Baseball roundup: Saturday's action on the diamonds
Published Sunday July 5th, 2009
Manny Ramirez needed only five plate appearances before hitting his first post-drug suspension home run.
It wasn't enough to help Los Angeles overcome 22-year-old rookie Everth Cabrera's three RBIs and brilliant defence as the San Diego Padres beat the Dodgers 7-4 on Saturday.
Ramirez homered in his second game back from his 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. It was his seventh homer of the season and 534th of his career, tying Jimmie Foxx for 16th on the all-time list. Up next is Mickey Mantle with 536.
Ramirez dodged reporters afterward, leaving the clubhouse through a side door.
"I think this is his comfort zone, in that batter's box, in the ballpark, in the clubhouse, something that he hasn't had for a couple of months," manager Joe Torre said. "I think it's going to take a little time, but I think it's just him getting the rust off and getting used to what he's doing."
With two outs in the first, Geer got ahead of Ramirez 0-2 before throwing an outside pitch for ball one. The right-hander then served up a 79-m.p.h. change-up that Ramirez drove an estimated 369 feet into the seats in left field for a 1-0 lead.
"I think this is the best medicine for him after having to go through what he went through," Torre said. "Again, it's not that you're feeling sorry for him because he obviously was suspended for a reason and we're past that."
Ramirez left after six innings for the second straight game. He's 1-for-6 with a walk in two games back.
"I just hung one there with Manny in the first inning," Geer said, "and of course most good hitters will take advantage of it."
Elsewhere in the NL it was: Milwaukee 11 Chicago 2; Washington 5 Atlanta 3; Cincinnati 5 St. Louis 2; San Francisco 9 Houston 0; Philadelphia 4 New York 1; Florida 5 Pittsburgh 3; and Arizona 11 Colorado 7.
At San Diego, the Padres scored three runs in the seventh inning and added three unearned runs in the eighth. Cabrera hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh. He added an RBI infield single in the eighth, with a second run scoring on the play on third baseman Casey Blake's throwing error.
Cabrera had nine assists at shortstop, including two on grounders by Ramirez that led to bang-bang plays.
"I feel very happy," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "I always wanted to play like that."
He seemed happiest that it was against the team with the best record in baseball.
"I get very motivated in those kinds of games and I like the pressure and feed off it."
Ramirez also hit two ground balls that led to close plays.
Cabrera fielded Ramirez's grounder deep in the hole in the fourth and threw him out with a one-hopper to first baseman Gonzalez. Ramirez whipped off his helmet and argued with umpire Sam Holbrook before being pushed away by first base coach Mariano Duncan.
With runners on first and third and two outs in the sixth, Ramirez hit a grounder to almost the same spot. Cabrera bobbled the ball before throwing to second baseman David Eckstein to force Russell Martin of Chelsea Que. Martin argued with Dan Iassogna, and manager Joe Torre also came out to argue, unsuccessfully.
Even Torre was impressed with Cabrera.
"He seemed to be everywhere we hit the ball," Torre said. "He's not shy about swinging the bat, either."
The Dodgers had runners on second and third with one out in the eighth when manager Bud Black turned to NL saves leader Heath Bell. Andre Ethier had an RBI groundout before Bell got Casey Blake to fly out to end the inning.
Bell allowed one run in the ninth, on a walk and a single, before striking out the side to get his first five-out save and his 23rd in 24 chances.
The Dodgers had gone ahead 2-1 when Blake scored on Greg Burke's wild pitch in the seventh. It was Burke's first pitch after relieving starter Josh Geer. Burke (1-0) got two outs in the seventh for the win.
Loser Ronald Belisario (1-3) allowed three runs and three hits while getting only one out in the seventh. He walked one batter and hit another.
The Padres tied it in the third when Geer led off with a double for his first career extra-base hit, advanced on Cabrera's sacrifice bunt and scored on David Eckstein's single to right-centre.
Dodgers starter Randy Wolf held San Diego to one run and four hits in six innings while striking out eight and walking none. Geer went 6 1-3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. He struck out one and also didn't issue any walks.
Brewers 11 Cubs 2
At Chicago, rookie Casey McGehee had a career high four hits and five RBIs as Milwaukee pounded Victoria's Rich Harden and the Cubs and snapped a three-game losing streak.
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Nationals 5 Braves 3
At Washington, Atlanta's Tommy Hanson extended his scoreless innings streak to 26 before Adam Dunn's 300th career homer and the Nationals rallied for four eighth-inning runs and a victory over Atlanta.
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Reds 5 Cardinals 2
At Cincinnati, Micah Owings homered and pitched into the seventh inning to help the Reds beat St. Louis.
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Giants 9 Astros 0
At San Francisco, Tim Lincecum ran his career-best scoreless innings streak to 23 in winning his third straight start and also scored the first run in the Giants' victory over Houston.
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Phillies 4 Mets 1
At Philadelphia, Jamie Moyer pitched neatly into the seventh inning, Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run double and the Phillies beat New York.
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Marlins 5 Pirates 3
At Miami, Hanley Ramirez homered and Andrew Miller pitched effectively into the seventh inning, leading the Marlins to a victory over Pittsburgh.
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Diamondbacks 11 Rockies 7
At Denver, pinch-hitter Chris Young hit a tiebreaking, three-run double to cap a six-run eighth inning, helping Arizona end its three-game skid.
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It could have been the mystique of playing in New York's lavish new ballpark or some lingering rust after a spell on the disabled list. Whatever the case, Roy Halladay did not look like his usual self against the Yankees.
Halladay equalled a career worst by allowing three homers over seven innings and Jorge Posada singled in the winning run in the 12th inning to lift New York to a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
Toronto had a three-run sixth inning that put Halladay in position to become the majors' first 11-game winner, but the right-hander never looked comfortable in his first start at New York's cozy new ballpark.
Derek Jeter hit a leadoff single in the seventh and Johnny Damon followed with a drive that landed a few rows back in right, tying it at five.
It was Halladay's second start since coming off the disabled list after being sidelined with a sore groin. He normally very effective against the Yankees, boasting a 16-5 record with a 2.90 earned-run average in 34 games, 31 starts.
"I feel like I did before," he said. "It's just a matter of making some poor pitches at times."
Elsewhere in the AL it was: Seattle 3 Boston 2; Kansas City 6 Chicago 4; Minnesota 4 Detroit 3; Cleveland 5 Oakland 2; Texas 12 Tampa Bay 4; and Los Angeles 11 Baltimore 4.
At New York, Posada came up with the clutch hit after a rough game behind the plate.
"Jorge had a great day and he got banged up a lot," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I kept asking him how many fingers I was holding up and for the most part his answers were close enough."
Posada also homered in his first game back after missing New York's 4-2 win over the Blue Jays on Friday with a sore left thumb. He admitted to being partly relieved when the long day was over.
"The win was the most important thing," he said. "The bullpen did an amazing job, keeping us in the game and giving us a chance to win."
With one out and runners on first and second, Posada lined a 1-1 pitch from Shawn Camp (0-4) into centre field. Alex Rodriguez scored without a play as the Yankees poured out of the dugout to congratulate Posada near first base.
New York has won nine of 10 to move a season-best 14 games above .500 and pull within a game of AL East-leading Boston. Brett Tomko (1-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.
"They have a good lineup so you've just got to hope that you can hold them for a few innings, score some runs yourself," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "Otherwise they will come back and beat you."
Adam Lind hit a two-run homer and Alex Rios had three RBIs for Toronto, which has lost six of seven. Scott Rolen doubled in the fourth and is batting .407 (35-for-86) during his career-best 21-game hitting streak.
"We're not playing bad. We're just not playing good enough," Lind said. "Just need to score more runs."
Hideki Matsui also homered for the Yankees, who lost starter Chien-Ming Wang to a strained right shoulder and bursitis in the sixth inning. Wang, who missed time earlier this season with weakness in his hips, went for an MRI that revealed the injury.
"It was unfortunate because I thought today was his best start," said Girardi, who wasn't sure yet what the Yankees would do about Wang's next turn in the rotation. "He'll need some rest."
New York improved to 25-15 at the new Yankee Stadium, where 135 homers have been hit already this season. The Yankees will reach the halfway point of their home slate on Sunday afternoon against the Blue Jays.
The Yankees led Toronto 3-2 before the Blue Jays rallied in the sixth. Marco Scutaro led off with a double and Lind hit a one-out drive over the wall in right for his 17th homer.
Wang then threw a ball to Rolen before Posada motioned to the dugout that something was wrong with the right-hander. Girardi and assistant trainer Steve Donohue came out to the mound, and Wang headed for the dugout after a short discussion.
Rios added an RBI single off David Robertson that gave the Blue Jays a 5-3 lead, but Halladay couldn't hold it.
The Yankees also placed a wreath of red, white and blue flowers by Gehrig's plaque in Monument Park and made a US$25,000 donation to Major League Baseball's "4 (diamond) ALS" initiative, an effort to raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - the disease that forced Gehrig out of baseball in 1939 and took his life two years later.
Mariners 3 Red Sox 2
At Boston, Chris Woodward's bases-loaded pop up in the ninth inning dropped behind a partially draw-in infield to score the go-ahead run and lift Seattle over the Red Sox.
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Royals 6 White Sox 4
At Kansas City, Mo., Alberto Callaspo drove in three runs and the Royals eclipsed their run total from their previous four games in a victory over the White Sox that snapped Chicago's seven-game winning streak.
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Twins 4 Tigers 3
At Minneapolis, Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., had four hits, including a homer and the tying single in the seventh inning, and the Twins came back to beat the Tigers.
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Indians 5 Athletics 2
At Cleveland, Carl Pavano earned his first win in five starts, helping the Indians to a victory over Oakland.
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Rangers 12 Rays 4
At Arlington, Texas, Andruw Jones homered and drove in four runs, Michael Young added a three-run double and the Rangers roughed up David Price to win their fourth in a row..
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Angels 11 Orioles 4
At Anaheim, Calif., Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs, and the Angels used a late rally to beat Baltimore.
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