luis Castillo(notes) of a hit with agreat play at shortstop and contributing a couple of key at-bats.
“It was a big win, one of our bigger ones,” Tulowitzki said.
Fernando Tatis(notes) had an outstanding diving catch in left and a solo homer forthe Mets, who finished with just six hits.
Jeff Francoeur’s(notes) fourth-inning sacrifice fly gave New York the lead in thesecond game but Ryan Spilborghs(notes) singled in Tulowitzki in the sixth, tying it at1 and ending Colorado’s scoreless streak at 27 innings. It was the Mets’ longestshutout streak since a 28-inning stretch from May 22-26, 2004.
The Rockies went ahead for good in the seventh. De La Rosa hit a leadoffdouble off Jonathon Niese(notes) (1-1). After Tatis robbed Seth Smith(notes) of his third hit,Barmes belted a drive to left for his 14th homer.
Niese departed after Todd Helton(notes) singled and Tulowitzki hit Brian Stokes’(notes)first pitch off the wall in left for a run-scoring triple, increasing Colorado’slead to 4-1.
“I made a few mistakes and they made me pay for them,” Niese said.
De La Rosa (9-7) surrendered Tatis’ sixth homer in the bottom half and leftafter Daniel Murphy(notes) flied out. The left-hander allowed three hits to improve to9-1 in his last 10 starts, the only loss coming on June 16 against Tampa Bay. Heis 5-0 with a 2.50 ERA in six games this month, including his only reliefappearance of the year on July 12 against Atlanta.
Colorado Rockies' Troy Tul… AP – Jul 30, 10:52 pm EDT
“Jorge De La Rosa was terrific,” manager Jim Tracy said. “He kept us inthe game.”
Four relievers combined to finish, with Huston Street(notes) working the ninth forhis 26th save.
Santana (12-8) allowed four hits and walked one in his first career outingagainst Colorado, closing out the month with a 3-2 record and a sparkling 1.82ERA in five starts. He also improved to 20-11 with a 3.34 ERA in 53 career gamesin July.
“Obviously, our ace did his job today,” said Alex Cora(notes), who had two of theMets’ 11 hits in the opener.
Bobby Parnell(notes) and Tim Redding(notes) each pitched an inning to finish thefour-hitter.
New York’s five-run second was its biggest inning since it scored five inthe first at Washington on June 7. The Mets have scored five or more runs injust six of Santana’s 21 starts this season.
“When you’re dealing with a starter of Johan Santana’s stature you can’tafford to have an inning like we had in the second inning,” Tracy said. “Youspot him a five-run lead and the hole is close to being impossible to climb outof.”
Colorado Rockies' Jorge De… AP – Jul 30, 10:19 pm EDT
Jason Hammel(notes) (5-6) lasted just 1 1-3 innings for the Rockies, allowing fiveruns and seven hits in his shortest outing of the season. The right-hander was4-2 with a 2.08 ERA in eight road starts before the loss.
“You take three out of four from a very good ballclub, that should give youa lot of confidence going forward,” Wright said.
NOTES: Mets general manager Omar Minaya has apologized to a beat reporterfor questioning his motives and credibility during a bizarre news conferenceMonday. The writer accepted the apology, saying the GM’s “remorse was sincere”when they met Wednesday. … Mets C Brian Schneider(notes) got a cortisone shot for hisbalky left knee on Wednesday and is expected to play Friday night againstArizona. … The Mets designated RHP Elmer Dessens(notes) for assignment and recalled CRobinson Cancel(notes) from Triple-A Buffalo for some insurance behind the plate. …Tulowitzki is batting .588 (10 for 17) over his last six games.
McCann’s HR gets Braves by Marlins in 10
July 31, 2009
MIAMI (AP)—One swing by Brian McCann(notes) kept the Atlanta Braves from being sweptand let them keep talking about a possible postseason appearance.
McCann’s three-run homer in the 10th inning gave the Braves a 6-3 victoryover the Florida Marlins on Thursday night.
“We’re still playing good baseball,” said McCann, who also had twodoubles. “It’s a sign of a good team when you lose a couple in a row and peopleare a little antsy.”
Nate McLouth(notes) led off the Braves’ 10th against Luis Ayala(notes) (1-3) with asingle. After a sacrifice and an intentional walk to Chipper Jones(notes), McCann hit a2-2 pitch over the right-center field wall.
“He’s a power hitter and you can’t make mistakes in that situation,” Ayalasaid.
Cody Ross(notes) hit his 15th home run in the eighth to bring the Marlins within3-2. After Hanley Ramirez(notes) was intentionally walked with runners on second andthird, Florida tied it on Jorge Cantu’s(notes) infield single.
Series at a Glance Atlanta 3 Florida 4 Tue, Jul 28 – Final Atlanta 3 Florida 6 Wed, Jul 29 – Final Atlanta 6 Florida 3 Thu, Jul 30 – Final 10th
The loss ended a three-game winning streak.
“We had some chances to get that sweep,” Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalezsaid. “We battled back, but we just couldn’t get that bloop single that weneeded.”
Peter Moylan(notes) (3-2) worked the ninth for Atlanta and Rafael Soriano(notes) recordedhis 15th save in 17 chances as Atlanta moved one game behind Florida for secondplace in the NL East.
“It was a great comeback,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “You don’t liketo blow the lead, but we came back and won it. So that’s OK.”
Even having lost the first two games of the series, the Braves are 18-10since they were a season-worst six games under .500 on June 27. The recent surgehas put them back in the mix of teams fighting for the NL wild card.
Casey Kotchman’s(notes) double in the second inning scored McCann and Yunel Escobar(notes)and gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead. McLouth’s RBI single in the seventh put the Bravesahead 3-1.
First base umpire Gary Darling… AP – Jul 30, 10:44 pm EDT
It was another start with little support for Atlanta’s Javier Vazquez(notes).
Vazquez struck out eight and allowed three runs in 7 1-3 innings for ano-decision that ended his three-game winning streak.
Rick VandenHurk(notes) had a career-high nine strikeouts and gave up two runs insix innings for Florida.
“We took one away from them a couple nights ago and that was nice,” Rosssaid. “Tonight, to climb back was nice, but we wanted to come away with thevictory there.”
Unlike the series opener Tuesday, when pinch-hitter Ross Gload(notes) hit a two-runhomer with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give Florida a 4-3 win, Atlantaheld off the rally.
“We won an important game,” Vazquez said. “Those first two losses weren’tgood. It was important to win that game to keep us right there in contention.”
NOTES: Escobar had a right wrist contusion after being hit by a pitch in thesecond inning. He was replaced at shortstop the following inning by DioryHernandez(notes). The team said X-rays were negative, and he’s day-to-day. … With 27doubles, McCann ranks first among all major league catchers. … Marlins RHPAnibal Sanchez(notes) (sprained shoulder) threw a 60-pitch bullpen session Thursday andwill have about three rehab starts in Single-A Jupiter, Gonzalez said. Sanchez,who threw a no-hitter in September 2006 for Florida, was placed on the 60-day DLon July 12.
Dodgers acquire Sherrill from Orioles
July 31, 2009
BALTIMORE (AP)—Adding a big arm to their bullpen, the NL West-leading LosAngeles Dodgers acquired former All-Star closer George Sherrill(notes) from theBaltimore Orioles on Thursday for two minor leaguers.
The rebuilding Orioles receive third baseman Josh Bell and right-handerSteve Johnson, both of whom were at Double-A Chattanooga.
Sherrill has 20 saves for last-place Baltimore and gives Los Angeles, withthe best record in the NL, a left-handed complement to All-Star closer JonathanBroxton(notes). Sherrill is expected to join the Dodgers on Friday in Atlanta.
“It’s a great move for us,” Broxton said in St. Louis. “It gives us anextra arm, and he’s got some innings under his belt. If some nights I need anight off or whatever, he can pick up big innings for us.”
An AL All-Star last season, the 32-year-old Sherrill is 0-1 with a 2.40 ERA.He has limited opponents to a .219 batting average in 2009.
“I expect he will help us. Obviously, Broxton is our closer,” Los Angelesmanager Joe Torre said before his team played the Cardinals. “But we’ll use himlate in the game—eighth, ninth inning. It gives us a backup, an experiencedbackup.”
Sherrill set a career high with 31 saves last season, his first with theOrioles. He came to Baltimore from Seattle as part of a five-for-one deal thatsent pitcher Erik Bedard(notes) to the Mariners.
With the Orioles well on their way to a 12th straight losing season,president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail cast an eye toward the future intrading away his closer.
“There does come a time when we have to address our needs down the road,and we think that’s what this trade represents,” MacPhail said. “We will haveto endure short-term pain, but we’re pretty sure we’ll get some long-termgain.”
The contract of 37-year-old Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora(notes) expires afterthis season and the organization is thin at the position in the minor leagues.That made the 22-year-old Bell—who was hitting .296 with 11 home runs and 52RBIs in 94 games with Chattanooga—the key component in the trade forBaltimore.
“Anytime you take on a guy who isn’t a big league player there’s a certainamount of risk, particularly when you’re giving up a proven player. But you’vegot to look at the potential reward down the road,” MacPhail said. “Josh was avery attractive player for us at a position where, at the high level of theminor leagues, we really weren’t satisfied where we were.”
The Dodgers, on the other hand, are stocked with third basemen. Although hewas sad to leave the organization that drafted him out of high school, Bellwelcomed the chance to get on a faster track to the big leagues.
“It’s definitely mixed emotions,” he said. “But when it comes down to it,I feel like I’ve got a good shot with the Orioles. If I keep up with what I’vebeen doing and get better, I’ve got a straight shot there, whereas here I wasblocked.”
The 21-year-old Johnson was 9-5 with a 3.61 ERA overall in Class-A andDouble-A. The right-hander is the son of former Orioles pitcher Dave Johnson,now a broadcaster for the team.
“It’s always nice to play for the hometown team,” Steve Johnson said.“I’ve proved myself, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to make it up there withthe Orioles sometime soon.”
After the Orioles beat Kansas City 7-3 on Thursday, Sherrill said heappreciated being coveted by a contender as Friday’s non-waiver trade deadlinedrew closer.
“It’s flattering to have somebody want you on another team, but it’s alsoflattering to have your own team set the bar high and not just give you away,”he said.
With Sherrill gone, the Orioles will probably use Jim Johnson(notes) as theircloser. He has been used primarily as a setup man this season.
In another move, the Dodgers recalled Scott Elbert(notes) from Triple-A Albuquerqueand optioned fellow left-hander Brent Leach(notes) to their top farm club.
AP Sports Writer R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis contributed to this report.
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Cubs’ Hart wins, then traded to Pirates
July 31, 2009
CHICAGO (AP)—Kevin Hart(notes) won the game and got traded.
Russ Ortiz(notes) lost it and got released.
That was the strange aftermath to the Chicago Cubs’ 12-3 victory over theHouston Astros on Thursday.
“It’s a little weird, a little different,” Hart said while still wearing aCubs’ sweat shirt in a mostly empty clubhouse after his former teammates hadrushed off to the airport.
Hart won his third straight start and moments after the game was traded tothe Pittsburgh Pirates in a five-player deal that landed John Grabow(notes) and TomGorzelanny(notes) with the Cubs.
Ortiz, who gave up nine hits and nine runs in 2 1-3 innings, was put onwaivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.
Series at a Glance Houston 1 Chi Cubs 5 Mon, Jul 27 – Final 13th Houston 11 Chi Cubs 6 Tue, Jul 28 – Final Houston 0 Chi Cubs 12 Wed, Jul 29 – Final Houston 3 Chi Cubs 12 Thu, Jul 30 – Final
“It’s unfortunate that it didn’t work out with Russ,” Astros manager CecilCooper said.
“He had a few games in there that were pretty good, but just not enoughconsistency and we need to do that because otherwise you’re going to continue towear your bullpen out and kill them and we can’t afford to do that.”
Against the Mets five days ago, Ortiz (3-6) yielded five hits and six runsin 4 1-3 innings.
“It just wasn’t there, I guess lately. I shouldn’t say “I guess.” Itwasn’t there lately,” Ortiz said.
“So, they had to make moves that going to help. This team has a very goodchance to make the playoffs. So, that had to make a move that was going to helpthat, not hurt it.”
Hart was given big run support in his final appearance with the Cubs. JakeFox(notes) and Milton Bradley(notes) hit back-to-back homers to start a five-run third andKosuke Fukudome(notes) and Ryan Theriot(notes) had four RBIs each.
The Cubs have won 11 of 14 games since the All-Star break.
“No idea,” Hart said when asked if he any inkling he would be dealt.
“I get to hopefully go over there and move into the rotation and never giveit up,” he added.
Chicago Cubs reliever Kevin Gr… AP – Jul 30, 6:07 pm EDT
Hart gave up six hits and three runs, including homers to Carlos Lee(notes) and KazMatsui, in his six innings.
“It was not an easy thing to do, knowing that our starting pitcher wasprobably going in this deal today,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said.
But he said after the game that Hart was “great, he understood.”
“I told him that good trades are meant to help both clubs,” Hendry added.
The Cubs drove Ortiz out in the five-run third inning that started withconsecutive homers from Fox and Bradley. Alfonso Soriano(notes) then singled and scoredon Mike Fontenot’s(notes) triple into the right field corner before Koyie Hill’s(notes)sacrifice fly made it a five-run lead.
After Hart singled and Fukudome doubled him home for a 9-3 lead, Ortiz wasreplaced.
Fukudome hit a two-run bases-loaded single with two outs in the second andTheriot followed with a two-run double to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead. Fukudomeadded a run-scoring triple in the seventh and scored on Theriot’s RBI grounderfor a 12-3 lead. The Cubs beat the Astros 12-0 Wednesday.
Michael Bourn’s(notes) leadoff double and Matsui’s fourth homer quickly cut thelead to 4-3 in the third before the Cubs came up with five in the bottom half.
Lee’s 17th homer, a solo shot leading off the second, was his 19th career atWrigley Field and put the Astros ahead 1-0 in the second.
The Astros then loaded the bases on a single and two hit batsmen beforeOrtiz hit into an inning-ending double play with Cubs’ first baseman Derrek Lee(notes)making a leaping catch of a high throw from second baseman Mike Fontenot andtagging out the Astros’ pitcher.
NOTES: Ortiz is 0-5 in his last 10 starts. … Fukudome reached base fivetimes.
Ortiz hits go-ahead HR in Red Sox’s win
July 30, 2009
BOSTON (AP)—With a flair for the dramatic and a litany of game-winning hitsthat propelled the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships, David Ortiz(notes)earned his reputation as one of baseball’s best sluggers and a player who comesthrough in the clutch.
On Thursday, he proved equally adept at handling off-the-field pressure.
Hours after a reporter “blindsided” him with the news that he was on thelist of more than 100 major leaguers who tested positive forperformance-enhancing drugs in 2003, Ortiz hit a go-ahead homer that sent theRed Sox to an 8-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
“Right now, I have no answers,” Ortiz said in the clubhouse afterward, hiseyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
The New York Times, citing unidentified lawyers with knowledge of theresults, reported just before Thursday’s game that Ortiz was on the list ofplayers who came up positive during survey testing six years ago. The list wassupposed to be confidential, and Ortiz claimed that he didn’t know he was on ituntil a reporter informed him before the game.
Series at a Glance Oakland 3 Boston 8 Mon, Jul 27 – Final Oakland 9 Boston 8 Tue, Jul 28 – Final 11th Oakland 8 Boston 6 Wed, Jul 29 – Final Oakland 5 Boston 8 Thu, Jul 30 – Final
“This happened right before our game, and the news blindsided me,” he saidin a statement handed out by the Red Sox media relations department but withoutthe team’s logo or letterhead. “Based on the way I have lived my life, I’msurprised to learn I tested positive. … You know me—I will not hide and Iwill not make excuses.”
But if the news bothered him, he didn’t show it during the game.
“I know David,” said former Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra(notes), who hadthree hits for the A’s. “That guy is just a solid individual and cares aboutthe game and what he does and I just hope for him he’s doing all right. He didall right today.”
Ortiz doubled and scored Boston’s first run in the second inning, thenwalked and hustled to second on a wild pitch in the sixth. He came up again inthe seventh with two on and two outs and Boston trailing 5-3, well on its way toa three-game losing streak that would have been its first at Fenway Park in morethan a year.
Ortiz hit a 1-2 pitch from Craig Breslow(notes) (4-5) to right-center, over the RedSox bullpen and to the right of the 420 foot sign that marks the deepest part ofthe ballpark. The sold-out crowd rose for a standing ovation that didn’t stopuntil Ortiz came out of the dugout for a curtain call.
“I believe David will be OK,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “Ididn’t have time in the seventh inning to think about someone’s mentalcapabilities. I was just glad the ball left the ballpark.”
Fans, background, cheer Boston… AP – Jul 30, 5:30 pm EDT
Manny Delcarmen(notes) (3-2) got four outs for the win, Daniel Bard(notes) pitched aperfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon(notes) worked the ninth for his 26th save.
Many of the fans had not yet heard of the newspaper report; if they did,they did not hold back their support for the slugger who was a key part ofBoston’s 2004 and ’07 World Series titles. (Exiled outfielder Manny Ramirez(notes), whowas on both those teams and was the Series MVP in ’04, was also reported to beon the drug list.)
Ortiz’s teammates stood to greet him with high-fives in the dugout, and theysaid afterward that they would stand behind him. Many bristled at the suggestionthat the World Series titles were tainted.
“I so want to get past this,” third baseman Mike Lowell(notes) said. “I don’tfeel bad about winning the World Series, and I’m not going to give any of therings back.”
Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said the team admired Ortiz’swillingness to address the allegations—when he has more answers—and keep thestory from becoming a distraction in the clubhouse.
“The organization supports him. His teammates support him. It’s easy tosupport him with the approach he’s taking,” Epstein said. “I’ve known him fora long time. I respect him as a person. I care about him. He’s meant a lot to usand our organization. We fully support him.”
NOTES: Boston won for just the fourth time in 12 games. … Jon Lester(notes)allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out two in 5 2-3innings. Oakland starter Gio Gonzalez(notes) gave up three runs on five hits and fourwalks, striking out eight before leaving with one on and one out and the A’sleading 4-2. … Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) was held without a hit after six straightmultihit games. He was also caught stealing for the eighth time in 54 tries.
M’s get SS Wilson, RHP Snell from Bucs
July 29, 2009
SEATTLE (AP)—The Seattle Mariners acquired shortstop Jack Wilson(notes) and pitcherIan Snell(notes) from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday for shortstop Ronny Cedeno(notes),Triple-A catcher Jeff Clement(notes) and three minor league pitchers.
The 31-year-old Wilson, an All-Star in 2004, becomes Seattle’s thirdeveryday shortstop this season.
“This was an opportunity for us to acquire a veteran shortstop, a formerAll-Star player, with leadership qualities and above-average defensive skills,”Mariners general manager Jack Zdurienick said. “As we move forward over thenext few years it is nice to know that we have solidified the shortstopposition.”
The Mariners also think Snell can restart his stalled career. The27-year-old Snell had a 0.96 ERA in six starts with Triple-A Indianapolis, afterstarting the season 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 15 starts for Pittsburgh.
Zdurienick called Snell “a talented pitcher with major league experiencewho now has an opportunity restart his career after a very successfulreassignment in Indianapolis.”
Seattle had acquired Cedeno in the offseason from the Chicago Cubs. Hestruggled after the Mariners gave him their shortstop job this month by tradingYuniesky Betancourt(notes) to Kansas City. Cedeno is hitless in his last 26 at bats andis batting .167 in 59 games. The 26-year-old’s contract ends after this season.
In Clement, the Pirates are getting the third overall draft pick in 2005 whohas shown impressive power but has been unable to catch consistently. He hasplayed first base while being primary a DH at Triple A. Clement, who turns 26next month, batted .237 with seven home runs in 75 games for Seattle in 2007 and’08. He was batting .288 with 14 home runs and 68 RBIs in 92 games for Tacomathis season.
The Pirates also get minor league right-handed pitchers Nathan Adcock, BrettLorin and Aaron Pribanic.
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Astros reliever Wright out of hospital
July 29, 2009
CHICAGO (AP)—Houston Astros reliever Wesley Wright(notes) was out of the hospitalWednesday after being treated the previous night for dehydration.
Wright had to take the mound in the second inning of Houston’s 11-6 victoryover the Chicago Cubs after Astros ace Roy Oswalt(notes) hurt his lower back.
Oswalt on Wednesday returned to Houston, where he was to be examined by aback specialist.
One of baseball’s best pitchers this decade, Oswalt has had back problemsbefore, including a stint on the disabled list in 2006 for a mid-back strain.
Wright allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings and got his first career hitbefore he had to be rushed to Northwestern Hospital. Team officials originallythought he might have had appendicitis because he had complained of discomfortin that area of his body.
The Astros said Wright was staying at the team hotel Wednesday but probablywould be back with the club for Thursday’s series finale.
Also Wednesday, the Astros made two roster moves, activating right-handedreliever Doug Brocail(notes) from the DL and sending infielder Edwin Maysonet(notes) toTriple-A Round Rock.
Brocail replaces LaTroy Hawkins(notes), who went on the DL Tuesday with shingles.Maysonet was sent down to make room for right-hander Bud Norris, who was calledup after Tuesday’s game.
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Phillies make offer for Indians LHP Lee
July 29, 2009
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Looking for a top starter to bolster their so-so rotation,the Philadelphia Phillies are pursuing reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CliffLee(notes).
The defending World Series champion have offered the Cleveland Indians apackage of players for Lee, a baseball official familiar with the trade proposaltold The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Philadelphia’s offer doesn’t include top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, theperson said on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing. Thenon-waiver trade deadline is Friday.
Philadelphia is reluctant to trade Drabek, a right-handed pitcher who wasthe 18th overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft. Drabek, the son of former NL CyYoung Award winner Doug Drabek, is 7-1 with a 3.06 ERA at Double-A Reading.
Phillies minor league pitcher Carlos Carrasco(notes) was scratched from hisscheduled start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley for Wednesday’s 11 a.m. game.Infielder Jason Donald(notes) and catcher Lou Marson(notes) also weren’t in the lineup.
The NL East-leading Phillies also have been pursuing Blue Jays ace RoyHalladay(notes), but shifted their attention to Lee because Toronto’s asking price forthe six-time All-Star is high.
Whether Cleveland is willing to trade Lee is unknown. Lee turns 31 nextmonth and the Indians hold a $8 million club option for next season. The Indianstraded a reigning CY Young winner last summer when they sent CC Sabathia(notes) to theMilwaukee Brewers. Sabathia, however, was in the final year of his contract. Hehelped pitched the Brewers into the postseason before signing a $161 million,seven-year contract with the New York Yankees.
Lee would give the Phillies another top starter to join Cole Hamels(notes). Theleft-hander is 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 22 starts this season after going 22-3with a 2.54 ERA last year. Hamels, who was MVP of the World Series and NLCS lastfall, has struggled this season. He’s 7-5 with a 4.42 ERA, though he pitchedwell in a Tuesday night victory over the Diamondbacks.
The Phillies have a comfortable lead in the division—seven games ahead ofsecond-place Florida going into Wednesday’s games. They’ve sought pitching helpsince No. 2 starter Brett Myers(notes) had hip surgery in June. Forty-six-year-oldJamie Moyer(notes) leads the staff with 10 wins, but he has a 5.32 ERA.
Philadelphia also remains interested in Halladay. He’s a legitimate acewho’s been one of the best pitchers in the majors for several years. Halladaywas 11-3 with a 2.62 ERA entering his start Wednesday night at Seattle.
Halladay’s price tag is much bigger than Lee’s. He’s due to earn $15.75million next season in the final year of his contract.
AP sports writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
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Matthews has 3 RBIs in 8th, Angels rally
July 29, 2009
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Mike Scioscia almost has more pitching problems than onemanager can handle. If it’s not Jered Weaver(notes) struggling through another startfor the Los Angeles Angels, it’s closer Brian Fuentes’(notes) sudden inability to getanybody out.
Yet the Angels’ lineup still has a remarkable knack for the comeback—andreliever Jason Bulger(notes) barely managed to do what Fuentes couldn’t.
Gary Matthews Jr.(notes) hit a tiebreaking three-run double in the eighth inning,and the Angels survived another meltdown by their All-Star closer for theirmajor league-leading 33rd come-from-behind victory, 7-6 over the ClevelandIndians on Tuesday night.
Juan Rivera’s(notes) RBI single tied it earlier in the eighth for the Angels, whoselatest remarkable rally made up for another poor performance by another starterand the usually formidable Fuentes. Scioscia finally found a stopper in Bulger,a 30-year-old right-hander in his first full big league season.
Entering the game with the bases loaded and nobody out after Fuentes’ secondstraight flop, Bulger induced a double-play grounder by Victor Martinez(notes), evencovering first for the relay throw. He then stranded Cleveland’s tying run onthird base with another grounder for his first career save.
Series at a Glance Cleveland 8 LA Angels 6 Mon, Jul 27 – Final Cleveland 6 LA Angels 7 Tue, Jul 28 – Final Cleveland at LA Angels Wed, Jul 29 – 3:35 pm ET
“The last thing (Scioscia) told me when he left the mound was to be sure tocover first base on a ground ball,” Bulger said. “The whole thing is a blur.I’m just ecstatic that we came back and won. We do it when it counts.”
Fuentes, the major league leader with 30 saves, fell apart for the secondstraight night, yielding two runs and failing to close out the scrappy Indians,whose five-game winning streak ended.
“We had the guy we wanted up there in that situation with the bases loaded,but they turned a hell of a double play,” Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.“Then Jhonny hit the ball right on the nose, but right at the shortstop. But wehad great at-bats prior to that and made them work for it. We just came upshort.”
After giving up two homers and four runs while blowing a save in Monday’sloss, Fuentes gave up two walks and two hits without getting an out. He washeartily booed by the home crowd.
“(Fuentes) is getting a little bit tired,” Scioscia said. “The ball’s notcoming out like it normally does. … He’ll right his ship and get it backtogether. It just didn’t look like he was comfortable out there.”
Los Angeles Angels relief pitc… AP – Jul 29, 1:21 am EDT
Matt Palmer(notes) (9-1) pitched two solid innings in relief of struggling starterJered Weaver for the Angels, who have won 13 of 16 despite losing their previoustwo—just Los Angeles’ second set of back-to-back losses in July. Texas has woneight of nine to close within 2 1/2 games of the Angels atop the AL West standings.
Jhonny Peralta(notes) homered and drove in two runs before making the final out,while Ben Francisco(notes) also homered as the Indians lost for just the second time ineight games on a remarkable road trip concluding Wednesday.
Wedge didn’t second-guess his decision to leave starter David Huff(notes) (5-5) inthe game to start the eighth. The Angels’ first two hitters reached base beforereliever Joe Smith(notes) gave up Rivera’s RBI single, and Matthews Jr. capped thecomeback with a two-out drive to left-center off Tony Sipp(notes).
“Some games you’ve got to bear down a little more, and tonight was one ofthose situations,” Sipp said. “I left a ball across the middle and walked twoguys and put myself in a situation for failure.”
Matthews is reveling in his first regular playing time of the season,starting 17 straight games in center field since Torii Hunter’s(notes) injury.
“We’re comfortable playing from behind,” Matthews said. “We’re able tomanufacture runs. We’re not dependent on homers. This stadium isn’t reallyconducive to home run hitters, and I think they’ve built the team accordingly.”
Weaver was the latest Angels starter to struggle, barely surviving fiveinnings while giving up eight hits. He is winless in his last three starts aftergoing 7-1 in his previous nine, and the right-hander has allowed at least threeruns in eight consecutive outings.
NOTES: 1B Andy Marte(notes) went 2 for 3 in his first game back with the Indians,who recalled him from the minors after trading Ryan Garko(notes) to San Francisco. …The home team wore the softball-style 1980 throwback California Angels uniformson ’80s Night. … Sean O’Sullivan(notes), who has bounced from the minors to theAngels’ roster this season, pitched a no-hitter for Triple-A Salt Lake.
Hamels sharp as Phillies defeat Arizona
July 29, 2009
PHOENIX (AP)—Cole Hamels(notes) gave up a home run to the second man he faced—RyanRoberts(notes), who has three career homers.
“It was just kind of something unexpected,” Hamels said.
Hamels shook it off and dominated, allowing one run in eight innings as thePhiladelphia Phillies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Shane Victorino(notes) hit a solo homer, his eighth, and added an RBI double and asingle as the NL East leaders improved to a majors-best 19-5 in July.
The Phillies had to survive a shaky ninth inning by Brad Lidge(notes), who pickedup his 20th save in 26 opportunities.
Lidge gave up a two-run homer to Mark Reynolds(notes), who hit a 2-1 delivery intoan upper-deck restaurant in left field to slice Philadelphia’s lead to 4-3.Lidge retired the next three men to nail down the victory.
Series at a Glance Philadelphia 6 Arizona 2 Mon, Jul 27 – Final Philadelphia 4 Arizona 3 Tue, Jul 28 – Final Philadelphia at Arizona Wed, Jul 29 – 9:40 pm ET
But on this night the story was Hamels. He looked as sharp as he did lastautumn, when he was named MVP of the World Series and the NL championshipseries.
Hamels gave up four hits, walked none and struck out nine. He wonback-to-back starts for the first time since June 4.
“Hamels is getting there,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said.“He’s real close.”
Asked what he’s looking for from Hamels, Manuel smiled and said, “I’mlooking for him to throw shutouts and no-hitters.”
Hamels outpitched Arizona ace Dan Haren(notes) (10-6), who entered with an NL-low2.14 ERA. Haren lost for only the second time since May 12.
“Going up against Haren, you know he’s not going to allow too many runs,”Hamels said.
After Roberts’ shot into the pool area in right-center field gave Arizona a1-0 lead, Hamels found his groove and began mowing down the Diamondbacks.
Hamels allowed back-to-back singles in the third, then retired 17 of 19batters—and one reached on an error.
“From the very first hitter, I knew I was able to locate,” Hamels said.“I knew I was definitely going to be able to feel it today and just go outthere and try to pitch my own game.”
Hamels (7-5) also doubled in the fifth and came around to scorePhiladelphia’s second run.
Facing one of baseball’s most potent lineups, Haren went five innings,allowing three runs, two earned, and four hits. He walked three and struck outfive.
“I don’t know what was harder—that (Phillies lineup) or the All-Star teamlineup,” Haren said.
Haren was perhaps the most dominant pitcher in the NL in the first half ofthe season. But he has typically slumped in the second half, and he’s off to aslow start since appearing in his third All-Star Game.
Haren has a career post-All Star break ERA of 4.10—more than a run higherthan his 3.08 ERA in the first half of the season.
Haren has lasted only five innings in each of his first two starts since thebreak—his two shortest outings.
Fouling off pitch after pitch, the Phillies made Haren work.
“They put together a pretty good game plan against Dan,” Arizona managerA.J. Hinch said. “They were going to wait him out.”
The Phils tied it at 1-1 in the third when Victorino hit a 1-2 pitch fromHaren deep into the right field seats.
Philadelphia made it 3-1 in the fifth, taking advantage of another Arizonameltdown in the field.
Shortstop Stephen Drew(notes) booted a grounder, and then first baseman Chad Tracy(notes)threw a ball over the catcher’s head to allow a run to score.
Arizona has 85 errors, second in the majors.
“I’ve said this time and again—if we don’t execute, we’re going to havethese peaks and valleys,” Hinch said.
Notes: Reynolds has hit in 12 straight games. … Philadelphia has won thefirst two games of the series despite going 3-for-22 with runners in scoringposition. … Phillies LHP J.A. Happ(notes), who has been the subject of trade rumors,will start the series finale on Wednesday night. He’s 7-1 with a 2.97 ERA. …Arizona activated C Chris Snyder(notes), who has been out since June 23 with a lowerback strain. Snyder was the Diamondbacks’ opening day catcher, but he’ll back upMiguel Montero(notes) for now. … Phils 2B Chase Utley(notes) was hit by a pitch for the 15thtime, most in the NL.
