Major League Baseball roundup
Maddux shuts down Cardinals in Cubs’ victory ST. LOUIS (AP) – Greg Maddux threw seven scoreless innings, giving him victories in his first four starts for the first time in his career and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 on Sunday.
Maddux (4-0) held the Cardinals to five hits and also singled, helping the Cubs avert a three-game sweep and win for the first time in three games since losing Derrek Lee for at least two months with a broken wrist. This is the first 4-0 start for Maddux since 2000 with the Braves when he needed six starts, and it’s his first four-game winning streak since July 17-Aug. 7, 2004.
Jacque Jones hit his second homer, and second against the Cardinals, leading off the fourth against Jason Marquis (3-1).
Aramis Ramirez, who entered the game in a 3-for-18 slump, hit a two-run shot into the visitor’s bullpen beyond the left-field wall in the fifth.
Todd Walker batted in Lee’s third slot for the third straight game and had two hits and three RBIs to raise his average to .408 for the Cubs, who completed a 5-4 road trip.
Albert Pujols, who had six RBIs the first two games of the series and entered with the major league lead in homers (11) and RBIs (26), was 0-for-4 for the Cardinals.
Phillies 4, Marlins 2
PHILADELPHIA – Ryan Howard homered twice and Brett Myers pitched six solid innings to lead the Phillies to a much-needed victory at home.
Philadelphia improved to 3-8 at Citizens Bank Park.
Myers (2-0) scattered six hits, struck out five and walked three. Ryan Franklin and Arthur Rhodes each pitched a scoreless inning and Tom Gordon struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save in five opportunities.
Miguel Olivo homered and drove in two runs for Florida, which lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Howard, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, homered in consecutive innings off Sergio Mitre (1-2). He hit a 496-foot solo homer in the second inning.
Reds 11, Brewers 0
MILWAUKEE – Aaron Harang pitched a five-hitter and Brandon Phillips drove in four runs for Cincinnati.
Harang (3-1), starting on three days’ rest for the first time in his career, shut down the Brewers – who hit five home runs off Reds pitching in a single inning on Saturday – to pick up his third victory. He walked two and struck out four to earn his first shutout since 2004.
Rockies 3, Giants 2
DENVER – Miguel Ojeda’s RBI single off Jeff Fassero with two outs in the 10th inning lifted the Rockies to the win.
Eli Marrero drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Choo Freeman grounded out to shortstop, Fassero (1-1) thought he got Ojeda looking at strike three and began trotting off the mound.
After composing himself, Fassero threw a 2-2 fastball that Ojeda hit up the middle, and Marrero scored from second, just beating Steve Finley’s throw home.
The game featured four hit batters and five ejections.
Padres 7, Mets 4
SAN DIEGO – Brian Giles hit a grand slam and the Padres salvaged a split of their four-game series with the Mets.
San Diego starter Clay Hensley (1-1) worked 5 1-3 innings, allowing four runs and five hits. He walked three and struck out three in his second start this season and third of his career.
The Padres scored four runs in the fourth after Mets starter Victor Zambrano (1-2) retired the first two hitters of the inning. Hensley singled, Dave Roberts walked and Josh Barfield had a base hit to load the bases for Giles, who hit his fifth career grand slam.
Giles’ second homer of the season came on a full-count pitch and made it 5-0 San Diego.
Barfield hit a solo home run in the first and scored three times.
Trevor Hoffman worked the ninth for his third save in as many opportunities.
Dodgers 6, D’backs 4
LOS ANGELES – J.D. Drew homered and Bill Mueller drove in two runs for the Dodgers.
Brett Tomko (2-1) gave up two runs – one earned – and four hits over six innings while striking out four for Los Angeles, which scored four runs in the first inning.
Hong-Chih Kuo pitched 1 2-3 innings in relief of Tomko and was charged with two runs in the eighth, after Danys Baez gave up an RBI single by Johnny Estrada and a run-scoring double by pinch-hitter Tony Clark. But Baez got the last four outs for his fifth save in six chances.
Arizona’s Russ Ortiz (0-3) threw 63 pitches and lasted just 1 2-3 innings, allowing four runs, four hits and five walks.
Yankees 7, Orioles 1
NEW YORK – Jason Giambi homered twice and drove in five runs, Randy Johnson had little trouble dominating Baltimore, and New York cruised to victory.
Derek Jeter added three hits for the Yankees, who took two of three in the series. New York has won 11 of 14 against Baltimore dating to last season.
Miguel Tejada homered and had all three hits off Johnson (3-2), who bounced back nicely from a poor outing in Toronto.
The Big Unit tossed eight efficient innings, striking out five and walking one. He has won his last six decisions against the Orioles, who stacked their lineup with eight right-handed hitters to no avail.
Johnson threw 94 pitches and earned his 266th win, tying Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 33rd place on baseball’s career list.
Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 3
TORONTO – David Ortiz homered and had a rare bunt single to help Boston end a three-game losing streak.
Ortiz hit a two-run shot off Josh Towers (0-4) in the first for his eighth home run. He has 10 homers in his last 13 games against Toronto.
When Toronto’s defense shaded toward right field in a defensive shift in the sixth, Ortiz executed a perfect bunt between the mound and third base.
Third baseman Troy Glaus, playing short, didn’t even get a throw off.
It was Ortiz’s second career bunt, his previous was August 21, 2005 versus Anaheim.
Boston starter Matt Clement (2-1) allowed three runs and seven hits, while striking out four and walking two in 5 1-3 innings.
White Sox 7, Twins 3
CHICAGO – Juan Uribe hit two home runs and the White Sox won their eighth straight.
Joe Crede and Uribe hit back-to-back solo homers with two out in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie. And Brian Anderson followed Uribe’s three-run shot in the sixth with a solo drive off Twins starter Carlos Silva as the White Sox completed a three-game sweep and won for the 12th time in 13 games.
Jose Contreras (3-0) won his 11th straight regular-season decision, allowing six hits in eight innings.
His last loss was Aug. 15, when he allowed four runs in 6 2-3 innings.
Rangers 8, Devil Rays 3
ARLINGTON, Texas – Mark Teixeira, Phil Nevin and Kevin Mench all homered in the third inning to lift Texas.
Rookie John Koronka (3-1) allowed three runs and five hits in a career-high eight innings. Koronka struck out eight to win his third straight start. He allowed only one hit after the third inning.
The Rangers, who have won eight of 10, scored six runs in the third inning to help complete a three-game sweep of the Devil Rays.
Jonny Gomes hit his ninth home run for Tampa Bay, which has lost five of six on its nine-game trip. Gomes, who homered in the sixth off Koronka, has four homers in his past four games.
Royals 5, Indians 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jeremy Affeldt pitched into the sixth inning to pick up the first victory by a Kansas City starter this season.
Affeldt, who held the Indians to four hits and one run in 5 1-3 innings, became the first Royals starter to earn a win since J.P. Howell on Sept. 26. Royals starters were 0-9 with a 6.25 ERA this season before Sunday.
Tigers 6, Mariners 4
SEATTLE – Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings and Craig Monroe hit a three-run home run in the eighth to help Detroit complete a three-game sweep of the slumping Mariners.
Verlander (2-2) allowed one run and four hits for the Tigers, who won their fifth straight game and completed their first series sweep in Seattle since Aug. 14-16, 2000.
Leading 3-1 in the eighth, reliever Clint Nageotte walked Carlos Guillen and then intentionally walked Chris Shelton before Monroe’s homer made it 6-1.
Angels 4, Athletics 3
OAKLAND, Calif. – Vladimir Guerrero homered and drove in three runs and Kelvim Escobar pitched seven strong innings for Los Angeles.
Guerrero, the 2004 AL MVP, entered the series finale mired in a 4-for-27 funk but made the most of his at-bats and hit safely for the 14th time in 19 games.
Nick Swisher hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season for Oakland with a solo shot to right in the sixth. Milton Bradley homered leading off the seventh for the A’s, who refuse to be concerned about yet another slow April start. They are 8-11 and have lost nine of 12.
Escobar (3-1) retired the first nine A’s hitters – four on fly balls to center – before allowing three straight singles to start the fourth by Mark Kotsay, Swisher and Eric Chavez.
A’s starter Esteban Loaiza (0-3) left after 3 2-3 innings because of a spasm in the left side of his upper back.