By JAY LeBLANC
July 2, 2008
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SEE RELATED:
Nationals 9, Marlins 6
Ronnie Belliard hit a grand slam in the sixth and Felipe Lopez and Willie Harris each had RBI singles during a three-run eighth as the Nats topped the Marlins. Elijah Dukes had three hits - including a solo shot off Florida starter Mark Hendrickson in the fifth - and scored three runs in the win. Collin Balester allowed one run on just one hit in his five innings of work to earn his first big league victory. Marlins superstar Hanley Ramirez knocked in five runs, including three on a seventh-inning blast. Jon Rauch rebounded from the previous night’s debacle to notch the save.
Phillies 8, Braves 3
Shane Victorino smacked a two-run homer in the third and added a two-run single for insurance in the ninth as the Phillies beat the Braves. Pat Burrell chipped in with a solo shot and an RBI single, while Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each had two hits and scored a run. Kyle Kendrick allowed three runs over six innings of work to improve to 8-3. Greg Norton knocked in two of the three Braves runs on a seventh-inning double.
Mets 7, Cardinals 4
David Wright had three hits, including his 16th homer of the season, and Ramon Castro had a pair of hits and three RBI to lead the Mets past the Cards. St. Louis starter Todd Wellemeyer was lit up for six runs on 12 hits in his five innings of work to take the loss. Tony Armas, recently recalled from triple-A New Orleans, picked up with win by allowing four runs over six innings. Rick Ankiel smacked his 16th longball of the season for the Cards.
Pirates 6, Reds 5
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati were tied 3-3 after nine and combined to score a total of five runs in extras before the Bucs escaped with a 6-5 win in 11 innings. Jack Wilson gave Pittsburgh the lead with an RBI triple in the top of the 11th and came home on a Nate McLouth single. Romulo Sanchez allowed an RBI single to Jerry Hairston in the bottom of the frame but escaped with the save. Brandon Phillips hit a two-run shot and finished with four RBI for Cincinnati.
Rockies 4, Padres 0
Aaron Cook pitched a five-hit shutout and fanned four as the Rockies avenged the previous night’s blowout loss. Colorado scored all four of its runs in the fifth, with Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins contributing RBIs. Matt Holliday had two hits for Colorado. Josh Banks took the loss for San Diego, allowing all four Rockies runs in his five innings of work.
Dodgers 7, Astros 6
Jeff Kent slugged a solo shot off Astros reliever Wesley Wright in the top of the 11th to give the Dodgers a one-run lead, and Takashi Saito closed the door in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory. Russell Martin went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored, while James Loney chipped in with two hits and an RBI. Carlos Lee had four hits and a pair of ribbies for the Astros and Ty Wigginton hit a three-run jack in the loss.
Brewers 8, Diamondbacks 6
The Brew Crew jumped out to a 6-1 lead after two innings and held on to defeat the D-Backs. J.J Hardy hit a two-run blast in the first, and after Joe Dillon hit one of his own in the second, Hardy slugged a solo shot. Corey Hart had three hits and scored two runs for Milwaukee, while Mike Rivera had two hits and two RBI. Jeff Suppan was the beneficiary, picking up his fifth win despite allowing five runs in five innings of work. Conor Jackson had three hits, including a two-run jack, for Arizona.
Giants 2, Cubs 1
Matt Cain out-dueled Jason Marquis, holding the Cubs scoreless on two hits while fanning 10 in his eight innings of work to improve to 5-6 on the season. Marquis pitched well in the loss, allowing two runs on four hits in his seven innings of work. Fred Lewis scored both San Francisco runs, stealing home in the first and scoring on a Randy Winn single in the sixth. Brian Wilson surrendered a run in the ninth on a Geovany Soto RBI single but held on for his 23rd save.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Orioles 7, Royals 5
Baltimore closer George Sherrill was presented with a save opportunity for the third consecutive night, and after blowing the first two, he finished the job last night by fanning Alex Gordon - who had homered earlier in the game - to preserve the win. Brian Roberts went deep for the O’s, Ramon Hernandez had two his and two RBI and Aubrey Huff had a pair of hits and drove in a run. Radhames Liz allowed three runs in six innings to improve to 3-0. Kansas City’s Mark Teahen hit his ninth homer of the year in the loss.
Rays 3, Red Sox 1
Matt Garza allowed just an unearned run on five hits in his seven innings of work and the Tampa Bay bullpen held the lead, with Grant Balfour filling in for the injured Troy Percival to pick up the save. Dioner Navarro had a pair of hits and knocked in two of the three Rays runs. Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield was the tough-luck loser, allowing two runs (one earned) over seven innings. Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss had two hits apiece for Boston, and J.D. Drew knocked in the Sox’ only run with a sac fly.
Rangers 3, Yankees 2
Michael Young’s RBI single off future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera provided the margin of victory as the Rangers topped the Yankees. Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley had two hits apiece in the ballgame, while Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked in the other two Texas runs. Robinson Cano had two hits and an RBI for New York. Kevin Millwood pitched well for Texas, allowing just a run on five hits in his six innings of work, but didn’t factor into the decision. C.J. Wilson slammed the door for his 19th save.
Twins 6, Tigers 4
Craig Monroe launched a three-run shot in the fifth and Alexi Casilla and Mike Redmond had RBI hits during a three-run sixth as the Twins topped the Tigers. Scott Baker improved to 5-2 by allowing three earned runs over six innings while fanning five, and Joe Nathan nailed down the win for his 23rd save. Marcus Thames slugged his 16th home run of the year for Detroit, while teammate Carlos Guillen had three hits and scored three runs.
White Sox 3, Indians 2
The ChiSox and Tribe played nine mostly uneventful innings, and then made up for it in the 10th. Cleveland’s Casey Blake took Matt Thornton deep in the top of the frame to give the Indians a one-run lead, but Alexei Ramirez answered solo shot in the bottom of the inning off Joe Borowski, and Orlando Cabrera singled in DeWayne Wise with the winning run two batters later. Kelly Shoppach went yard in the loss for Cleveland.
Angels 5, Athletics 3
The Angels rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth, taking the lead for good when Garrett Anderson launched a two-run bomb off A’s reliever Alan Embree. Francisco Rodriguez then slammed the door shut in the top of the ninth to earn his Major League-leading 33rd save. Neither starter factored into the decision but both pitched well, as Ervin Santana allowed two runs in seven innings while fanning seven and Oakland’s Rich Harden allowed a pair of runs in five innings and K’d five. Mark Ellis went deep for the A’s in the loss.
Mariners 7, Blue Jays 6
The Jays jumped out to an early lead but the M’s fought back, scoring a run in the sixth, two in the seventh and single runs in the eighth and ninth to win it. Adrian Beltre provided the seventh inning runs with a two-run blast, and Richie Sexson’s solo shot accounted for the eighth-inning run. Willie Bloomquist won it for the M’s with an RBI single in the ninth. Adam Lind had three hits and knocked in three runs for Toronto.
Morning Report runs every Monday through Friday here on National Pastime.
