INTERLEAGUE PLAY
Vicente Padilla won his pitching duel with Dan Haren to help the Texas Rangers snap a five-game losing streak with a gritty 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
The Rangers right-hander worked his way through seven innings to win his third successive decision, while Haren posted his first loss after eight straight victories in interleague play despite striking out eight and allowing a miserly four hits.
PHOTO: AP
“Having five losses in a row, getting the win is the best thing that could happen for us,” Padilla told reporters after lowering his ERA to 2.16 over his last four starts. “I’ve been working a lot and working hard, and it pays off.”
Taylor Teagarden and David Murphy made it 2-0 with RBI hits in the second and third innings respectively as the Rangers (38-32) kept pace in the American League West, where they are tied at the top with the Los Angeles Angels.
Felipe Lopez was 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the fifth for the D-Backs (30-42), who finished just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Arizona shortstop Stephen Drew led off the eighth with a double but Rangers reliever Frank Francisco got three straight outs before C.J. Wilson came on to close out the game in the ninth.
Haren lost for the first time since May 12, a span of seven starts, and fell to 11-3 in interleague competition where he has been almost unbeatable.
It was a much needed win for the Rangers, who have struggled offensively of late with slugger Josh Hamilton sidelined because of an abdominal injury.
Padilla delivered a timely performance that included 109 pitches and three strikeouts. He walked two batters while squeezing out of a few jams to limit the D-Backs to just one run.
BREWERS 4, TWINS 3
At Milwaukee, Jason Kendall hit a two-out double in the eighth inning to tie the game before scoring the winner on the same play in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Twins starter Nick Blackburn (6-3) scattered nine hits through 7 2-3 innings and had a 3-2 lead when he allowed a single to J.J. Hardy. Kendall hit a ball off the wall in left-center and Brendan Harris’ relay throw to the plate skipped past catcher Joe Mauer. Blackburn, backing up the play, threw to third trying to get Kendall, but the ball sailed away from Joe Crede, allowing Kendall to score easily.
The Brewers, who had lost 10 of 14, snapped a season-high four-game losing streak.
ANGELS 11, ROCKIES 3
At Anaheim, California, Vladimir Guerrero ended a 28-game home run drought and had three RBIs, and Bobby Abreu drove in three runs with a homer and a double as the Angels beat Colorado.
Joe Saunders (8-4) allowed a run and four hits in six-plus innings, including a solo homer to Garrett Atkins leading off the seventh. He struck out six and walked one and improved to 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in eight interleague starts.
In other interleague games it was:
• Giants 6, Athletics 3
• Mariners 4, Padres 3
• Red Sox 6, Nationals 4
• Tigers 5, Cubs 3
• White Sox 10, Dodgers 7
• Yankees 8, Braves 4
• Pirates 10, Indians 6
• Blue Jays 8, Reds 2
• Rays 7, Phillies 1
• Royals 4, Astros 3, 11 innings
• Marlins 5, Orioles 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Fernando Nieve pitched six scoreless innings to extend his improbable stint with the New York Mets, while recent callup Nick Evans hit a two-run homer in an 11-0 shutout of St Louis.
David Wright tied a career best with four hits and Ryan Church had three hits and two RBIs in his first start this season as the Mets’ cleanup hitter.
Evans had two of the Mets’ 16 hits.
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