Baseball roundup: Saturday's action on the diamonds
A.J. Murray may have just bought himself a ticket into the major leagues.
In his first appearance of the season, Murray gave Texas its third straight solid starting pitching performance, allowing two earned runs in 5 1-3 innings a day after being called up from the minors to help the Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 6-3 on Saturday night for their fourth straight win.
"I'm glad I could go out there and help the team get another win and keep this winning streak going," Murray said.
David Murphy hit a three-run homer and Chris Shelton added a solo shot for the Rangers, who have won six of eight following a seven-game losing streak that raised questions about the job stability of manager Ron Washington.
Team president Nolan Ryan said last week he wanted to see how the players responded to the adversity of a bad start before making a decision about Washington's future. The early results are positive.
"I'm not counting," Washington said of the season-long winning streak. "I just want us to keep playing good baseball. If we keep playing good baseball we'll be in games. That's all I want. We're OK."
With three members of their starting rotation on the disabled list, the Rangers brought up Murray from triple-A Oklahoma on Friday to face the A's in what could be a one-shot deal if Kason Gabbard comes off the DL as expected to start Thursday in Seattle.
Elsewhere in the AL it was: New York 6, Seattle 1; Minnesota 4, Detroit 1; Boston 12, Tampa Bay 4; Los Angeles 3, Baltimore 1; Toronto 5, Chicago 2; and Kansas City 4, Cleveland 2.
At Oakland, staked to a 3-0 lead before stepping on the mound behind Murphy's first-inning homer against Chad Gaudin (3-2), Murray pitched confidently with his newly discovered two-seam fastball and challenged the A's hitters. He held Oakland scoreless until Mike Sweeney's two-run double in the fifth cut Texas' lead to 5-2.
The A's added an unearned run in the sixth when left-fielder Brandon Boggs dropped Emil Brown's liner for a two-base error and Bobby Crosby hit a one-out RBI single that ended Murray's night.
"He was locating perfectly on the outside part of the plate," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He wasn't overpowering as far as his velocity. It was obviously his command."
Murray allowed three runs - two earned - and six hits, while walking two batters to get the win. His only other major league win also came against the A's, in a relief outing last September.
The Rangers have allowed just four earned runs the past three games, lowering their team ERA from 5.60 to 5.18.
Murray started the season in the minors after struggling in spring training, but injuries and a 2-0 record at Oklahoma earned him the early season callup. He returned with confidence in the sinking, two-seam fastball that he used effectively against the A's.
"Tonight I was really pounding the zone and getting groundballs with it," he said. "It was working really well. This game tonight was the most I ever threw a two-seamer in a game. It was working for me tonight. I was able to keep it down."
Michael Young added an RBI double and Josh Hamilton hit a run-scoring single in the fifth inning for the Rangers.
Frank Francisco got five outs, Jamey Wright pitched a scoreless eighth and Joaqiun Benoit went the ninth for his first save. Regular closer C.J. Wilson got the day off after pitching three days in a row.
Gaudin, who had allowed just two earned runs in winning his past three starts, gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings. He got into a hole in the first inning after Milton Bradley fought back from an 0-2 count to work a two-out walk. Murphy followed with his third home run of the season.
"Milton had given me a tough at-bat before that and I wanted to make sure to come at Murphy," Gaudin said. "I made a bad pitch and he hit it. It was just a rough night."
The A's have lost four of five games.
Yankees 6, Mariners 1
At New York, Johnny Damon homered and doubled twice to help Mike Mussina win his third straight start in the Yankees' victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
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Twins 4, Tigers 1
At Minneapolis, Craig Monroe hit a two-run homer off Justin Verlander and Brian Bass got his first major league win in relief of injured starter Scott Baker, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.
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Red Sox 12, Rays 4
At Boston, Manny Ramirez singled in two runs in the first inning to end his longest RBI drought with the Red Sox and Josh Beckett pitched eight innings in a win over the Rays.
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Angels 3, Orioles 1
At Anaheim, Calif., Jon Garland pitched three-hit ball for eight innings, Gary Matthews Jr. drove in two runs and the Angels beat Baltimore with slumping slugger Vladimir Guerrero on the bench.
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Blue Jays 5, White Sox 2
At Toronto, Vernon Wells drove in three runs and Marco Scutaro homered for the Blue Jays.
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Royals 4, Indians 2
At Cleveland, Billy Butler's tiebreaking single keyed Kansas City's four-run seventh as the Royals beat the Indians.
National League
Major League Baseball's hottest offence was in top form Saturday as Mike Fontenot hit a three-run homer and had a career-best four RBIs to lead the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 9-3.
Geovany Soto added a two-run double in a four-run sixth for the Cubs, who finished with 12 hits and are averaging six runs per game. They've also scored three or fewer in 13 games, five times during a recent stretch of six losses in eight games.
"We've got a good offence," Fontenot said. "We've had a little lull for a little bit, but I think in the long scheme of things our offence will come through."
It was more than enough for Ted Lilly, who worked seven solid innings, recorded his 1,000th strikeout and added his second career extra-base hit. The only thing Piniella didn't like about Lilly's day was his needless belly-flop side into second on what should have been a stand-up double to start the seventh.
"Oh Lord," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, shaking his head. "Left his hands nice and low so the shortstop or second baseman could step on them or he could jam them."
Kyle Lohse (3-1) faced 10 batters in the fourth and allowed eight runs overall in six-plus innings, entering the game with a 2.36 earned-run average and exiting at 3.79. He had won seven consecutive decisions dating to last season.
Lohse matched a career worst for runs allowed and Fontenot's homer was the first he had given up in 42 2-3 innings dating to 2007.
"That one inning was a bad time," Lohse said. "One inning where it just got out of whack."
Elsewhere in the NL it was: Arizona 10, New York 4; Houston 6, Milwaukee 2; Atlanta 9, Cincinnati 1; San Francisco 3, Philadelphia 2; Washington 9, Pittsburgh 8; San Diego 7, Florida 2; and Los Angeles 12, Colorado 7.
At St. Louis, Albert Pujols hit his sixth homer for the Cardinals and has reached base in all 31 games, two shy of his career-best start in 2005. Yadier Molina also went deep in front of a Busch Stadium-record sellout crowd of 46,792.
Lilly (2-4) hit a season best for innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in his last three starts, recovering from an 0-3 record and 9.16 ERA his first four outings.
Lilly struck out four, giving him 1,002 for his career, and walked none while throwing a season-high 112 pitches. He believes he's been making do with lower velocity, although he's happy with his arm strength.
"I don't even know what it is on the gun, I just don't think it's to where it'll be at some point, and hopefully it's soon," Lilly said. "I still feel like even if that's not the case I should be able to go out there and win games and change speeds and locate."
Kosuke Fukudome had a pair of doubles among his three hits and drove in two runs. The Cubs had a season-high six doubles, rebounding from a pair of wrenching losses, and have yet to lose three in a row.
Seven straight Cubs reached safely with one out in the fourth, with Lohse unravelling after giving up hits to Lee and Fukudome after being ahead 0-2 in the count against both. Fukudome doubled off the base of the right-field wall for an RBI and Soto had a two-run double before Fontenot hit a three-run drive into the St. Louis bullpen for a 6-0 lead.
Lohse said he tried to throw a cutter down and inside to Fukudome, and instead the pitch caught the inside corner. He said the home run pitch to Fontenot was aimed at the inside corner but drifted over the plate.
"It's a game of inches," Lohse said. "If it gets in there two or three more inches, it's a popup."
Fukudome was elevated to the cleanup spot from fifth with Aramis Ramirez nursing a sore left wrist after getting hit by a pitch on Friday. Ramirez could be back in the lineup on Sunday.
Fukudome said through an interpreter that the switch was a surprise.
"I didn't change anything, my approach was just the same as any other day," he said. "I think we're a better team when Ramirez is in the lineup."
The Cubs batted around again in a three-run seventh with Lilly's leadoff double chasing Lohse and the rest of the damage off Russ Springer. Alfonso Soriano and Fukudome had RBI doubles and Fontenot walked with the bases loaded.
Diamondbacks 10, Mets 4
At Phoenix, Brandon Webb became the majors' first seven-game winner, Augie Ojeda drove in a career-high six runs and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Mets on Saturday.
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Astros 6, Brewers 2
At Houston, Pitcher Brandon Backe and Michael Bourn hit back-to-back home runs in a five-run fifth inning as the Astros beat Milwaukee.
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Braves 9, Reds 1
At Atlanta, Jo-Jo Reyes gave up one run in 5 1-3 innings, and the Braves broke open a close game with a six-run seventh inning.
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Giants 3, Phillies 2 (10 innings)
At Philadelphia, Bengie Molina singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to lift San Francisco over the Phillies.
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Nationals 9, Pirates 8
At Washington, Cristian Guzman tied a career high with six RBIs, including a tiebreaking three-run double in the sixth inning, and Washington held off Pittsburgh.
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Padres 7, Marlins 2
At Miami, Jake Peavy won for the first time in more than three weeks and Tadahito Iguchi hit the go-ahead two-run double to help San Diego beat Florida.
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Dodgers 12, Rockies 7
At Denver, James Loney homered and drove in six runs and Los Angeles extended its winning streak to eight.
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