Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp and winning pitcher Kuo Hong-chih homered off John Maine on three consecutive pitches as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 4-1 on Tuesday to hand the slumping National League East leaders their eighth loss in nine games.
After Russell Martin grounded out to start the second, Betemit hit an 0-1 pitch over the left-center field fence for his sixth homer. Kemp drove Maine's next pitch just inside the left-field foul pole for his first, and Kuo followed by hitting the first homer of his career into the right field pavilion to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.
The last time a team hit three homers on as many pitches occurred last Sept. 18 on the last three of the four straight hit by the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning in an 11-10, 10-inning victory over San Diego.
PHOTO: AP
The Mets hadn't allowed three straight homers since April 1, 1997, and five days ago they hit back-to-back-to-back homers against Philadelphia. Kemp's homer was the first to reach the loge level since July 27, 2005, when Olmedo Saenz accomplished the feat against Cincinnati.
Kuo (1-1), whose only previous victory came over the Mets last September, allowed five hits and one run in seven innings. Takashi Saito worked a perfect ninth for his 18th save.
Maine (6-4) allowed seven hits and four runs in 5 1-3 innings.
Yankees 4, Diamondbacks 1
At New York, Wang Chien-ming outpitched Brandon Webb in a marquee matchup of exceptional sinkerballers, and streaking Bobby Abreu hit an early three-run homer on Tuesday to help the Yankees to a 4-1 win against the Diamondbacks, their seventh straight.
The Yankees (31-31) won for the 10th time in 12 tries following a five-game skid, reaching .500 for the first time since they were 16-16 after beating Texas on May 9. It's their first seven-game winning streak since a 10-game run in May 2005.
Coming off a five-hitter at the Chicago White Sox, Wang (6-4) allowed six hits and walked none in seven innings. Runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award last year, he has won his last three starts and five of six overall.
Wang had to be on top of his game because Webb (6-4) settled down after giving up Abreu's homer in the first. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner yielded four runs -- three earned -- and five hits in seven innings.
In other baseball action on Tuesday it was:
* Tigers 4, Brewers 0
* Marlins 3, Indians 0
* Phillies 7, White Sox 3
* Red Sox 2, Rockies 1
* Devil Rays 11, Padres 4
* Pirates 7, Rangers 5
* Nationals 7, Orioles 4
* Reds 5, Angels 3
* Astros 5, Athletics 4, 11 innings
* Twins 7, Braves 3
* Royals 8, Cardinals 1
* Mariners 5, Cubs 3, 13 innings
* Giants 3, Blue Jays 2
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
RSS