Tribe rides trio of long balls to win
CLEVELAND -- Five-dollar haircuts and $1 hot dogs weren't the only values to take away from Tuesday's game between the Indians and Royals at Progressive Field.
For the 18,946 fans who braved the unseasonably chilly August weather, there was some redeeming value by the way the Indians played on this night. The Tribe's starting pitching, its offense and even its bullpen put together a solid effort in a 9-4 win over the Royals.
The win helped the Tribe expand its fourth-place lead over the Royals in the American League Central by 2 1/2 games.
"I felt like we played a pretty good baseball game tonight," manager Eric Wedge said.
"Pretty good" might be the best way to describe Anthony Reyes' night on the mound.
Reyes gave up just two runs to pick up his second win since he was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Aug. 8. But the 26-year-old right-hander lasted just five innings this time out -- the result of a tough first inning and a bloated pitch count.
"I think I'm getting there," Reyes said. "I've had a lot of bad outings over the past couple of years, so I'm just trying to come over here and get rid of them."
Reyes just couldn't get rid of the Royals in a timely manner during the first inning, using almost a third of his 84 pitches against five hitters. The only damage to show for it, though, was a lot of foul balls and David DeJesus' RBI double, which staked the Royals to an early 1-0 lead.
But, as has been the theme throughout this 10-game homestand, the Tribe picked up Reyes with a three-run second inning off Royals starter Luke Hochevar.
Shin-Soo Choo got it started with his fifth home run of the season -- a 415-foot solo shot to left-center field. The Indians tacked on two more when Kelly Shoppach drove in Ryan Garko with an RBI double and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with an RBI single to take a 3-1 lead.
Ryan Garko continued his recent hot streak, adding another run to the cause with a solo homer in the fourth inning -- his 10th of the season. Since Garko was benched for not running out a ground ball in a game against the Rays two weeks ago, he is batting .405 with 12 RBIs.
"He's really stepped it up," Wedge said. "His approach has been more consistent and his discipline has been a little better. He's really grinding it out."
Reyes had to grind it out through his outing, never putting together a 1-2-3 inning. But, aside from a Jose Guillen RBI groundout in the fifth inning, Reyes was tough when he needed to be. The Indians just didn't need or want him on the mound too long.
Since he was acquired from the Cardinals on July 26, the Indians have been careful with Reyes, who was sidelined for three weeks with a right elbow strain in June. He has thrown less than 90 pitches in two of his three starts.
"It was a little cooler tonight, too," Wedge said. "He worked pretty hard and our bullpen was well-rested, so it was a good time to get them out there."
But, no matter how much rest the Tribe bullpen has, a two-run lead is far from safe.
Tuesday night proved to be no different, as Brendan Donnelly put the team on shaky ground, allowing an RBI single to Jason Smith to trim the lead to one, 4-3. But the play actually provided the Tribe with a little momentum, as Choo's one-hop throw to third base gunned down Miguel Olivo, helped stifle the rally and kept the Tribe on top.
"That was a great throw," Wedge said. "Just a perfect throw."
Grady Sizemore made the night less stressful for relievers Rafael Perez, Rafael Betancourt and Masa Kobayashi with his three-run homer in the sixth inning. With runners on second and third with two out, Sizemore ripped a Leo Nunez first-pitch changeup deep into the right-field seats to put the Tribe up by four comfortable runs, 7-3.
"That was a big hit for us today," Wedge said. "You have to love the way he plays. He's been the one constant in a very trying season."
Sizemore actually came into the game in the midst of his biggest slump of the season. He is batting just .190 in August and his home run Tuesday was his first since July 31.
"He picked a good time for it," Wedge said.
The same goes for those who made it out to Progressive Field on Tuesday night and left with plenty of bang for their buck.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Sore back shelves Matsui vs. Giants
HOUSTON -- Manager Cecil Cooper hopes Kazuo Matsui will be ready to play when the Astros begin a series with the Diamondbacks this weekend, but as of Wednesday, the second baseman's status was undetermined.
Matsui left Tuesday's game with the Giants with a sore back, a malady that has plagued him from time to time throughout his career. He underwent an MRI on Wednesday, according to Cooper, who said after the game: "We're going to wait and see day-to-day, and see what [the MRI] says."
Matsui warned Cooper about his back soreness before the game started, but Matsui thought he could get through the game without any significant setbacks.
That didn't pan out. By the second inning, Matsui was out of the game.
Cooper was planning to give Matsui the day off Thursday, so he's eyeing Friday as the earliest possible return date for the second baseman.
"If he's not ready, we'll go to plan B," Cooper said.
Mark Loretta started at second base Wednesday. Geoff Blum is an option as well.
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
Three homers carry Friars over Mets
NEW YORK -- Padres manager Bud Black called Wednesday night's victory formulaic, plugged straight into the constants of 2007.
He received stellar pitching from his starter, Cha Seung Baek. His lineup produced early power through first-inning home runs from Jody Gerut and Brian Giles. Yet in many of his team's victories, such as the Padres' 4-2 win over the Mets at Shea Stadium, there is a variable -- something unexpected.
When Giles pulled a rope down the third-base line in the seventh inning, he honestly thought it went a little more to the left.
"I thought I fouled it off over our dugout," Giles said of his hit, which came with Luis Rodriguez on third and the score tied at 2. "I guess ... it took a nasty hop."
That it did, skipping around the glove of third baseman David Wright and dribbling into left field, allowing Rodriguez to score.
"I didn't know the ball was in play until I heard the crowd go 'Oh,' " Giles said.
That familiar sound from a season ago has finally resurfaced. San Diego, now winners of five out of six games against New York this season, can compete when its young pieces click into high gear.
A lack of experience time may have robbed the Padres of some consistency this season. But though rookie Chase Headley struck out on a couple of Pedro Martinez changeups early in the game, he rocked an insurance run deep over the wall in center field in the eighth inning.
Headley is just one of a few potential power hitters in San Diego's lineup who are learning as they go, adding more service time to their résumés. It might take time, but Headley, Gerut, Giles, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff all add budding muscle to the Padres' order.
"There's a learning curve," Black said. "It's part of the experience."
Black even feels confident with Baek at the plate. Pitchers often stick around to watch the native of South Korea hit in batting practice because they love to watch him hit homers, such as the one he hit on July 20 in St. Louis.
He's not a bad pitcher, either. Baek went 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday, allowing just two runs to limit a Mets offense that had launched the long ball in the series' first game.
Gerut and Giles gave Baek a lead to work with, hitting solo home runs to right-center field in the first inning.
Black let Baek hit in the top of the seventh inning, and he bunted Rodriguez from second to third, setting up the game-clinching run, which came when Wright misplayed the ball hit by Giles, allowing Rodriguez to score. That was one of two sacrifices for Baek on the night.
There's also something about road parks that brings the best out of Baek. He is a perfect 4-0 away from PETCO Park, and in his last four road starts, he has surrendered seven earned runs in 24 innings. For some reason, his curveballs and sliders were breaking sneakily under Mets bats, and his two-seam fastball provided a superior mix.
"I don't know," Baek said with a smile, combing his fingers through his hair while searching for an answer as to why the road treats him so much better than home. "It's just something."
Mike Adams came on in relief of Baek in the seventh inning, striking out the Mets' middle-of-the-order guys, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran, with two runners on base.
That was a big plus for Adams, who gave up his first runs in over a month on Tuesday, but it also passed the baton to Heath Bell in the eighth and Trevor Hoffman in the ninth.
Just how they draw it up, Black said, as the bullpen saved the win for the emerging Baek.
"He's been under the radar a little bit," Black said. "He's pitched well on the road. You can't really put a reason behind that one, but we think he's going to get his starts. We are watching him closely, and we think he has the stuff and the head to be a part of our rotation now and in the future."
The win jogged a few memories of last season, when the playoffs were a reality and the bottom of the National League West was far from their thoughts.
Pitching, long-ball hitting and fundamentally sound baseball -- it's what wins are made of.
"Most teams have a formula. We did a lot of that last year," said Black. "Good starting pitching and good relief work, you saw that today. ... They are battling. They are fighting the good fight."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Zimmerman hit in hand, is day-to-day
WASHINGTON -- Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman left Thursday's game against the Phillies because of a right hand injury. The hand was X-rayed, and it was revealed that his hand had suffered a contusion. He is listed as day-to-day.
The Nationals are thinking about Zimmerman having an MRI on Friday.
In the bottom of the third inning, Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick hit Zimmerman in the right hand with a pitch. Zimmerman was seen jumping up and down in pain after being hit. Manager Manny Acta and head trainer Lee Kuntz came to Zimmerman's aid before the latter walked to first base.
A few minutes later, Zimmerman scored on a Jesus Flores base hit before leaving the game in the top of the fourth.
"It actually doesn't feel that bad. I think the X-rays were good," Zimmerman said. "It's a little swollen now. But other than that, it feels better now than when I came out."
This is Zimmerman's second injury this season. He missed 48 games because of left labrum tear.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Nady's blasts lift Bucs over Reds
CINCINNATI -- It was the kind of news that could be potentially devastating to a club already stuck near the bottom of the division.
Just hours after finding out that they would be without closer Matt Capps for the next two months the Pirates' offense stepped up and their bullpen delivered a message.
"We all know he is going to be out for a while," reliever Tyler Yates said after the game. "So we're all going to have to nail it down."
After watching starter John Van Benschoten get pulled after 2 1/3 ineffective innings, Pittsburgh's relievers reigned in the Reds' offense to carry the Pirates to a 9-5 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
"You lose two starters and a closer in the matter of a two-week period, we'll see what we're made of," manager John Russell said before the game.
For one night at least, the Bucs were made up of enough fight and fortitude to lessen the blow of Wednesday's news about Capps' injury.
They watched a four-run lead evaporate in less than two innings, only to reclaim it for good shortly after. Their bullpen, which had blown a combined three saves in the first two games of the series, pitched a total of 6 2/3 scoreless innings on Wednesday to ensure the club's second series win over Cincinnati this year.
"I think going in, everybody was disappointed in the situation," Russell said. "[Capps is] a big part of our bullpen, not only as a closer, but he's a big leader out there.
"These guys really stepped up, they'll continue on. Not that you can replace Matt, but it's a shot in the arm for these guys, because they know we'll really have to go to them."
The loss of Capps is just the latest obstacle for a Pirates team that has lost key players to injuries all season.
The team's top three hitters -- Jack Wilson, Ryan Doumit and Xavier Nady -- have all missed extensive time because of injuries this season. Two-fifths of the starting rotation is currently on the disabled list. Now, Capps has joined them.
On Wednesday, as it seemingly has after every crushing blow, the team once again responded with a never-say-die attitude.
It started with a brilliant performance by Denny Bautista, who relieved Van Benschoten in the third and allowed just two runners to reach base in a career-high 3 1/3 innings.
This came after Cincinnati had tallied five runs just 10 batters into the game.
"That was pretty big for us," Nady said of Bautista's performance. "It was big, especially with the way games have been going all series, back and forth."
It also has the Pirates looking like they may have gotten a steal in acquiring Bautista in a trade last week with the Tigers. Branded as someone with control problems, Bautista's command has been excellent since arriving in Pittsburgh.
"I feel pretty good with my shoulder now," said Bautista, who picked up his first win of the season. "I'm relaxed more."
Sean Burnett would follow Bautista, before John Grabow came on and struck out three in two innings. Yates then came in to close the door in the ninth, though by then, it as no longer a save situation.
"For some reason, that ninth inning, it's always a little harder to get those three outs," said Yates, who is likely to get some time in the closer's role in Capps' absence. "We'll still be able to handle it, even though Capps isn't down there."
All along, the bullpen was protecting a lead that Nady had provided with his second multihomer game of the season. After watching a four-run lead morph into a 5-4 deficit, Nady tied the game with a solo shot in the third.
Then, after hurting his ailing left shoulder as he fouled off a 1-0 pitch in the fifth, Nady took a cut at the next pitch he saw and sent it over the wall for a two-run blast to give the Pirates a 7-5 lead.
"As long as I can tolerate it, I'll be fine," Nady said of his shoulder. "Everybody was having good at-bats, getting on in front of me, and it's kind of contagious early on in a game."
The Pirates would add insurance runs on an Adam LaRoche triple in the seventh and a Jose Bautista homer in the ninth.
The offense had gotten off to an early start against Reds starter Daryl Thompson, knocking the Cincinnati righty for five consecutive hits to open the game.
But Van Benschoten, who was making the spot start in place of Ian Snell, would hand those runs right back by allowing five runs on three homers in the span of two innings. Once Russell watched him give up a one-out double in the third, the manager took the ball from the Cincinnati-area native.
"He was over the plate too much," Russell said. "In a ballpark like this, they're going to take advantage of it."
Assuming Snell and Phil Dumatrait return off the DL early next week, Van Benschoten will be headed back to Triple-A with looking for his first win as a starter since Sept. 10, 2004, still eluding him.
But the Pirates will move on, as they have all season, despite the seemingly unending bad breaks.
"Injuries are a part of the game, and we're going through a tough stretch right now," general manager Neal Huntington said. "They give a great effort and never say 'die.'"
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Lee fans career-high 11 to top Giants
CLEVELAND -- It is Cliff Lee's mental focus, more than his mechanics or his command or the dazzling numbers he continues to string together in 2008, that has impressed manager Eric Wedge most.
"What it takes to get [to that mental state] and hold onto it for two-plus hours," Wedge said, "says a great deal about him."
On Thursday night, Lee had to hold it even longer. His start against the Giants was delayed an hour and 42 minutes by rain.
But when the skies cleared, Lee was locked in. He turned in yet another stellar outing that will stand as evidence of his All-Star starting worth, as the Indians avoided a sweep with a 4-1 victory in front of 25,257 at Progressive Field.
In eight innings, Lee limited the Giants to a mere run on four hits. He walked one and set a career high with 11 strikeouts, and he looked to be in even greater command of the ballgame late than he was early.
Did the rain delay affect him?
"Evidently not," Wedge said with a laugh.
To Lee, the delay didn't mean a thing. In fact, in this season of vindication after his much-publicized disaster of an '07, nothing seems to distract Lee from his robotic routine of preparing for starts.
"I'm doing all the work I know I need to do to be ready," he said. "I try not to leave anything to chance. I know if I do the work I need to do, there's no reason I shouldn't have success. I'm healthy and my mechanics are sound, so if I do what I need to do, I can give the team a chance to win."
Lee's teammates didn't give him much of a chance to win his 11th game in his previous two starts. He limited the opposition to two runs or less and went at least 6 1/3 innings in each of those outings, but he was done in by a lack of relief support late both times.
The elusive 11th win, however, came easily this time around.
The Indians had no trouble giving Lee adequate run support against Giants right-hander Matt Cain. Jamey Carroll tripled off the left-field wall to bring in one run in the third, and Jhonny Peralta doubled to center to bring home two more. In the fourth, Carroll added another run with a two-out RBI single up the middle.
On an Indians team desperately searching for some offensive consistency, Carroll, the former utiltyman thrust into an everyday role because of Asdrubal Cabrera's struggles and Josh Barfield's finger injury, has been a pleasant surprise. He has batted .429 with seven RBIs and six multi-hit games over his last 15 games.
"He's taken [the opportunity] and run with it," Wedge said. "He knows himself very well. It's been two-fold for Jamey. He's been a guy who's been starting innings and also had some big hits in RBI situations."
Carroll's latter big hit extended the Tribe's lead back to three after Lee suffered his only hiccup -- Rich Aurilia's RBI single in the fourth.
Aside from that, Lee (11-1, 2.34 ERA) was unflappable. He struck out the side after giving up a leadoff single to Bengie Molina in the seventh, and he was perfect in his eighth and final inning.
"I had fastball command and was throwing my changeup over the plate for quality strikes," Lee said. "I was throwing it down when I needed to, keeping them off balance, and locating my fastball in and out and up and down."
Lee was particularly successful at exposing the Giants' rookies. Six of his strikeouts came against first-timers Travis Denker, Brian Horwitz and John Bowker.
"It was definitely a learning experience," Denker said. "Very impressive. I've never seen anything like that in a long time."
The long time Lee had to wait to make this start turned out to be very much worth the wait. And the wait for that inevitable call to inform him he's on the American League All-Star team continues.
All that really remains to be seen is whether or not Lee will get the starting nod in the July 15 Midsummer Classic at Yankee Stadium.
Not that Lee -- mentally locked into the grind of the season -- is thinking about such a possibility.
"I think about my next opponent that I've got to pitch to and try to prepare for that," he said. "I try not to get too far ahead of that. I'll start thinking about it if they tell me I made it. Until then, I'm not worried about it."
That's the mental focus that has caught the attention of Wedge and made Lee just the third pitcher this season -- joining the Angels' Joe Saunders and the Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb -- to reach 11 wins.
"Things are clicking a little more than [previous years]," Lee said. "It wasn't like I had bad habits before. I had stretches where I pitched pretty good, but not anything like this. It's not like I'm surprising myself. I've always had confidence in myself. It just seems like things are clicking."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Kuroda to miss start on Saturday
CINCINNATI -- Hiroki Kuroda will miss his next scheduled start, on Saturday against the Indians, with tendinitis and an impingement in his right shoulder, manager Joe Torre said.
Whether he'll go on the disabled list is yet to be determined, though Torre said it was a "probability." Reliever Chan Ho Park will start in Kuroda's place on Saturday whether or not Kuroda goes on the DL.
"It's a probability based on the fact that the last time he pitched was [June 12]," Torre said. "It's been a while anyway, so you count all those days up, it wouldn't put him on the DL very long. But it hasn't been done, so I don't want to say for sure."
If Kuroda is placed on the DL, the move would be retroactive to June 13, enabling him to return on June 28. He will have missed his scheduled start on Wednesday, which was taken over by Derek Lowe, and on Saturday, for which Park will fill in.
Kuroda was sent home prior to Tuesday's series opener with the Reds after informing Torre that he was experiencing soreness in his right shoulder. He underwent an MRI exam on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles with the team's physician, Dr. Neal Ellattrache.
Kuroda had kept his condition quiet all season and didn't inform Torre until he arrived at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday afternoon. Torre sent him home immediately.
If Kuroda goes to the DL, the corresponding roster move would be to bring up a pitcher, perhaps a starter, from Triple-A Las Vegas to put in the bullpen, Torre said.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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