NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP AND REUTERS, ST LOUIS, MISSOURI
Ryan Ludwick smacked a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to lead the St Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
With two outs and the game tied 2-2, the St Louis outfielder drove a pitch from reliever Tyler Clippard over the left field wall to give the home team their second straight win against Washington.
“It was a terrible pitch,” Clippard told reporters of Ludwick’s blast. “Cutter, trying to go away and I threw a nice little cement mixer up there for him — middle in — and he hit it out.”
Cardinals (23-17) starter Chris Carpenter improved to 5-1 after allowing two runs in eight innings and Ryan Franklin pitched the ninth for his ninth save of the season.
The Nationals (20-20) lost their season-high fifth straight game despite coming back from a two-run hole and tying the game in the eighth on Ian Desmond’s RBI single.
The run was set up when Ryan Zimmerman reached on a throwing error and Josh Willingham was hit by a pitch from Carpenter.
The St Louis right-hander also allowed a fifth-inning home run by Wil Nieves.
“I felt fine. I worked hard all night long,” Carpenter said after throwing 118 pitches. “It had nothing to do with the hundred and whatever pitches I threw.”
The Cardinals provided their pitcher a 2-0 advantage in the third when Felipe Lopez belted a two-run homer in his second game off the disabled list from an elbow injury.
MARLINS 8, D-BACKS 0
In Miami, Brian Barden drove in two runs in place of benched star Hanley Ramirez to help the Florida Marlins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-0 on Tuesday.
Ramirez, a two-time All-Star shortstop and the reigning National League batting champion, sat out a day after being pulled by manager Fredi Gonzalez for failing to hustle. Ramirez, who said he wasn’t loafing, sniped at his manager and teammates in pre-game remarks.
Minus their highest-paid player, the Marlins did fine for a day.
Johnson (4-1) pitched two-hit ball for seven innings, Cameron Maybin and Dan Uggla had back-to-back home runs and Barden neatly filled in.
Josh Johnson improved to 3-1 with a 1.00 ERA lifetime against Arizona. He struck out nine and walked two.
In other NL action, it was:
• Reds 5, Brewers 4
• Pirates 2, Phillies 1
• Braves 3, Mets 2
• Cubs 6, Rockies 2
• Dodgers 7, Astros 3
• Giants 7, Padres 6, 12 inns
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, TORONTO
Edwin Encarnacion returned from injury to hit one of Toronto’s four home runs as the Blue Jays romped to an 11-2 win over the Minnesota Twins in the American League on Tuesday.
Encarnacion had been out for a month with a shoulder injury. Back in the lineup, he started the homer barrage with a two-run shot in the second.
Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill and Lyle Overbay also went long for Toronto, which leads the majors with 65 home runs this season.
Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum (3-1) won his third straight decision, allowing one run in seven innings.
Minnesota starter Carl Pavano (4-4) was pounded for six runs in four innings. He has a 6.21 ERA in 10 career games against Toronto.
RED SOX 7, YANKEES 6
In New York, Jeremy Hermida hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the ninth inning and Boston took advantage of two late errors to rally from five runs down and beat New York.
New York played the game under protest after Boston pitcher Josh Beckett left with supposed back tightness following Robinson Cano’s two-run double in the fifth which made it 5-0 to the Yankees. The visitors said Beckett showed no sign of injury and his replacement shouldn’t have been given extended time to warm up.
In other AL games, it was:
• Rays 6, Indians 2
• Rangers 8, Angels 7
• White Sox 6, Tigers 2
• Athletics 6, Mariners 5, 10 inns
• Orioles 4, Royals 3, 10 innings
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