NATIONAL LEAGUE
REUTERS AND AP, ST LOUIS, MISSOURI
PHOTO: REUTERS
Matt Kemp’s two-run single in the top of the 10th inning lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-3 road win over the St Louis Cardinals on Thursday, helping the NL West leaders avoid a four-game series sweep.
Los Angeles went into the contest riding an unwanted season-worst four-game losing streak and manager Joe Torre was delighted with his team’s ability to recover from the previous night’s 3-2 loss in 15 innings.
“Psychologically, this game was important,” Torre told reporters. “It was important to win yesterday’s, so you can imagine what today’s game was. To bounce back, it doesn’t surprise me.”
Casey Blake had four hits while Kemp’s game-winning hit was his third of the game. James McDonald (3-2) pitched a perfect ninth inning for the win and Jonathan Broxton closed out the game in the 10th for his 24th save.
The Dodgers started their 10th inning run when Andre Ethier walked with one out against Dennys Reyes (0-2). Blake then singled, with both runners advancing on a wild pitch.
Kemp then drilled a single off reliever Todd Wellemeyer to bring home the go-ahead runs for the Dodgers, who earlier acquired former All-Star closer George Sherrill for two minor league players from the Baltimore Orioles.
“That slider was a little bit up and he [Kemp] hit it where we weren’t,” Wellemeyer said. “That’s all there is to it. We were going right after him. You know his weaknesses, you know his strengths. Pitch away from him. We were staying away, and a slider, I just left [it] up.”
Hiroki Kuroda pitched six strong innings for the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
The Dodger bullpen then combined to allow just one run on two hits in the final four innings and the Cards did not have a hit after the seventh.
“They pitched us very well,” St Louis manager Tony LaRussa said.
Matt Holliday hit his first home run as a Cardinal and Rick Ankiel also homered for St Louis, who fell a half game behind the Cubs in the NL Central with the loss.
GIANTS 7, PHILLIES 2
At San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval nailed a solo home run and a two-run double as San Francisco beat Philadelphia for its fourth straight win.
Jonathan Sanchez (4-9) struck out seven in five-and-two-third innings in his first home start since throwing the team’s first no-hitter in 33 years.
Eugenio Velez had a career-high three hits and drove in three runs for the Giants.
Ryan Howard doubled in a run in the first that put the Phillies ahead, but the NL East leaders did little else against Sanchez until Chase Utley’s leadoff homer in the sixth.
All four Giants’ runs in the fourth were unearned after third baseman and former Giant Pedro Feliz made a wild throw to second for an error on Juan Uribe’s grounder.
Sandoval’s home run to the water marked the 49th time it’s been done by the Giants and the second this year.
METS 7, ROCKIES 0, FIRST GAME
ROCKIES 4, METS 2, SECOND GAME
At New York, Jorge De La Rosa set a franchise record by winning his seventh consecutive start as Colorado earned a split in the day-night doubleheader and snapped New York’s five-game winning streak.
The Mets won the opener 7-0 behind Johan Santana, who struck out eight in seven sharp innings. Angel Berroa had a two-run double in New York’s five-run second and David Wright also drove in two runs.
Santana (12-8) allowed four hits and walked one in his first career outing against Colorado, closing out July with a 3-2 record and 1.82 ERA in five starts.
Clint Barmes hit a tiebreaking two-run homer and De La Rosa (9-7) pitched six-and-a-third solid innings for the Rockies, who avoided a four-game series sweep with the victory in the makeup of Wednesday night’s rainout.
Fernando Tatis had a solo homer for New York, which finished with six hits.
Ryan Spilborghs’ RBI single in the sixth ended Colorado’s scoreless streak at 27 innings. It was the Mets’ longest shutout streak since a 28-inning stretch from May 22-26, 2004.
BRAVES 6, MARLINS 3, 10 INNS
At Miami, Brian McCann hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning to give Atlanta the victory over Florida.
Nate McLouth led off the Braves 10th against Luis Ayala (1-3) with a single. After a sacrifice and an intentional walk to Chipper Jones, McCann hit a 2-2 pitch over the right-center field wall.
Cody Ross led off the eighth with his 15th home run to bring the Marlins within 3-2. After Hanley Ramirez was intentionally walked with runners on second and third, Florida tied it on Jorge Cantu’s infield single.
CUBS 12, ASTROS 3
At Chicago, Kevin Hart won his third straight start and Jake Fox and Milton Bradley hit back-to-back homers as the home team beat Houston for its 11th win in 14 games since the All-Star break.
Kosuke Fukudome, who reached base five times, and Ryan Theriot had four RBIs apiece for the Cubs.
Hart (3-1), in only his fourth major league start, allowed six hits and three runs in six innings, including homers to Carlos Lee and Kaz Matsui.
The Cubs drove Russ Ortiz (3-6) out in a five-run third inning that started with consecutive homers from Fox and Bradley.
In other NL action it was:
• Padres 7, Reds 4
• Brewers 7, Nationals 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, BOSTON
David Ortiz hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning as the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 8-5 in the American League on Thursday.
With two runners aboard, Ortiz hit a two-out pitch from Craig Breslow (4-5) over the Red Sox bullpen and to the right of the 128m sign that marks the deepest part of Fenway Park.
WHITE SOX 3, YANKEES 2
At Chicago, DeWayne Wise hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to lift Chicago over New York.
Nick Swisher tied it in the top half with a solo home run after the Yankees fell behind 2-1 in the seventh thanks to some shoddy defense.
After a miserable 1-6 trip, the White Sox also got an RBI double by Gordon Beckham in the third inning as they won for just the second time in eight games.
Jim Thome singled with one out in the ninth off reliever Phil Hughes (4-3), who had not given up a run in his last 16 appearances.
Paul Konerko followed with a single to make it first and second.
Phil Coke entered and retired A.J. Pierzynski before Wise, who came in as a late defensive replacement, hit the liner that ended Hughes’ scoreless streak at 25-and-a-third innings.
After striking out the first two batters in the ninth inning, Matt Thornton (5-2) gave up Swisher’s 17th homer.
ORIOLES 7, ROYALS 3
At Baltimore, Maryland, rookie Brad Bergesen allowed one run in seven innings and then hobbled off the mound after being hit with a line drive on his final pitch as Baltimore beat Kansas City.
Bergesen (7-5) was struck in the leg by a sharp grounder from Billy Butler. Details of the injury were not immediately known.
Luke Hochevar (6-4) allowed seven runs and 11 hits in six innings. He was 4-0 in his previous five starts.
RANGERS 7, MARINERS 1
At Arlington, Texas, Derek Holland took a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning and Michael Young hit two of Texas’ five home runs in a win over Seattle.
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