The Dodgers made a jump in the standings but dropped a couple of important players in the process.
Three games remain before the All-Star break, and if the Dodgers are to maintain the one-game lead they took in the National League West yesterday, they might have to do it without middle-of-the-order hitters Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green, both of whom left early in the Dodgers' 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros in front of 33,324 at Dodger Stadium.
Rookie starter Edwin Jackson pitched five solid innings as the Dodgers won their sixth consecutive game and moved one game ahead of San Diego for the division lead, but the victory came with a price.
PHOTO: AP
Beltre, already playing with bone spurs in his left ankle, strained his right quadriceps muscle the night before but tried to play Thursday. He lasted only two innings, and manager Jim Tracy said Beltre likely would sit until after the break.
"We'll give it six days to completely quiet it down," Tracy said.
In the fifth, Shawn Green had to leave after he was hit by a pitch on his left leg. Tracy said Green had a bruise just above his kneecap, and his status for today, and beyond, is uncertain.
PHOTO: AFP
With outfielder Juan Encarnacion already out of the lineup because of a sore shoulder and outfielder Milton Bradley unlikely to start today against a left-handed pitcher because of his sore right shoulder, it wouldn't be surprising if the Dodgers put Encarnacion on the disabled list and recalled a hitter from Triple-A.
Chin-Feng Chen, hitting .309 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI in Las Vegas, would be the likely choice. It also could be outfielder Cody Ross or infielders Antonio Perez or Joe Thurston.
Despite the run of injuries that also includes pitchers Hideo Nomo and Odalis Perez, the Dodgers have picked up 4 games in the division in the past six days.
"It's just confidence," said Paul Lo Duca, who hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead, hours after he learned he had been selected to the All-Star Game. "When you go through a stretch like we've gone through, it's tough, but we've stayed afloat."
Jackson (2-0) left his previous start in the second inning because of discomfort in his elbow, which Tracy alluded to when explaining why he removed Jackson from Thursday's game after five innings and 64 pitches.
The victory was Jackson's fourth in five career decisions, and while he admitted he might have been a little tentative at the start because of the elbow, the velocity on his fastball rose as the game went on.
Jackson allowed five hits, walked none and struck out two, and the only hit that hurt him was Craig Biggio's two-run home run in the third. Jackson left with a 5-2 lead.
Jackson even provided his own go-ahead run with an RBI single in the fourth inning, his first career hit.
"At first I didn't feel 100 percent," Jackson said, "but as the game progressed I was starting to let it go a little more. ... I just tried to let them put the ball in play and let the defense make the plays."
The Dodgers came through with another good offensive effort as they battered Houston starter Brandon Duckworth (1-2) for three runs in 3 innings. They did it without Beltre, who had only one at-bat and popped up to second base in the second. Robin Ventura took over at third base.
Before the game, Beltre's name was written on the lineup card, but on the other side of the clubhouse, he stood in front of his locker and said the leg didn't feel much better than the previous night.
When asked if he expected to play, Beltre said, "Maybe not," but that was before he tested the leg during batting practice. Tracy said Beltre would play "unless something completely different comes up."
Ventura singled and scored in the fourth, walked and scored in the fifth and singled home the Dodgers' sixth run in the sixth inning.
Tom Martin entered the game with the bases loaded in the eighth and one out. He induced Lance Berkman into a double play and got the last three outs in the ninth for his first save since 1997.
Phillies 5, mets 4
Bobby Abreu led off the ninth inning with a home run off John Franco to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 victory Thursday over the New York Mets.
Abreu hit the second pitch from Franco (2-5) the opposite way to left field. Abreu, an All-Star for the first time, lost his helmet as he hit the plate and was mobbed by his teammates. "I said, `It would be nice if one of our big guys would win it,'" Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "As soon as I got the words out of my mouth, he hit it."
Abreu was 4-for-5 with two doubles, a single and two runs.
"I couldn't imagine it, but it's exciting," Abreu said.
Billy Wagner (2-0) won with an inning of scoreless relief.
Jim Thome had his major-league leading 28th homer for the Phillies, and Mike Cameron connected for the Mets.
Reds 9, Brewers 3
In Milwaukee, Ken Griffey Jr. homered, doubled and drove in four runs against Milwaukee to break out of a slump, and Paul Wilson earned his career-best ninth win for Cincinnati.
Adam Dunn added his 25th homer for the Reds.
Wilson, who helped blow a nine-run lead in the Reds' last trip to Miller Park, made an eight-run lead stand up this time.
Wilson (9-2), who scattered seven hits over 6 2-3 innings, took a three-hitter and a shutout into the seventh, when Keith Ginter hit a two-run homer.
Griffey, who had been mired in a .177 slump since hitting his 500th homer last month, connected off Wes Obermueller (0-3).
Rockies 5, Padres 1
In San Diego, Jason Jennings pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Todd Helton homered and Preston Wilson hit a two-run double in Colorado's victory San Diego.
Wilson's two-run double was the key hit as the Rockies took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Adam Eaton (4-8). Larry Walker added a sacrifice fly.
Ricardo Rodriguez pitched a three-hitter for his first career shutout, and David Dellucci hit two of four home runs by the Texas Rangers to a 10-0 win over the Cleveland Indians.
Rodriguez (2-0) walked two and struck out a career-high six Thursday while facing his former team for the first time.
"I treat the Indians like any other team," said Rodriguez. "I left everything that happened behind me and I'm happy here."
Dellucci hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and a two-run shot in the fourth to tie a career-high with five RBIs as the Rangers won for the fifth time in six games.
"I'll definitely take it," he said. "I felt like I was seeing the ball well, but the big thing is we are all getting hot at once. This shows what we are capable of doing."
Michael Young led off the game with a homer off Scott Elarton (0-2) and Kevin Mench also hit a two-run shot in the second for the Rangers, who have a major-league leading 130.
White Sox 9, Angels 8
In Chicago, Juan Uribe's single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Jose Valentin as Chicago snapped a five-game losing streak, defeating Anaheim.
With one out, Valentin and Paul Konerko singled off Brendan Donnelly (1-2) before Uribe's decisive hit made a winner of Damaso Marte (3-2). Konerko matched a career high with four hits and drove in two runs.
Anaheim's David Eckstein had three hits, three runs and three RBIs, and Chone Figgins added three hits, including a two-run triple that raised his major-league leading total to 12.
Yankees 7, Devil Rays 1
In New York, Jose Contreras limited Tampa Bay to three hits over 6 2-3 innings, and Derek Jeter drove in two runs with a pair of doubles, helping New York defeat Tampa Bay.
Contreras (6-3), who has baffled the Yankees with his inconsistency, retired the first seven batters he faced and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth.
Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer and Hideki Matsui a two-run double for the Yankees, who beat Victor Zambrano (9-5).
Mariano Rivera got an inning-ending double play in the eighth and earned his league-leading 30th save in 31 tries.
Blue Jays 10, Mariners 8
In Toronto, Carlos Delgado's three-run homer in the ninth inning gave Toronto a three-game sweep of Seattle, which lost for the sixth time in a row.
Dave Berg homered off Eddie Guardado (2-1) with one out to pull the Blues Jays to 8-7. Chris Gomez singled as did Reed Johnson one out later before Delgado's homer won the game for Justin Speier (2-5).
Seattle's Edgar Martinez drove in two runs to become the career RBI leader among designated hitters with 979. Randy Winn hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth and went 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the Mariners.
Red Sox 8, Athletics 7, 10 innings
In Boston, Bill Mueller's two-out double in the 10th inning scored Johnny Damon to give Boston a three-game sweep over Oakland for the first time since 2002.
Justin Lehr (0-1) started the 10th for the A's and got two outs before Damon singled and Mueller hit a ball to the wall in center field that was bobbled by Mark Kotsay. Damon beat Bobby Crosby's relay throw home to give Curt Leskanic (1-4) the win.
Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz homered for Boston, which blew a 7-1 lead. Eric Byrnes connected for Oakland.
New York Yankees pitcher Javier Vazquez and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca were added to the All-Star teams as replacements for injured players.
Vazquez takes the spot of Oakland Athletics right-hander Tim Hudson, giving New York eight players on the 32-man AL squad.
The last team to have eight All-Stars was the 2001 Seattle Mariners. Before that, no club had eight All-Stars since the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hudson is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle.
Yankees manager Joe Torre, who will manage the AL All-Stars, said Thursday the roster opening was offered first to Boston ace Pedro Martinez, who declined the invitation.
"He had made other plans, I guess," Torre said. "I didn't make the decision. We went with the list and Vazquez was next on the list after Pedro passed."
Lo Duca replaces Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sean Casey, on the DL with a strained right calf.
It will be Vazquez's first trip to the All-Star game. He is 9-5 with a 3.50 ERA in his first year with the Yankees after being acquired from Montreal in a trade last offseason.
He joins New York teammates Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Tom Gordon, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui on the AL team. Giambi, Jeter and Rodriguez were elected by fans to starting infield spots.
Lo Duca earns his second NL All-Star appearance after also being selected last season. He entered Thursday hitting .308 with six homers and 35 RBIs.
"It's exciting to go back and to be in the same clubhouse with those guys," Lo Duca said. "There's a lot of guys who are more deserving and probably should have gone [before] me, but I'm still happy to go."
Home Run Derby
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants and Hank Blalock of the Texas Rangers were added to next week's All-Star Home Run Derby, filling out the field of eight competitors.
Bonds joins Philadelphia's Jim Thome, Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa in representing the National League on Monday night in Houston, Texas.
The AL players participating are Blalock, New York's Jason Giambi, Boston's David Ortiz and Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro.
All four active players with 500 homers will compete: Bonds (681), Sosa (553), Palmeiro (540) and Griffey (501).
Thome, who hit his 400th home run last month, connected for his major league-leading 28th of the season Thursday night.
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