Major League Baseball
Cubs rally past Nationals CHICAGO (AP) – Derrek Lee homered, Alfonso Soriano had a key RBI double before scoring the go-ahead run against his former team and the Chicago Cubs rallied from four runs down Friday to beat the Washington Nationals 6-4.
Playing for the first time against the team for which he hit 46 homers and stole 41 bases last season, Soriano tied the game with a two-out RBI double in the fourth inning. He scored Chicago’s fifth run on Cliff Floyd’s single.
In the third, Soriano started a three-run rally by beating out an infield single. One out later, Lee followed with a two-out, two-run homer. It was Lee’s second homer of the season.
Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano (3-2) gave up a three-run homer to Austin Kearns in a four-run first inning and lasted six innings, giving up six hits and four runs. Ryan Dempster pitched the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances.
Nationals starter Jason Bergmann (0-3) allowed eight hits and five runs – four earned – in six innings.
Marlins 5, Padres 4
MIAMI – Josh Willingham and Joe Borchard hit consecutive home runs to start the eighth inning to help Florida rally past San Diego.
The back-to-back homers – the first this season by Florida – came off Scott Linebrink (1-1), who entered the game with a 4-3 lead.
Florida’s Dontrelle Willis failed in his bid to become the National League’s first six-game winner. He took a one-hitter and a 3-0 lead into the sixth, but Mike Cameron’s bases-loaded triple capped a four-run inning.
Taylor Tankersley (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the Marlins. Henry Owens followed with a perfect ninth for his fourth save in as many chances.
Florida’s Hanley Ramirez went 4-for-5 to tie a career high for hits. His average rose to .350.
Braves 4, Dodgers 0
ATLANTA – John Smoltz beat Los Angeles for the first time in more than eight years, pitching seven shutout innings in a matchup of first-place teams.
Brian McCann returned to the lineup with a two-run double and Jeff Francoeur drove in Atlanta’s other runs with a fifth-inning single.
Smoltz (4-1) escaped a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the fourth on the way to his first win over Los Angeles since April 19, 1999.
Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano finished off the eight-hit shutout with one scoreless inning apiece.
Brett Tomko (0-3) surrendered a season-high six walks in 4 2-3 innings. The Braves forced him to throw strikes and took advantage when he did, scoring all their runs with two outs.
Tomko dropped to 0-4 with an 8.88 ERA in five career starts at Turner Field.
Cardinals 3, Astros 2
ST. LOUIS – Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead two-run double in the fifth inning, and St. Louis ended a five-game losing streak.
It was the Cardinals’ first home game since relief pitcher Josh Hancock’s fatal accident on Sunday. The team honored him with a video montage and put his initials and uniform number in a black circle against the bullpen wall not far from an identical remembrance of Darryl Kile, who died in 2002.
Before the game, a sellout crowd observed a moment of silence.
Adam Wainwright (2-2) allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings in his strongest outing since winning at Houston on April 6 in his first major league start.
Pujols’ two-run double off Woody Williams (0-5) put the Cardinals ahead 3-2 in the fifth. Pujols is 18-for-44 (.409) with two homers and eight RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak.
Rockies 6, Reds 5, 11 innings
CINCINNATI – Troy Tulowitzki’s two-out single snapped an 11th-inning tie and ended Colorado’s streak of Midwest misery.
Colorado overcame Ken Griffey Jr.’s 567th career homer and another bullpen meltdown to break its 12-game losing streak in Ohio. Since the start of the 2002 season, the Rockies are 4-19 in the state, including 3-11 at Great American Ball Park.
Willy Taveras doubled with two outs in the 11th off left-hander Mike Stanton (1-2), who has taken losses in his last two appearances. Colorado’s rookie shortstop then drove him home with a single to right off David Weathers.
Denny Bautista (2-0) overpowered the Reds with 98 mph fastballs during his one inning in relief. Left-hander Brian Fuentes pitched the 11th for his sixth save in seven chances.
Orioles 3, Indians 2
BALTIMORE – Nick Markakis singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Baltimore Orioles a comeback victory over the Cleveland Indians .
Jay Payton homered and scored the decisive run for the Orioles, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Markakis drove in the final two runs for Baltimore, which improved to 2-14 when trailing after seven innings.
Casey Blake homered for the Indians, whose four-game winning streak ended. Cleveland had won 10 of 11 and was 3-0 in extra innings.
Payton led off the 10th with a single off Tom Mastny (2-1) and Corey Patterson followed a perfectly placed bunt between the mound and first. Mastny retrieved the ball but threw wildly to first, allowing Payton to reach third.
After an intentional walk to Brian Roberts loaded the bases with no outs, Markakis hit a sharp grounder inside the first-base line.
Chris Ray (3-2) worked two innings to cap a fine performance by the Baltimore bullpen, which retired 12 of 15 batters.
Mariners 15, Yankees 11
NEW YORK – Yuniesky Betancourt hit a tiebreaking two-run double in an eight-run fifth inning, and the Mariners ended New York’s three-game winning streak.
Jose Guillen, Kenji Johjima, Betancourt and Jose Lopez – the bottom four batters in Seattle’s starting lineup – combined to go 9-for-18 with 10 RBIs as Seattle scored its most runs in three years. The first eight Mariners reached base in the fifth inning against Kei Igawa, Colter Bean (0-1) and Luis Vizcaino, a half-inning that took 30 minutes.
Every starter in Seattle’s batting order had a hit and a run scored, seven of nine had RBIs, and the Mariners had a season-high 20 hits. Lopez drove in four runs, and Raul Ibanez had four hits.
Athletics 5, Devil Rays 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Nick Swisher hit a tiebreaking three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning for Oakland.
Shannon Stewart walked and Mark Ellis singled off Gary Glover (0-2) with one out in the ninth. Brian Stokes replaced Glover and struck out Eric Chavez before Swisher hit a 2-2 pitch into the right-field stands.
Red Sox 2, Twins 0
MINNEAPOLIS – Tim Wakefield limited Minnesota to three hits in seven innings and David Ortiz homered to lead Boston to its third straight win.
Wakefield (3-3) didn’t allow a runner past second base against the AL’s top-hitting team. J.D. Drew tripled in the ninth and scored on Coco Crisp’s single, and Jonathan Papelbon got the last three outs for his ninth save in 10 chances.
Rangers 7, Blue Jays 1
ARLINGTON, Texas – Hank Blalock hit a two-run homer, Brandon McCarthy pitched six sharp innings and Texas snapped a five-game losing streak.
McCarthy (2-4) allowed one run and two hits with four walks. He began the night with a 9.90 ERA, having allowed 17 runs over six innings in his previous three starts.
Kenny Lofton also homered and Michael Young had three hits for the Rangers, who managed only 10 runs during the skid. Blalock went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.