NATIONAL LEAGUE
Johan Santana won for the first time in 20 months, finally getting some run support from his teammates, as the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 on Saturday to snap a four-game losing streak.
Mike Nickeas and Andres Torres each hit a two-run single to back Santana, who toughed out seven innings for his first victory since the two-time Cy Young Award winner had shoulder surgery in September 2010. Daniel Murphy went 4-for-4 for the Mets.
Photo: AFP
Santana’s last win came against Atlanta on Sept. 2, 2010, before his injury wiped out last season. The Mets had scored just four runs in his first five starts this year, but matched that total in the fourth inning on Saturday.
Santana (1-2) allowed nine hits and gave up three runs, striking out five and walking one.
NATIONALS 7, PHILLIES 1
In Washington, Gio Gonzalez allowed one run over seven innings as Washington hit a season-high three home runs in the win over Philadelphia.
Jayson Werth hit a three-run drive, Chad Tracy connected with a man on and Ian Desmond had a solo shot for the Nationals, who have won seven straight over the Phillies dating to last year.
Gonzalez (3-1) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked one. Acquired in December last year in a trade with Oakland, the left-hander has a 1.72 ERA in six starts this season and has yielded only three runs over the past 27 innings.
In other NL action, it was:
‧ Dodgers 5, Cubs 1
‧ Giants 5, Brewers 2
‧ Astros 8, Cardinals 2
‧ Pirates 3, Reds 2
‧ Braves 13, Rockies 9
‧ Marlins 4, Padres 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, CLEVELAND, OHIO
Pinch-hitter Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer in the 11th inning to lift the Texas Rangers over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.
Beltre didn’t start for the fourth straight game due to a tender hamstring, but he hit a 1-0 pitch from Joe Smith (1-1) over the center-field wall for his fifth homer, snapping Texas’ three-game losing streak.
Alexi Ogando (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Joe Nathan worked the 11th for his seventh save in eight tries.
Asdrubal Cabrera had four hits for Cleveland, who had their three-game winning streak stopped.
It was Beltre’s third career pinch-hit homer — but first in nearly 12 years. He also did it in 1998 and 2000 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
ORIOLES 8, RED SOX 2
In Boston, Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer and Jason Hammel continued his strong start this season as Baltimore extended Boston’s recent home struggles.
Adam Jones added a two-run homer for Baltimore, who won their 10th in the past 12 games, and Hammel (4-1) held the Red Sox scoreless until he gave up two runs in the seventh.
Adrian Gonzalez had three hits for Boston, who lost their fourth straight and have dropped nine of their past 10 games at home.
ANGELS 6, BLUE JAYS 2
In Anaheim, California, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo homered, and C.J. Wilson pitched effectively through eight innings as Los Angeles bounced back from consecutive shutout losses against Toronto to beat the Blue Jays with slumping slugger Albert Pujols on the bench.
Wilson (4-2) allowed two runs and six hits, including Adam Lind’s leadoff homer in the seventh, and struck out nine. Kyle Drabek (2-3) was charged with five runs, eight hits and five walks in five-plus innings.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ White Sox 3, Tigers 2
‧ Royals 5, Yankees 1
‧ Athletics 4, Rays 3 (12)
‧ Mariners 7, Twins 0
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was