PHILADELPHIA — Jon Lester needed an out as desperately as the Red Sox needed a win.
In both cases, they got it.
With two on, two out and the Phillies threatening the Red Sox’ three-run lead in the seventh inning today, Lester (AP photo) turned to his best weapon, his cutter, and struck out Raul Ibanez on his 119th and final pitch. Cleanup-hitter-for-a-day Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek tacked on back-to-back homers in the eighth, and the Red Sox averted a sweep with a 5-2 victory in Citizens Bank Park.
In a series billed as a World Series preview, we didn’t learn much that we didn’t already know. The Phillies, by virtue of their shutdown starting pitching, once again are the class of the National League. The Red Sox? At full strength, there is little reason to doubt they can win the American League pennant, but lately, they haven’t been close to full strength, the overriding reason they have lost six of their last eight games, all during interleague play. In a National League ballpark, David Ortiz is relegated primarily to pinch-hitting duties, while Carl Crawford has been absent for nearly two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Today, the Red Sox were without Kevin Youkilis, who was dealing with a bruised left ankle after fouling off a pitch last night. But they also had the luxury of having to face Phillies ace lefty Cole Hamels for only four innings. Hamels exited after being hit on the hand by a line drive from Adrian Gonzalez. X-rays were negative, and he is expected to make his next start.
Hamels left a scoreless game, but the Red Sox, who had scored only one run in the previous 22 innings against Phillies pitching, got to reliever David Herndon in the fifth. Josh Reddick stroked a one-out triple and scored on a single by Drew Sutton, who scored three batters later on Jacoby Ellsbury’s single. Varitek launched his first homer of the game in the sixth to open a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Lester was brilliant, shutting down the lefty-leaning Phillies lineup. Through six innings, he allowed only a leadoff walk to Ryan Howard in the second and a one-out single by Chase Utley in the fourth. But in the seventh, Howard singled and Shane Victorino walked, bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. Lester got Ben Francisco to fly weakly to center field before fanning Ibanez with a 90-mph cutter.
Pedroia and Varitek went deep against Phillies reliever Andrew Carpenter to open a 5-0 lead, and although Howard swatted a two-run homer against Bobby Jenks in the ninth inning, it wasn’t enough to keep Lester from joining Detroit’s Justin Verlander and the Yankees’ CC Sabathia as the American League’s only 10-game winners.
The Red Sox continue their 10-day interleague swing Friday night when they open a three-game series in Houston.
(Twitter: @ScottLauber)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Agonized’ Terry Francona needs perspective
‘Agonized’ Terry Francona needs perspective
By Ron Borges
Thursday, June 30, 2011 - Updated 5 hours ago
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Terry Francona said Tuesday he “agonized” over whether to put a $160 million baseball player in right field and a $12 million-a-year one at first base last night. If he agonizes over that, what happens to the poor guy when he has to order lunch?
Normal folks “agonize” over whether to pay the mortgage or health insurance bill. They agonize over whether to fill up the gas tank or the refrigerator. They agonize over how to fund their children’s college education or take care of ailing parents.
But agonizing over whether Adrian Gonzalez can catch a fly ball without running into a wall or a teammate or whether David Ortiz [stats] can put his foot down on first base without snapping an ankle seems to be, well, a bit melodramatic, to be kind.
In Little League, right field is where you put the shakiest glove. Seldom is that deployment followed by the kid’s decapitation. Gonzalez had played right field only once in the majors until last night, so no one was expecting him to be Dewey Evans.
The only expectation was that somehow he could find his way to a fly ball as long as it’s not too close to Jacoby Ellsbury [stats] or the fences at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Is that really such dangerous work?
Well, there were no problems last night in right field other than the Sox losing a 2-1 game to the Phillies.
As for Ortiz, one of the hottest batters in the Sox lineup had pinch hit only three times since the Red Sox [team stats] embarked on their nine-game trek through National League parks because American League teams are banned from using the designated hitter when they play in those parks. Why baseball has two sets of rules is a good debate, but not an issue here.
The only debate is do you really believe Gonzalez was in danger of risking life and limb in right field? Or that it was wise to remove from the lineup a batter, who upon leaving Fenway, was hitting .311 with 17 home runs, 20 doubles and 48 RBI?
The answer in both cases from this point of view was and is no. If Gonzalez is so fragile that a few nights in right field put him at risk, then they should swath the man in bubble wrap every time he walks to the plate because, gee, a guy can get hurt up there.
Just ask J.D. Drew [stats].
How anyone could advocate sitting down Ortiz when he’s hotter than the Mojave Desert is not even worth talking about because Francona didn’t advocate that, nor did he create this problem. Interleague play and two sets of rules for one game created the problem, but it reflects the overwrought seriousness with which baseball takes itself that this problem became an agonizing one for the Red Sox manager.
Agonizing? Hell, it wasn’t even worth wrestling over. Adrian Gonzalez can’t shag flies and hit on the same day without running the risk of hospitalization?
One understands why Francona would sit down with general manager Theo Epstein to discuss this first. If I were Tito, I’d go to upper management too, and ask, “What do you want to do?” Considering what John Henry is paying Gonzalez and Ortiz, that was a wise course, but did he really have to wait until Cliff Lee baffled the entire lineup and his team had lost five out of its last six games, including two to the improved, but not that improved, Pirates, to do it?
Unfortunately for the men in Francona’s position, this is what the manager’s job has become. It is no longer just a matter of putting the best players out on the field. It’s massaging the egos and fragile psyches of men who only a few years ago would have painted the outfield fence if it would have gotten them to the big leagues.
Before finally making the move, Francona mentioned that he kept wondering about the “what ifs,” as in “What if something ever went wrong . . . ”
If the folks who pay for all these players by buying tickets went through life agonizing over whether something might go wrong on the fire truck, police cruiser, steel girder, roof, coal mine, train, bus, plane, assembly line, oil rig and on and on, nothing would get done in America.
You think a cab driver says “Sorry, can’t drive a limo?” You think a plumber says “Can’t risk moving that board. That’s a carpenter’s job”?
It’s all well and good to take your job seriously, as Francona rightfully does. But if he was truly “agonizing” over something as simple as whether Gonzalez could survive a few nights in right field, how does Barack Obama even get out of bed in the morning?
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By Ron Borges
Thursday, June 30, 2011 - Updated 5 hours ago
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Terry Francona said Tuesday he “agonized” over whether to put a $160 million baseball player in right field and a $12 million-a-year one at first base last night. If he agonizes over that, what happens to the poor guy when he has to order lunch?
Normal folks “agonize” over whether to pay the mortgage or health insurance bill. They agonize over whether to fill up the gas tank or the refrigerator. They agonize over how to fund their children’s college education or take care of ailing parents.
But agonizing over whether Adrian Gonzalez can catch a fly ball without running into a wall or a teammate or whether David Ortiz [stats] can put his foot down on first base without snapping an ankle seems to be, well, a bit melodramatic, to be kind.
In Little League, right field is where you put the shakiest glove. Seldom is that deployment followed by the kid’s decapitation. Gonzalez had played right field only once in the majors until last night, so no one was expecting him to be Dewey Evans.
The only expectation was that somehow he could find his way to a fly ball as long as it’s not too close to Jacoby Ellsbury [stats] or the fences at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Is that really such dangerous work?
Well, there were no problems last night in right field other than the Sox losing a 2-1 game to the Phillies.
As for Ortiz, one of the hottest batters in the Sox lineup had pinch hit only three times since the Red Sox [team stats] embarked on their nine-game trek through National League parks because American League teams are banned from using the designated hitter when they play in those parks. Why baseball has two sets of rules is a good debate, but not an issue here.
The only debate is do you really believe Gonzalez was in danger of risking life and limb in right field? Or that it was wise to remove from the lineup a batter, who upon leaving Fenway, was hitting .311 with 17 home runs, 20 doubles and 48 RBI?
The answer in both cases from this point of view was and is no. If Gonzalez is so fragile that a few nights in right field put him at risk, then they should swath the man in bubble wrap every time he walks to the plate because, gee, a guy can get hurt up there.
Just ask J.D. Drew [stats].
How anyone could advocate sitting down Ortiz when he’s hotter than the Mojave Desert is not even worth talking about because Francona didn’t advocate that, nor did he create this problem. Interleague play and two sets of rules for one game created the problem, but it reflects the overwrought seriousness with which baseball takes itself that this problem became an agonizing one for the Red Sox manager.
Agonizing? Hell, it wasn’t even worth wrestling over. Adrian Gonzalez can’t shag flies and hit on the same day without running the risk of hospitalization?
One understands why Francona would sit down with general manager Theo Epstein to discuss this first. If I were Tito, I’d go to upper management too, and ask, “What do you want to do?” Considering what John Henry is paying Gonzalez and Ortiz, that was a wise course, but did he really have to wait until Cliff Lee baffled the entire lineup and his team had lost five out of its last six games, including two to the improved, but not that improved, Pirates, to do it?
Unfortunately for the men in Francona’s position, this is what the manager’s job has become. It is no longer just a matter of putting the best players out on the field. It’s massaging the egos and fragile psyches of men who only a few years ago would have painted the outfield fence if it would have gotten them to the big leagues.
Before finally making the move, Francona mentioned that he kept wondering about the “what ifs,” as in “What if something ever went wrong . . . ”
If the folks who pay for all these players by buying tickets went through life agonizing over whether something might go wrong on the fire truck, police cruiser, steel girder, roof, coal mine, train, bus, plane, assembly line, oil rig and on and on, nothing would get done in America.
You think a cab driver says “Sorry, can’t drive a limo?” You think a plumber says “Can’t risk moving that board. That’s a carpenter’s job”?
It’s all well and good to take your job seriously, as Francona rightfully does. But if he was truly “agonizing” over something as simple as whether Gonzalez could survive a few nights in right field, how does Barack Obama even get out of bed in the morning?
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Red Sox designate Mike Cameron for assignment
Red Sox designate Mike Cameron for assignment
By John Tomase
Thursday, June 30, 2011 - Updated 5 hours ago
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The Red Sox [team stats] have designated veteran outfielder Mike Cameron for assignment, ending his injury-plagued tenure with the team after just one and a half seasons.
The Red Sox were forced to act this morning after an injury to third baseman Kevin Youkilis [stats] left them a little short in the infield. Yamaico Navarro was summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Cameron on the roster.
In truth, Cameron’s days were already numbered. On the team because of his ability to hit left-handers, Cameron was batting just .149 overall and .143 vs. lefties when the Red Sox decided to pull the plug. They have 10 days to trade or release the 38-year-old veteran of 17 big league seasons, and GM Theo Epstein said there remained a very tiny chance that Cameron would accept an assignment to Pawtucket, though he characterized that as a long shot.
“It’s not a move we were looking to make necessarily,” Epstein said in the back of the Citizens Bank Park press box moments ago. “We were trying to buy as much time as we could, trying to strike the right balance to let guys get untracked a little bit. Mike’s obviously got a great track record. Even last year, I mean, he was hurt, and he still raked left-handed pitching.
“I think the expectation coming into the year is that he would help us against lefties, and it ended up just being a tough adjustment for him to a role he wasn’t that familiar with. So we were trying to strike the balance between giving him enough time to get untracked and then also realizing that it’s an area of the club that we might need to try something new to give us a little bit more of a threat against left-handed pitching.”
Epstein said the club will pursue trade talks for Cameron over the next week and a half, but noted that if they could have traded him already, they would have.
Epstein also accepted blame for the fact that signing Cameron to a two-year, $15.5 million deal two years ago didn’t work out. He said the team had trepidation about signing an outfielder as old as Cameron in free agency, but ultimately felt good about the decision because he took such good care of himself and was coming off a productive season in Milwaukee.
Then Cameron suffered a serious abdominal injury last spring and never recovered. He underwent what Epstein described as double-hernia, double-groin surgery in the offseason, but never found his rhythm this year.
“We recognized that (the signing) was a risk,” Epstein said. “Given some of the other things going on it made sense at the time. But when it doesn’t work out you have to stand up and say, ‘It didn’t work out.’ We’re not going to sugarcoat it. That one didn’t work out. I still think very highly of Mike as a player and a person. He got hurt and ended up not producing this year. It didn’t end up working out for the Red Sox, despite his best efforts.”
More Red Sox - June 30, 2011:
By John Tomase
Thursday, June 30, 2011 - Updated 5 hours ago
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The Red Sox [team stats] have designated veteran outfielder Mike Cameron for assignment, ending his injury-plagued tenure with the team after just one and a half seasons.
The Red Sox were forced to act this morning after an injury to third baseman Kevin Youkilis [stats] left them a little short in the infield. Yamaico Navarro was summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Cameron on the roster.
In truth, Cameron’s days were already numbered. On the team because of his ability to hit left-handers, Cameron was batting just .149 overall and .143 vs. lefties when the Red Sox decided to pull the plug. They have 10 days to trade or release the 38-year-old veteran of 17 big league seasons, and GM Theo Epstein said there remained a very tiny chance that Cameron would accept an assignment to Pawtucket, though he characterized that as a long shot.
“It’s not a move we were looking to make necessarily,” Epstein said in the back of the Citizens Bank Park press box moments ago. “We were trying to buy as much time as we could, trying to strike the right balance to let guys get untracked a little bit. Mike’s obviously got a great track record. Even last year, I mean, he was hurt, and he still raked left-handed pitching.
“I think the expectation coming into the year is that he would help us against lefties, and it ended up just being a tough adjustment for him to a role he wasn’t that familiar with. So we were trying to strike the balance between giving him enough time to get untracked and then also realizing that it’s an area of the club that we might need to try something new to give us a little bit more of a threat against left-handed pitching.”
Epstein said the club will pursue trade talks for Cameron over the next week and a half, but noted that if they could have traded him already, they would have.
Epstein also accepted blame for the fact that signing Cameron to a two-year, $15.5 million deal two years ago didn’t work out. He said the team had trepidation about signing an outfielder as old as Cameron in free agency, but ultimately felt good about the decision because he took such good care of himself and was coming off a productive season in Milwaukee.
Then Cameron suffered a serious abdominal injury last spring and never recovered. He underwent what Epstein described as double-hernia, double-groin surgery in the offseason, but never found his rhythm this year.
“We recognized that (the signing) was a risk,” Epstein said. “Given some of the other things going on it made sense at the time. But when it doesn’t work out you have to stand up and say, ‘It didn’t work out.’ We’re not going to sugarcoat it. That one didn’t work out. I still think very highly of Mike as a player and a person. He got hurt and ended up not producing this year. It didn’t end up working out for the Red Sox, despite his best efforts.”
More Red Sox - June 30, 2011:
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2011 MLB Standings as Of June 30 2011
2011 Standings
2011 Season 2011 Preseason 2010 Season 2009 Season 2008 Season 2007 Season 2006 Season 2005 Season 2004 Season 2003 Season 2002 Season
Regular Standings | Expanded Standings | Wild-Card Standings
American League
East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
New York Yankees 47 31 .603 -- 27-18 20-13 13-12 11-10 13-5Won 4 8-2
Boston Red Sox 45 34 .570 2.5 22-16 23-18 18-9 10-9 11-8 Lost 2 3-7
Tampa Bay Rays 45 36 .556 3.5 19-20 26-16 15-12 14-10 6-9 Lost 1 7-3
TorBlueJays 40 41 .494 8.5 18-19 22-22 13-18 13-10 7-6 Won 1 4-6
Balt Orioles 35 42 .455 11.5 22-21 13-21 10-18 11-9 8-7 Lost 2 4-6
Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Clev Indians 42 37 .532 -- 24-14 18-23 12-10 13-12 8-9 Won 1 4-6
Detroit Tigers 43 38 .531 -- 25-17 18-21 13-12 15-7 10-10 Lost 2 5-5
Chic WhiteSox 39 42 .481 4.0 19-20 20-22 11-12 6-11 14-13 Won 1 6-4
Minn Twins 34 45 .430 8.0 16-17 18-28 6-18 13-10 9-8 Won 2 4-6
KanCityRoyals 33 48 .407 10.0 23-24 10-24 6-7 9-16 14-14 Lost 3 2-8
West W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Tex Rangers 43 38 .531 -- 23-16 20-22 10-12 16-11 9-9 Won 2 6-4
LA Angels 42 40 .512 1.5 18-20 24-20 9-13 13-12 9-11 Won 3 8-2
Sea Mariners 39 42 .481 4.0 21-21 18-21 11-8 12-17 9-9 Lost 3 3-7
Oakland A's 36 45 .444 7.0 20-17 16-28 5-12 13-15 12-10 Lost 1 5-5
National League
East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Phil Phillies 51 30 .630 -- 32-13 19-17 23-13 13-9 8-4 Won 3 7-3
Atl Braves 47 35 .573 4.5 22-17 25-18 16-14 15-7 8-10 Won 3 8-2
NY Mets 41 39 .512 9.5 18-20 23-19 15-15 10-10 8-8 Won 4 7-3
Wash Nats 40 41 .494 11.0 22-13 18-28 13-19 9-7 10-8 Lost 3 5-5
Flor Marlins 35 45 .438 15.5 17-26 18-19 11-17 9-10 10-9 Won 1 3-7
Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Mil Brewers 44 37 .543 -- 29-11 15-26 13-11 17-16 9-4 Lost 2 5-5
StLou Cards 43 38 .531 1.0 21-18 22-20 9-9 16-13 12-11 Won 2 5-5
Cin Reds 42 40 .512 2.5 22-19 20-21 3-7 24-14 10-9 Won 1 5-5
Pitts Pir 40 39 .506 3.0 19-20 21-19 8-12 16-10 9-10 Lost 1 5-5
Chic Cubs 33 48 .407 11.0 18-24 15-24 5-4 11-22 13-14 Won 1 4-6
Hou Astros 28 53 .346 16.0 13-30 15-23 5-13 13-22 7-10 Lost 5 2-8
West W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L-10
SF Giants 46 35 .568 -- 24-13 22-22 5-11 13-9 20-11 Lost 1 7-3
Ar Dbacks 44 38 .537 2.5 23-19 21-19 11-8 12-10 12-14 Lost 1 5-5
Col Rck 39 41 .487 6.5 20-20 19-21 7-5 9-10 17-21 Lost 1 4-6
SD Padres 37 45 .451 9.5 19-27 18-18 8-12 13-15 11-11 Won 4 7-3
LADodgers 36 46 .439 10.5 19-24 17-22 8-8 11-16 12-15 Lost 2 5-5
x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ
Last updated Thursday, Jun 30, 2011 1:34 am EDT
2011 Season 2011 Preseason 2010 Season 2009 Season 2008 Season 2007 Season 2006 Season 2005 Season 2004 Season 2003 Season 2002 Season
Regular Standings | Expanded Standings | Wild-Card Standings
American League
East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
New York Yankees 47 31 .603 -- 27-18 20-13 13-12 11-10 13-5Won 4 8-2
Boston Red Sox 45 34 .570 2.5 22-16 23-18 18-9 10-9 11-8 Lost 2 3-7
Tampa Bay Rays 45 36 .556 3.5 19-20 26-16 15-12 14-10 6-9 Lost 1 7-3
TorBlueJays 40 41 .494 8.5 18-19 22-22 13-18 13-10 7-6 Won 1 4-6
Balt Orioles 35 42 .455 11.5 22-21 13-21 10-18 11-9 8-7 Lost 2 4-6
Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Clev Indians 42 37 .532 -- 24-14 18-23 12-10 13-12 8-9 Won 1 4-6
Detroit Tigers 43 38 .531 -- 25-17 18-21 13-12 15-7 10-10 Lost 2 5-5
Chic WhiteSox 39 42 .481 4.0 19-20 20-22 11-12 6-11 14-13 Won 1 6-4
Minn Twins 34 45 .430 8.0 16-17 18-28 6-18 13-10 9-8 Won 2 4-6
KanCityRoyals 33 48 .407 10.0 23-24 10-24 6-7 9-16 14-14 Lost 3 2-8
West W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Tex Rangers 43 38 .531 -- 23-16 20-22 10-12 16-11 9-9 Won 2 6-4
LA Angels 42 40 .512 1.5 18-20 24-20 9-13 13-12 9-11 Won 3 8-2
Sea Mariners 39 42 .481 4.0 21-21 18-21 11-8 12-17 9-9 Lost 3 3-7
Oakland A's 36 45 .444 7.0 20-17 16-28 5-12 13-15 12-10 Lost 1 5-5
National League
East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Phil Phillies 51 30 .630 -- 32-13 19-17 23-13 13-9 8-4 Won 3 7-3
Atl Braves 47 35 .573 4.5 22-17 25-18 16-14 15-7 8-10 Won 3 8-2
NY Mets 41 39 .512 9.5 18-20 23-19 15-15 10-10 8-8 Won 4 7-3
Wash Nats 40 41 .494 11.0 22-13 18-28 13-19 9-7 10-8 Lost 3 5-5
Flor Marlins 35 45 .438 15.5 17-26 18-19 11-17 9-10 10-9 Won 1 3-7
Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10
Mil Brewers 44 37 .543 -- 29-11 15-26 13-11 17-16 9-4 Lost 2 5-5
StLou Cards 43 38 .531 1.0 21-18 22-20 9-9 16-13 12-11 Won 2 5-5
Cin Reds 42 40 .512 2.5 22-19 20-21 3-7 24-14 10-9 Won 1 5-5
Pitts Pir 40 39 .506 3.0 19-20 21-19 8-12 16-10 9-10 Lost 1 5-5
Chic Cubs 33 48 .407 11.0 18-24 15-24 5-4 11-22 13-14 Won 1 4-6
Hou Astros 28 53 .346 16.0 13-30 15-23 5-13 13-22 7-10 Lost 5 2-8
West W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L-10
SF Giants 46 35 .568 -- 24-13 22-22 5-11 13-9 20-11 Lost 1 7-3
Ar Dbacks 44 38 .537 2.5 23-19 21-19 11-8 12-10 12-14 Lost 1 5-5
Col Rck 39 41 .487 6.5 20-20 19-21 7-5 9-10 17-21 Lost 1 4-6
SD Padres 37 45 .451 9.5 19-27 18-18 8-12 13-15 11-11 Won 4 7-3
LADodgers 36 46 .439 10.5 19-24 17-22 8-8 11-16 12-15 Lost 2 5-5
x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ
Last updated Thursday, Jun 30, 2011 1:34 am EDT
Baseball Capsules
Baseball Capsules
By The Associated Press 9 hours, 6 minutes ago
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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Raul Ibanez(notes) hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh, Vance Worley(notes) pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Wednesday night.
In a series billed as a World Series preview, the major league-leading Phillies (51-30) have taken two straight and go for a sweep Thursday.
Worley (3-1) allowed one run and five hits. The rookie right-hander has filled in nicely for injured starters Roy Oswalt(notes) and Joe Blanton(notes). Michael Stutes(notes) pitched a perfect eighth and Antonio Bastardo(notes) finished for his third save and first filling in for Ryan Madson(notes).
Boston’s John Lackey(notes) (5-7) gave up two runs and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings in one of his best starts this season. He lowered his ERA from 7.36 to 6.81.
The Red Sox have lost six of seven since going 14-2.
Yankees 5, Brewers 2
NEW YORK (AP)—A.J. Burnett(notes) pitched neatly into the eighth inning, Russell Martin(notes) hit a three-run homer and the Yankees kept rolling right along.
Robinson Cano(notes) tripled to start a four-run fourth inning and Jorge Posada(notes) rounded the bases twice on his solo shot in the sixth, which was changed to a home run after umpires watched the video replay.
Nick Swisher(notes) had an RBI single for the Yankees, who have won four straight and 14 of 18 overall. Burnett (8-6) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings, and Mariano Rivera(notes) got three outs for his 21st save.
Ryan Braun(notes) had three singles and an RBI for the Brewers, extending his career-best hitting streak to 19 games. Shaun Marcum(notes) (7-3) allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.
Angels 1, Nationals 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Dan Haren(notes) pitched two-hit ball through 7 1-3 innings and the Angels swept past Davey Johnson’s new team.
The 68-year-old Johnson took over the Nationals this week, returning as a major league manager for the first time since 2000. Washington had won 13 of 15 going into the series at Anaheim, with most of the wins coming before manager Jim Riggleman resigned.
The only run came in the fourth inning and was unearned after a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman(notes). Howie Kendrick’s(notes) double-play grounder drove it in.
Haren (8-5) lowered his ERA to 2.85.
Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann(notes) (5-7) allowed four hits over eight innings in his first career complete game in 38 starts.
Mets 16, Tigers 9
DETROIT (AP)—Scott Hairston(notes) launched a bases-loaded triple and Ronny Paulino(notes) contributed four hits as part of another offensive barrage by New York, which beat Detroit.
The Mets set a team record by scoring 52 runs in a four-game span, STATS LLC said. They have 69 hits during their spree.
Tigers utilityman Don Kelly(notes) got the final out, becoming the first Detroit position player to pitch since 2000. Smiling and laughing, Justin Verlander(notes) high-fived Kelly in the dugout—now the Detroit ace will try to stop the Mets on Thursday afternoon.
Miguel Cabrera(notes) hit two of Detroit’s five homers. The Mets romped despite not hitting any home runs.
Winner Chris Capuano(notes) (7-7) went five-plus innings, giving up five runs and six hits.
Phil Coke(notes) (1-8) allowed seven earned and 10 hits in four-plus innings.
White Sox 3, Rockies 2
DENVER (AP)—A.J. Pierzynski(notes) drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and Chicago hung on to beat Colorado.
Carlos Quentin(notes) and Paul Konerko(notes) hit singles off Huston Street(notes) (0-2) to start the ninth with Quentin getting to third on Konerko’s hit. Street struck out Alexei Ramirez(notes) before Pierzynski, who had an RBI double earlier, drove a fly ball to right field.
Seth Smith(notes) ran in to make the catch but his throw home bounced near the third base line and catcher Chris Iannetta’s(notes) attempt to snag the ball came up empty, allowing Quentin to cross the plate with the winning run.
Brian Bruney(notes) (1-0) got the win. Sergio Santos(notes) got three outs—two on strikeouts—for his 16th save in 18 chances.
Reds 4, Rays 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Ryan Hanigan(notes) hit a three-run homer off James Shields(notes), leading Cincinnati to the victory.
Hanigan connected with two out in the fourth for his first homer since going deep twice April 3 against Milwaukee.
Shields (8-5) had given up just two runs in his previous three starts, all of which were complete-game wins.
Edinson Volquez(notes) (5-3) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. After Logan Ondrusek(notes) and Bill Bray(notes) combined for 1 2-3 innings, Francisco Cordero(notes) pitched the ninth for his 16th save.
Evan Longoria(notes) hit a two-run double and B.J. Upton(notes) went deep for Tampa Bay. Upton has four homers in his last six games.
Braves 5, Mariners 3
SEATTLE (AP)—Freddie Freeman(notes) knocked around Felix Hernandez(notes) for three hits and two RBIs, and Atlanta completed an impressive three-game sweep that included victories over the Mariners’ best starting pitchers.
The Braves won for the eighth time in 10 games and picked up their 25th road victory of the season. They handed losses to Hernandez, rookie star Michael Pineda(notes) and Erik Bedard(notes) during their rare trip to Seattle.
Derek Lowe(notes) (4-6) pitched six crisp innings for Atlanta, yielding one run and four hits to earn his first win since May 6 at Philadelphia. The right-hander was 0-3 with a 5.29 ERA in his previous nine starts.
Craig Kimbrel(notes) worked the ninth for his 23rd save in 28 chances, including all three games in the sweep.
Dustin Ackley(notes) hit a two-run homer for Seattle. Hernandez (8-7) gave up five runs and 10 hits in 7 2-3 innings, finishing with 127 pitches.
Cardinals 5, Orioles 1
BALTIMORE (AP)—Chris Carpenter scattered seven hits for his second complete game of the season and Colby Rasmus(notes) homered for St. Louis.
Carpenter (3-7) threw a season-high 132 pitches to win his second straight start following a five-game losing streak. The right-hander struck out five, walked one and surrendered just one extra-base hit—an RBI double to Nick Markakis(notes) in the third inning.
Carpenter’s other complete game came on May 25, an eight-inning effort in a 3-1 loss at San Diego. The last time he went the distance and earned a victory was Sept. 30, 2010, against Colorado.
Rasmus hit a two-run shot off Chris Jakubauskas(notes) (2-1) in the second inning, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
Markakis went 2 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games.
Indians 6, Diamondbacks 2
PHOENIX (AP)—Carlos Carrasco(notes) pitched seven solid innings to lead Cleveland to the victory in the rubber game of the interleague series.
Orlando Cabrera(notes), who delivered the deciding home run in the series opener, had a season-high four hits. He doubled, scored twice and drove in a run as the Indians won for just the third time in nine games.
Carrasco (8-4) gave up two runs and four hits, struck out seven and walked none. The right-hander is 4-1 with a sparkling 0.98 ERA in his last five starts.
Justin Upton(notes) and Stephen Drew(notes) homered for Arizona, which has dropped four of five. Zach Duke(notes) (1-3) allowed four runs and nine hits in five innings.
Rangers 3, Astros 2
HOUSTON (AP)—Ian Kinsler(notes) homered twice for the first time in almost two years and Colby Lewis(notes) had another solid start for the Rangers.
Kinsler hit a leadoff homer and also went deep in his next at-bat in the third inning to help Texas to an early 3-0 lead. It was the eighth multihomer game of his career and first since August 2009 against the Yankees.
Lewis (7-7) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. Neftali Feliz(notes) worked the ninth for his 16th save.
Carlos Lee(notes) had a solo homer for the Astros, who have dropped five straight and have the worst record in the majors at 28-53. Brett Myers(notes) (3-7) gave up three runs in seven innings.
Twins 1, Dodgers 0
MINNEAPOLIS—Scott Baker(notes) struck out nine while pitching neatly into the eighth inning and Ben Revere(notes) had two hits to help Minnesota get the win.
Baker (6-5) allowed six hits and walked one in 7 1-3 innings, dropping his ERA to 3.15 as the Twins bounced back from a 15-0 drubbing on Monday night to take two of three in the series.
Rubby De La Rosa(notes) (3-3) also was impressive, giving up just one run and six hits in seven innings for Los Angeles.
With the tying run on base in the eighth, Glen Perkins(notes) fanned Andre Ethier(notes) and Matt Kemp(notes) to end the inning and Matt Capps(notes) finished the seven-hitter to earn his 13th save.
Revere hit a leadoff triple in the first and scored on Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s(notes) groundout.
Blue Jays 2, Pirates 1
TORONTO (AP)—Yunel Escobar(notes) doubled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning and Brandon Morrow(notes) struck out 10 to lead Toronto to the victory.
Rookie outfielder Eric Thames(notes) hit his first career home run for Toronto, a solo shot in the sixth.
Morrow (4-4) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. It’s the fourth time in his career he’s fanned at least 10, and the second time this season.
Jason Frasor(notes) worked the eighth and Frank Francisco(notes) finished in the ninth for his ninth save in 12 chances.
Paul Maholm(notes) (4-9) fell to 0-7 in 11 career starts in AL stadiums.
Padres 4, Royals 1
SAN DIEGO (AP)—Rookie Anthony Rizzo(notes) hit a two-run single, Tim Stauffer(notes) won consecutive starts for the first time this year and San Diego completed its first sweep this season.
The Padres scored four unearned runs with two outs in the third inning thanks to third baseman Mike Moustakas’(notes) error on a sun ball.
San Diego has won four straight and seven of eight. It went 5-1 against Atlanta and Kansas City for its first winning homestand of 2011.
Stauffer (4-5) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings to lower his ERA to 2.97. Heath Bell(notes) pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
Kansas City’s Bruce Chen(notes) (4-2) gave up four runs, none earned, and eight hits in six innings.
National League
Cubs 2, Giants 1
CHICAGO (AP)—Pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez(notes) singled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Cubs snapped the Giants’ seven-game winning streak.
Sergio Romo(notes) (3-1) gave up an infield single to leadoff batter Tony Campana(notes), who moved to second on Reed Johnson’s(notes) sacrifice. After a groundout moved him to third, Ramirez hit an 0-2 pitch into left to win it.
San Francisco’s Emmanuel Burris hit a tying RBI single off closer Carlos Marmol(notes) (2-2) in the top of the ninth after Cubs starter Ryan Dempster(notes) shut out the Giants on two hits for eight innings.
San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum(notes) struck out nine in seven innings, yielding one run and five hits.
Marlins 3, Athletics 0
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Ricky Nolasco(notes) pitched a five-hitter, Hanley Ramirez(notes) and Logan Morrison(notes) homered and slumping Florida showed signs of life in a win against Oakland.
Nolasco (5-4) overcame a shaky start for his first win in more than a month, which came the last time the Marlins were in the Bay Area against San Francisco. He struck out three and walked two for his fifth career complete game.
The homers by Ramirez and Morrison off starter Guillermo Moscoso(notes) (2-4) were the first by Florida in eight days. The Marlins improved to 4-23 in June, by far the worst month in franchise history.
Oakland was held scoreless for the ninth time this season.
By The Associated Press 9 hours, 6 minutes ago
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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Raul Ibanez(notes) hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh, Vance Worley(notes) pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Wednesday night.
In a series billed as a World Series preview, the major league-leading Phillies (51-30) have taken two straight and go for a sweep Thursday.
Worley (3-1) allowed one run and five hits. The rookie right-hander has filled in nicely for injured starters Roy Oswalt(notes) and Joe Blanton(notes). Michael Stutes(notes) pitched a perfect eighth and Antonio Bastardo(notes) finished for his third save and first filling in for Ryan Madson(notes).
Boston’s John Lackey(notes) (5-7) gave up two runs and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings in one of his best starts this season. He lowered his ERA from 7.36 to 6.81.
The Red Sox have lost six of seven since going 14-2.
Yankees 5, Brewers 2
NEW YORK (AP)—A.J. Burnett(notes) pitched neatly into the eighth inning, Russell Martin(notes) hit a three-run homer and the Yankees kept rolling right along.
Robinson Cano(notes) tripled to start a four-run fourth inning and Jorge Posada(notes) rounded the bases twice on his solo shot in the sixth, which was changed to a home run after umpires watched the video replay.
Nick Swisher(notes) had an RBI single for the Yankees, who have won four straight and 14 of 18 overall. Burnett (8-6) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings, and Mariano Rivera(notes) got three outs for his 21st save.
Ryan Braun(notes) had three singles and an RBI for the Brewers, extending his career-best hitting streak to 19 games. Shaun Marcum(notes) (7-3) allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.
Angels 1, Nationals 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Dan Haren(notes) pitched two-hit ball through 7 1-3 innings and the Angels swept past Davey Johnson’s new team.
The 68-year-old Johnson took over the Nationals this week, returning as a major league manager for the first time since 2000. Washington had won 13 of 15 going into the series at Anaheim, with most of the wins coming before manager Jim Riggleman resigned.
The only run came in the fourth inning and was unearned after a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman(notes). Howie Kendrick’s(notes) double-play grounder drove it in.
Haren (8-5) lowered his ERA to 2.85.
Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann(notes) (5-7) allowed four hits over eight innings in his first career complete game in 38 starts.
Mets 16, Tigers 9
DETROIT (AP)—Scott Hairston(notes) launched a bases-loaded triple and Ronny Paulino(notes) contributed four hits as part of another offensive barrage by New York, which beat Detroit.
The Mets set a team record by scoring 52 runs in a four-game span, STATS LLC said. They have 69 hits during their spree.
Tigers utilityman Don Kelly(notes) got the final out, becoming the first Detroit position player to pitch since 2000. Smiling and laughing, Justin Verlander(notes) high-fived Kelly in the dugout—now the Detroit ace will try to stop the Mets on Thursday afternoon.
Miguel Cabrera(notes) hit two of Detroit’s five homers. The Mets romped despite not hitting any home runs.
Winner Chris Capuano(notes) (7-7) went five-plus innings, giving up five runs and six hits.
Phil Coke(notes) (1-8) allowed seven earned and 10 hits in four-plus innings.
White Sox 3, Rockies 2
DENVER (AP)—A.J. Pierzynski(notes) drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and Chicago hung on to beat Colorado.
Carlos Quentin(notes) and Paul Konerko(notes) hit singles off Huston Street(notes) (0-2) to start the ninth with Quentin getting to third on Konerko’s hit. Street struck out Alexei Ramirez(notes) before Pierzynski, who had an RBI double earlier, drove a fly ball to right field.
Seth Smith(notes) ran in to make the catch but his throw home bounced near the third base line and catcher Chris Iannetta’s(notes) attempt to snag the ball came up empty, allowing Quentin to cross the plate with the winning run.
Brian Bruney(notes) (1-0) got the win. Sergio Santos(notes) got three outs—two on strikeouts—for his 16th save in 18 chances.
Reds 4, Rays 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Ryan Hanigan(notes) hit a three-run homer off James Shields(notes), leading Cincinnati to the victory.
Hanigan connected with two out in the fourth for his first homer since going deep twice April 3 against Milwaukee.
Shields (8-5) had given up just two runs in his previous three starts, all of which were complete-game wins.
Edinson Volquez(notes) (5-3) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. After Logan Ondrusek(notes) and Bill Bray(notes) combined for 1 2-3 innings, Francisco Cordero(notes) pitched the ninth for his 16th save.
Evan Longoria(notes) hit a two-run double and B.J. Upton(notes) went deep for Tampa Bay. Upton has four homers in his last six games.
Braves 5, Mariners 3
SEATTLE (AP)—Freddie Freeman(notes) knocked around Felix Hernandez(notes) for three hits and two RBIs, and Atlanta completed an impressive three-game sweep that included victories over the Mariners’ best starting pitchers.
The Braves won for the eighth time in 10 games and picked up their 25th road victory of the season. They handed losses to Hernandez, rookie star Michael Pineda(notes) and Erik Bedard(notes) during their rare trip to Seattle.
Derek Lowe(notes) (4-6) pitched six crisp innings for Atlanta, yielding one run and four hits to earn his first win since May 6 at Philadelphia. The right-hander was 0-3 with a 5.29 ERA in his previous nine starts.
Craig Kimbrel(notes) worked the ninth for his 23rd save in 28 chances, including all three games in the sweep.
Dustin Ackley(notes) hit a two-run homer for Seattle. Hernandez (8-7) gave up five runs and 10 hits in 7 2-3 innings, finishing with 127 pitches.
Cardinals 5, Orioles 1
BALTIMORE (AP)—Chris Carpenter scattered seven hits for his second complete game of the season and Colby Rasmus(notes) homered for St. Louis.
Carpenter (3-7) threw a season-high 132 pitches to win his second straight start following a five-game losing streak. The right-hander struck out five, walked one and surrendered just one extra-base hit—an RBI double to Nick Markakis(notes) in the third inning.
Carpenter’s other complete game came on May 25, an eight-inning effort in a 3-1 loss at San Diego. The last time he went the distance and earned a victory was Sept. 30, 2010, against Colorado.
Rasmus hit a two-run shot off Chris Jakubauskas(notes) (2-1) in the second inning, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
Markakis went 2 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games.
Indians 6, Diamondbacks 2
PHOENIX (AP)—Carlos Carrasco(notes) pitched seven solid innings to lead Cleveland to the victory in the rubber game of the interleague series.
Orlando Cabrera(notes), who delivered the deciding home run in the series opener, had a season-high four hits. He doubled, scored twice and drove in a run as the Indians won for just the third time in nine games.
Carrasco (8-4) gave up two runs and four hits, struck out seven and walked none. The right-hander is 4-1 with a sparkling 0.98 ERA in his last five starts.
Justin Upton(notes) and Stephen Drew(notes) homered for Arizona, which has dropped four of five. Zach Duke(notes) (1-3) allowed four runs and nine hits in five innings.
Rangers 3, Astros 2
HOUSTON (AP)—Ian Kinsler(notes) homered twice for the first time in almost two years and Colby Lewis(notes) had another solid start for the Rangers.
Kinsler hit a leadoff homer and also went deep in his next at-bat in the third inning to help Texas to an early 3-0 lead. It was the eighth multihomer game of his career and first since August 2009 against the Yankees.
Lewis (7-7) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings. Neftali Feliz(notes) worked the ninth for his 16th save.
Carlos Lee(notes) had a solo homer for the Astros, who have dropped five straight and have the worst record in the majors at 28-53. Brett Myers(notes) (3-7) gave up three runs in seven innings.
Twins 1, Dodgers 0
MINNEAPOLIS—Scott Baker(notes) struck out nine while pitching neatly into the eighth inning and Ben Revere(notes) had two hits to help Minnesota get the win.
Baker (6-5) allowed six hits and walked one in 7 1-3 innings, dropping his ERA to 3.15 as the Twins bounced back from a 15-0 drubbing on Monday night to take two of three in the series.
Rubby De La Rosa(notes) (3-3) also was impressive, giving up just one run and six hits in seven innings for Los Angeles.
With the tying run on base in the eighth, Glen Perkins(notes) fanned Andre Ethier(notes) and Matt Kemp(notes) to end the inning and Matt Capps(notes) finished the seven-hitter to earn his 13th save.
Revere hit a leadoff triple in the first and scored on Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s(notes) groundout.
Blue Jays 2, Pirates 1
TORONTO (AP)—Yunel Escobar(notes) doubled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning and Brandon Morrow(notes) struck out 10 to lead Toronto to the victory.
Rookie outfielder Eric Thames(notes) hit his first career home run for Toronto, a solo shot in the sixth.
Morrow (4-4) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. It’s the fourth time in his career he’s fanned at least 10, and the second time this season.
Jason Frasor(notes) worked the eighth and Frank Francisco(notes) finished in the ninth for his ninth save in 12 chances.
Paul Maholm(notes) (4-9) fell to 0-7 in 11 career starts in AL stadiums.
Padres 4, Royals 1
SAN DIEGO (AP)—Rookie Anthony Rizzo(notes) hit a two-run single, Tim Stauffer(notes) won consecutive starts for the first time this year and San Diego completed its first sweep this season.
The Padres scored four unearned runs with two outs in the third inning thanks to third baseman Mike Moustakas’(notes) error on a sun ball.
San Diego has won four straight and seven of eight. It went 5-1 against Atlanta and Kansas City for its first winning homestand of 2011.
Stauffer (4-5) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings to lower his ERA to 2.97. Heath Bell(notes) pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
Kansas City’s Bruce Chen(notes) (4-2) gave up four runs, none earned, and eight hits in six innings.
National League
Cubs 2, Giants 1
CHICAGO (AP)—Pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez(notes) singled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Cubs snapped the Giants’ seven-game winning streak.
Sergio Romo(notes) (3-1) gave up an infield single to leadoff batter Tony Campana(notes), who moved to second on Reed Johnson’s(notes) sacrifice. After a groundout moved him to third, Ramirez hit an 0-2 pitch into left to win it.
San Francisco’s Emmanuel Burris hit a tying RBI single off closer Carlos Marmol(notes) (2-2) in the top of the ninth after Cubs starter Ryan Dempster(notes) shut out the Giants on two hits for eight innings.
San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum(notes) struck out nine in seven innings, yielding one run and five hits.
Marlins 3, Athletics 0
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Ricky Nolasco(notes) pitched a five-hitter, Hanley Ramirez(notes) and Logan Morrison(notes) homered and slumping Florida showed signs of life in a win against Oakland.
Nolasco (5-4) overcame a shaky start for his first win in more than a month, which came the last time the Marlins were in the Bay Area against San Francisco. He struck out three and walked two for his fifth career complete game.
The homers by Ramirez and Morrison off starter Guillermo Moscoso(notes) (2-4) were the first by Florida in eight days. The Marlins improved to 4-23 in June, by far the worst month in franchise history.
Oakland was held scoreless for the ninth time this season.
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