Cubs’ Zambrano takes care of Astros, 8-0
HOUSTON (AP) – Carlos Zambrano pitched no-hit ball for 7 1-3 innings before Preston Wilson grounded an opposite-field single, leading the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros 8-0 Monday night. Zambrano was trying to become the first Cubs pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Milt Pappas on Sept. 2, 1972, against San Diego.
Instead, he beat the Astros with his arm and bat. He homered and drove in four runs, and was in control on the mound.
Zambrano walked Mike Lamb to start the eighth. An out later, Wilson cleanly singled to right field.
The excitable Zambrano then struck out Brad Ausmus and Eric Bruntlett to end the inning. Will Ohman worked a perfect ninth inning.
Zambrano (4-3) threw 72 of his 126 pitches for strikes and struck out eight. He was trying to pitch the eighth no-hitter for the Cubs since 1900 – four of them came between 1969 and 1972.
Zambrano also had a great offensive outing. He hit a three-run drive in the second inning for his fifth career home run and third in Houston. Zambrano, who is batting below .100, hit his last homer in August off Roy Oswalt at Minute Maid Park.
He added a sacrifice fly that scored Ronny Cedeno in the fourth for his fourth RBI of the game and the season.
Nationals 5, Braves 4
ATLANTA – Livan Hernandez won his fourth straight start for his first victory against Atlanta in nearly six years.
The Braves, coming off a four-game sweep to Arizona, have lost five consecutive home games for the first time since a six-game home skid Aug. 8-21, 2001. Overall, the Braves have lost seven of eight to fall two games below .500 for the first time since May 15.
The Nationals had to hold on after Chad Cordero loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. But Cordero got Adam LaRoche to ground out on a hard one-hopper to short, notching his 10th save in 12 chances.
Hernandez (5-5) gave up six hits and four runs with four walks in six innings, but the Braves helped the veteran with two sixth-inning errors that contributed to the Nationals’ five-run inning.
Brewers 5, Padres 2
MILWAUKEE – Carlos Lee hit his 19th home run, Chris Capuano pitched his way in and out of trouble for six innings and the Brewers used nine walks to snap their eight-game losing streak.
Capuano (6-4) wasn’t particularly sharp, allowing six hits and four walks but he excelled compared to Padres starter Clay Hensley (4-4), who walked four of his first eight batters and finished with a career-high seven walks.
Gabe Gross, starting in right field for Geoff Jenkins, hit his sixth home run for the Brewers. Jenkins sat out with a concussion, a day after colliding with burly first baseman Prince Fielder.
Derrick Turnbow recorded his 16th save in 20 opportunities with a perfect ninth. He had blown four of his last seven chances.
Yankees 13, Red Sox 5
NEW YORK – Jason Giambi and Andy Phillips each hit a three-run homer in a seven-run second inning, and the New York Yankees battered old nemesis Josh Beckett in a rout of the Boston Red Sox.
Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano added two-run doubles in the third, making it an easy night for ace Mike Mussina (8-1) in the opener of a four-game series.
The Yankees batted around in the second and third – and hardly missed Derek Jeter. The captain sat out with a bruised right thumb after he was hit by a pitch Sunday in Baltimore.
New York finished with 11 hits, its 12th consecutive game with at least 10. That broke the franchise record of 11 straight games set in May 1937.
Orioles 4, Blue Jays 0
BALTIMORE – Daniel Cabrera allowed three hits in five innings, Kevin Millar homered, and the Baltimore Orioles blanked the Blue Jays.
Baltimore’s Corey Patterson scored two runs and extended his streak of games with a stolen base to nine, the longest run in the majors since Rickey Henderson had an identical stretch in 1986. Patterson, who leads the big leagues with 26 steals, has been caught only once.
Activated from the disabled list before the game after missing 21 days with a muscle strain in his right shoulder, Cabrera (3-2) struck out nine and walked five. The right-hander didn’t permit a runner past second base in earning his first win in four starts since April 28.
Devil Rays 4, Angels 0
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – James Shields scattered seven hits over six innings to get his first major league win for the Devil Rays.
Shields struck out six and walked two in his second career start. The Angels had at least one runner reach base in all six innings against the right-hander, and stranded 12 runners total.
Tampa Bay took advantage of two errors to take a 2-0 lead in the first. Julio Lugo led off with a walk and was running toward second when Carl Crawford drew a walk on a full-count pitch. Angels catcher Mike Napoli made an errant throw to second that wound up in center field, where Chone Figgins then had the ball get past him.
Lugo scored and Crawford reached third. Jonny Gomes drove in Crawford with a sacrifice fly.
Joey Gathright added a two-run double in the seventh and Tyler Walker got the final four outs for his 10th save. Los Angeles starter Jeff Weaver (3-8) gave up four runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.