The La New Bears bounced back with a pair of impressive wins over the Brother Elephants during Chinese Professional Baseball League action Thursday and Friday in Kaohsiung after dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season earlier this week.
Emerging right-hander Hsu Chih-hua picked up his third victory of the year with 4-2/3 innings of shutout relief against the men in gold to prove that his selection as the Pitcher of the Month last month was well deserved.
The eventual 5-2 Bears win had the hosts jumping to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning against Elephants starter Liu Jung-nan when cleanup hitter Chen Chin-fong and first baseman Pan Chung-wei connected for RBI singles.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CPBL
Spotted with two first-inning runs, Bears starter Wu Si-yo would squander the lead in the next two innings with a balk that scored the Elephants' first run in the top of the second before allowing an RBI single to Brother outfielder Chen Huai-shan in the third to knot things up at 2-all.
Shih Chih-wei then took over the game for the Bears with a run-scoring double in the fourth that put his team ahead 3-2 and a sacrifice-fly in the eighth that provided an insurance run en route to a 3-for-3 game-MVP night.
Lack of run support dealt Liu his second loss of the season as the third-year righty remained winless for the year, despite pitching six innings of three-run ball in a quality start.
Elephants 1, Bears 6
Kenny Rayborn made it look easy against the Elephants in his Taiwan debut as the newest Bears starter came away with a 6-1 victory in Kaohsiung Thursday.
The American right-hander, who played for the Hiroshima Carps in Japan last year after spending several seasons in the American minors, allowed one run on a lone single to the Elephants' Fong Sheng-shien in the third inning over seven magnificent innings of work for his first win of the year.
Offensively for the Bears, Pan accounted for half of the six runs by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including a two-run shot off Elephants starter Brian Rodaway over the left-field wall in the sixth. Rookie catcher Lin Sheng-kai also collected his first career home run on a towering shot to deep-left off Rodaway in the bottom of the fourth, which was good for a pair of runs.
Bulls 4, Lions 4
Poor late-game relief continued to trouble the Sinon Bulls as the defending champs surrendered another late-inning lead to end Friday night's contest against the President Lions at Sinjuang in a 4-4 tie.
After dropping the series opener 4-3 in Hsinchu on Wednesday -- a game in which reliever Yu Wen-pin gave up the winning run to the Lions' Huang Gang-lin in the final at-bat -- the Bulls failed to keep a 4-2 10th-inning lead Friday when Yu allowed the first two batters to get on base before the Lions' Wu Jia-rong knocked in both runners with a two-run double off Jorge Cortez to force the tie.
Yang Seng's opposite-field triple down the third-base line broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth before Chen Jia-wei made it 2-0 in favor of the big cats on an RBI single off Bulls starter Alfredo Gonzalez.
It took the Bulls two straight base hits and an off throw on a put-out attempt by Lions closer Tseng Yi-cheng in the top of the ninth to score their first run of the game before Huang Chung-yi evened things up at 2-2 with a one-run single off Tseng to right.
The Bulls claimed a 4-2 advantage in the top of the 10th when a defensive error by the Lions following Chang Jien-ming's one-run single off reliever Tsao Jung-yang plated two more runs.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Casey Blake hit a two-out grand slam, Travis Hafner homered twice and Paul Byrd pitched long enough to win a start he had waited 15 years for, helping the Cleveland Indians roll to an 11-6 home-opening win over Minnesota on Friday.
Back at sold out Jacobs Field for the first time since their final-week collapse in 2005, the Indians began to erase some of the bitter memories of a 1-6 record down the stretch that cost them a playoff spot despite 93 wins.
Byrd's career came full circle as the right-hander, who was drafted by Cleveland in 1991 and traded three years later, made his first start at Jacobs Field in an Indians uniform. Byrd (1-0) allowed five runs and six hits in six innings, a typical outing for 35-year-old being counted on to help replace Kevin Millwood.
Red Sox 14, Orioles 8
At Baltimore, Daniel Cabrera walked six batters in the first inning, and Boston got 16 hits to back an efficient pitching performance by Matt Clement in a victory over Baltimore.
Trot Nixon homered and drove in four runs for the Red Sox, who led 11-0 before the Orioles finally got a runner past first base in the seventh inning.
Boston received 14 walks and had two hit batsmen. Manny Ramirez, who came in batting .100, went 3-for-4 with a walk and his first two RBIs of the season. Kevin Youkilis went 3-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs.
Clement (1-0) allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings.
Boston set the tone in the top of the first, scoring four times despite getting only one hit -- a leadoff bunt single by Coco Crisp. Cabrera (0-1) then walked the bases loaded and forced in three runs with walks before Youkilis hit a sacrifice fly.
Cabrera yielded seven runs, seven walks and three hits in 1 1-3 innings. He threw 60 pitches, only 22 of them strikes.
Devil Rays 9, Blue Jays 8
At Toronto, Jonny Gomes hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning and Tampa Bay rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Toronto.
Ty Wigginton, Travis Lee and Damon Hollins also homered for the Devil Rays.
Toronto's Reed Johnson tied a major league record by getting hit by a pitch three times. Gomes was the last big leaguer to get hit three times on Aug. 15 against the New York Yankees.
Johnson also was plunked three times on April 16, 2005, at Texas.
Vernon Wells homered twice, and Troy Glaus and Alex Rios also connected for the Blue Jays. Despite all the big offseason additions to Toronto's roster, attendance was just 15,631.
Wigginton hit a tying, three-run homer off Vinnie Chulk in the sixth and Gomes had a two-run drive off Pete Walker (0-1) in the seventh, giving Tampa Bay an 8-6 lead.
Scott Dunn (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings for his first major league win, and Dan Miceli got four outs for his first save.
Tigers 5, Rangers 2
At Arlington, Texas, Chris Shelton pushed his major league-leading home run total to five with a two-run drive and Detroit remained the AL's only unbeaten team with a victory over Texas.
Tigers starter Mike Maroth (1-0) gave up one run and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. Relievers Jason Grilli, Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney combined to allow one run and three hits over the final 3 2-3 innings. Rodney worked the ninth for his second save.
The Tigers have won their first four games and are off to their best start since 2004. They lead the majors with 16 homers.
Michael Young homered for the Rangers, who have dropped four of five to begin the season.
John Koronka (0-1) allowed four runs and six hits over five innings in his Rangers debut.
Royals 11, White Sox 7
At Kansas City, Missouri, Doug Mientkiewicz, Angel Berroa and John Buck had two RBIs apiece, and Kansas City made up a six-run deficit to beat Chicago.
The first five White Sox batters scored against Jeremy Affeldt. But Jon Garland (0-1), who is coming off an 18-win season and was 11-4 lifetime against the Royals, gave up 10 hits and nine runs in 5 1-3 innings.
The loss snapped an 11-game road winning streak for White Sox, who are off to a 1-3 start in defense of their World Series title.
Trailing 6-0 after three, the Royals scored five in the fourth and two in the fifth and then took their first lead of the year when Buck's RBI double off Garland made it 8-7 in the sixth.
David DeJesus doubled off Matt Thornton to make it 9-7 and Mark Teahen added an RBI single in the seventh. Mark Grudzielanek scored three times.
Mike Wood (1-0) allowed one run in two innings for the win.
Athletics 5, Mariners 0
At Seattle, Joe Blanton outpitched young phenom Felix Hernandez, allowing two hits in eight sharp innings to lead Oakland over Seattle.
Blanton (1-0) allowed only a ground single by Jeremy Reed in the third and an infield hit by Raul Ibanez in the fourth. The right-hander struck out six, walked one and did not allow a runner to reach second.
Justin Duchscherer struck out two in a hitless ninth to finish the shutout.
Mark Kotsay's RBI double in the fifth was the only hit Hernandez (0-1) allowed after the first inning on his final night as a teenager. Marco Scutaro hit a two-run triple in the eighth off reliever Julio Mateo. Kotsay then singled home Scutaro.
Oakland managed just five hits but took advantage of 11 walks, six by Mateo.
Angels 4, Yankees 1
At Anaheim, California, Orlando Cabrera hit a two-run homer, Kelvim Escobar stifled most of New York's big hitters and Los Angeles beat the Yankees in its home opener.
The Angels kept up their mastery of the Yankees, eliminated from the postseason by the Angels in 2002 and again last year. New York lost its third in a row and fell to 1-3 on its season-opening road trip.
Escobar (1-0) allowed one run and six hits in six innings. The right-hander fanned Jason Giambi in the sixth for his 1,000th career strikeout, earning a standing ovation from the regular-season record crowd of 44,221.
With the bases loaded in the seventh, Scot Shields got Gary Sheffield to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth for his second save. He also tied a club mark by converting his 20th straight opportunity.
Shawn Chacon (0-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Greg Maddux pitched neatly into the seventh inning, Derrek Lee hit his second homer of the season and the Chicago Cubs won their home opener, 5-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
A week shy of his 40th birthday, Maddux earned his 319th Major League Baseball career victory. He sent the Cardinals to their first loss of the season after a three-game sweep at Philadelphia.
Lee put the Cubs ahead with a solo home run in the first inning. Neifi Perez added three hits for the Cubs and Ronny Cedeno tripled and doubled.
Maddux (1-0) gave up four hits, struck out one and walked two. He left with a 5-1 lead after allowing a home run to Jim Edmonds with one out in the seventh and walking the next batter, Scott Rolen. Bob Howry retired So Taguchi and Gary Bennett to end the threat.
Dodgers 5, Phillies 3
At Philadelphia, Dodgers starter Brett Tomko tossed six effective innings and Danys Baez worked the ninth for his second save in two chances.
Tomko (1-0) allowed three runs and eight hits. Kuo Hong-chih pitched two perfect innings, striking out four, and Baez struck out two in the ninth.
Jimmy Rollins had three hits a day after his 38-game hitting streak ended, but Philadelphia lost its fourth straight game.
The Phillies are off to their worst start since opening 0-4 in 1987. They hadn't started with four losses at home since 1977 when they finished 101-61 and won the second of three consecutive NL East titles.
Pat Burrell and Sal Fasano homered for Philadelphia. Gavin Floyd (0-1) lasted just 2 2-3 innings, allowing five runs -- three earned -- and six hits.
Mets 9, Marlins 3
At New York, Steve Trachsel pitched three-hit ball through six innings and drove in a run with the 10,000th double in Mets history.
David Wright and Jose Reyes homered for the Mets. Wright drove in three runs and Reyes had three hits. Carlos Beltran drove in a run and scored another.
Trachsel (1-0) worked his way out of a first-inning jam, then helped his own cause with the milestone double in the fourth. It came in the 7,000th game in franchise history.
The right-hander struck out six, walked one and gave up only a solo homer to Mike Jacobs.
Jason Vargas (0-1) gave up eight hits and five runs in five innings to get the loss.
Brewers 3, Diamondbacks 1
At Milwaukee, Dave Bush gave up two hits in seven innings and Derrick Turnbow got his fourth save in four games for Milwaukee.
Bush (1-0), who was acquired in the trade that sent Lyle Overbay to the Toronto Blue Jays in December, struck out seven to earn the win in his first start for Milwaukee.
Turnbow walked Orlando Hudson to lead off the ninth but got Chad Tracy to ground into a double play. He then retired Luis Gonzalez, who homered in the second inning, for the final out.
The Brewers have won their first four games of the season for the first time since 1987, when they won their first 13.
Russ Ortiz (0-1) took the loss after giving up three runs in six innings.
Carlos Lee hit his second homer of the season for the Brewers.
Astros 6, Nationals 1
At Houston, Lance Berkman and Preston Wilson hit two-run homers in the same inning for the second consecutive game to lead the Astros.
Brandon Backe (1-0), who missed his scheduled start Wednesday against Florida because of a sore back, held the Nationals to three hits in six strong innings. Craig Biggio added an RBI double and scored on Berkman's sacrifice fly in the third off starter Tony Armas Jr. (0-1).
Berkman and Wilson, a National last season, homered off reliever Jason Bergmann to break open a 2-1 game in the sixth. Both connected in the first inning during Wednesday's 6-5 win over Florida.
Jose Vidro homered for the Nationals.
Reds 7, Pirates 6
At Cincinnati, Felipe Lopez homered twice and drove in three runs for the Reds.
The Pirates are 0-5 for the first time since 1974, when they lost their first six games. The 1955 club dropped its first eight, setting the franchise record.
Reds left-hander Eric Milton (1-0) gave up six hits and two runs in seven innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out three.
Pinch-hitter Craig Wilson hit a two-run homer in Pittsburgh's three-run ninth but Kent Mercker struck out Jeromy Burnitz with two on for his first save.
Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm (0-1) gave up five hits and five runs in six innings. He walked five and struck out three.
Rockies 10, Padres 4
At San Diego, Eli Marrero had four hits and four RBIs and Josh Fogg won his Colorado debut.
Marrero, Jason Smith and Garrett Atkins homered for Colorado, which scored the last eight runs after trailing 4-2.
Marrero was 4-for-5, capping his night with a two-run double in the ninth. It was his third career four-hit game. Atkins had three hits and three RBIs.
Fogg (1-0) allowed four runs, three earned, and five hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one. Fogg signed as a free agent on Feb. 9 after spending the last four seasons with Pittsburgh.
Clay Hensley (0-1) took the loss after failing to get an out in relief of starter Chris Young, who was making his Padres debut. Hensley faced four batters, allowing two runs on two doubles and two singles.
Braves 14, Giants 6
At San Francisco, Ryan Langerhans hit a two-run homer and drove in five runs, and Atlanta took advantage of San Francisco's shaky bullpen for the win.
Jeff Francoeur got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the go-ahead run in the seventh, when Langerhans added a two-run single. Mike Remlinger (1-0) got two outs in the sixth for the win in a game that started 1 hour, 46 minutes late because of rain.
Tyler Walker (0-1) and Jack Taschner combined to walk five batters as the Braves batted around in their eight-run seventh before recording an out -- and the two threw a total of 30 pitches with 23 balls. Atlanta had just two hits in the inning.
Pinch-hitter Moises Alou hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth for San Francisco, but the Braves answered in the top of the seventh against Walker.
Barry Bonds was scratched from the lineup as a precaution because of soggy conditions following hours of precipitation in the Bay Area.
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