Interleague Game Capsules
May 18th, 2007
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Placido Polanco went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs knocked in and two runs scored as Detroit Tigers avenged last season's World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals with a 14-4 rout in the opener of a three-game interleague set. St. Louis beat the Tigers in five games to capture last year's Fall Classic. Friday, however, was a different story as the Tigers pounded out 18 hits to score three more runs than they did in the entire series against the Cardinals. Gary Sheffield hit a two-run home run and had three RBI and Curtis Granderson also knocked in three runs for the Tigers, who rebounded from a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Boston on Thursday. Magglio Ordonez went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and three runs scored for Detroit while Sean Casey went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. All of the run support gave Andrew Miller (1-0) the win in his first major league start. Miller, who was recalled from Double-A Erie before the game, scattered four hits in six innings of work, striking out two and walking three. Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI for the Cardinals, who are a far cry from last year's championship winners. St. Louis has lost three in a row and sits in fifth place in the NL Central with a record of 16-23. Braden Looper (5-3) was tagged for nine hits and seven runs in four-plus innings of work.
Final Score: Chicago Cubs 6, Chicago White Sox 3
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Angel Pagan went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI, as the Chicago Cubs came back to top the cross-town rival White Sox, 6-3, in the opener of a three-game interleague set at Wrigley Field. Michael Barrett homered and Aramis Ramirez had three hits for the Cubs, who snapped a two- game skid. Ted Lilly (4-2) got the start and pitched seven strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Opposing starter Mark Buehrle put up a similar line, throwing 6 2/3 innings of three-run, six-hit ball but came up with the no-decision. Mike MacDougal (1-1) took the loss after yielding three runs -- one earned -- in less than an inning of work. Jermaine Dye homered for the White Sox, who have dropped two of three.
Final Score: Florida 8, Tampa Bay 4
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Aaron Boone hit a grand slam to help the Florida Marlins to an 8-4 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Tropicana Field. Reggie Abercrombie had two hits and two RBI while Josh Willingham scored a pair of runs for the Marlins, who have won three of four. Byung-Hyun Kim (2-2), who made his debut with Florida after being acquired from Colorado last Sunday for closer Jorge Julio, got the win as he was charged with three runs -- two earned -- on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Ty Wigginton had a pair of solo home runs while Edwin Jackson (0-6) continued to struggle on the mound as he was banged up for six runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings for the Devil Rays, who had a season-high four-game winning streak stopped.
Final Score: NY Mets 3, NY Yankees 2
Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Endy Chavez hit his first home run of the season to lead the Mets to a 3-2 victory over the Yankees in the opener of the annual interleague Subway Series at Shea Stadium. Mets starter Oliver Perez (5-3) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out five and walking two. Perez has now won three of his last four starts. Paul Lo Duca finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles for the Mets, who have won three straight and eight of their last 10 games overall. Andy Pettitte (2-3) started for the Yankees and gave up three runs on five hits in seven innings. The veteran left-hander fanned four and walked just one in his second straight loss. Hideki Matsui ended 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Yankees, who have lost two straight and four of their last five games. Despite the loss, the Yankees did get good news Friday as Roger Clemens pitched four solid innings in his first minor league start since rejoining the team, giving up just one run for Class-A Tampa. Clemens threw 58 pitches, gave up just three hits, including a home run in the first inning, while striking out two and not walking a batter. Seven of his 12 outs recorded came on ground balls.
Atlanta at Boston, postponed
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Friday night's game between the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park has been postponed due to wet grounds and inclement weather. The game has been rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader for Saturday, May 19, beginning at 7:35 p.m. The opener of the day-night doubleheader will be played at the regularly scheduled time of 1:05 p.m. The forecast calls for continued moderate to heavy rain throughout Friday afternoon and evening and the forecast for Saturday also calls for showers.
Final Score: Baltimore 5, Washington 4
Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Brian Roberts matched a career high with four hits as the Baltimore Orioles edged the Washington Nationals, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game interleague set at RFK Stadium. Starter Steve Trachsel (2-3) lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out two. Chris Ray pitched the ninth inning for his ninth save of the season, retiring Ryan Zimmerman on a lineout to left with runners at the corners to end the game. Corey Patterson and Jay Payton drove in runs with a pair of sacrifice flies and Roberts had three singles and a double for the Orioles, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Washington starter Jason Simontacchi (1-2) went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and one walk while fanning six. Dmitri Young and Zimmerman both homered for the Nationals, who had won six of seven coming in.
Final Score: Philadelphia 5, Toronto 3
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Jon Lieber allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in seven-plus innings, as the streaking Philadelphia Phillies continued their 10-game homestand with a 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in interleague action from Citizens Bank Park. Lieber (2-2) has pitched well since moving into the rotation from the bullpen, but the Phils right-hander had dropped his last two starts coming into the game. Brett Myers, who swapped Lieber's starting spot earlier in the season, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth for his fifth save of the campaign. Aaron Rowand finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for the Phillies, who have won seven of their last nine. Greg Dobbs and Shane Victorino notched the only other hits for the Phils in the win. Aaron Hill and Matt Stairs both homered for the Blue Jays, who began a nine-game road swing after wrapping up a nine-game homestand with a three-game sweep of Baltimore. Lyle Overbay ended 2-for-4. Right-hander Dustin McGowan (0-1), who is replacing the injured Gustavo Chacin in the rotation, gave up five runs on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings, in his third start of the season for Toronto. He retired the first nine batters without allowing a hit through four frames before crumbling in the fifth.
Final Score: Cleveland 9, Cincinnati 4
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Grady Sizemore went 4-for-5 with three RBI as the Cleveland Indians beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-4, in the opening game of a three-game interleague series at Jacobs Field. Sizemore belted his seventh homer of the season, a two-run blast in the third, stole a base and scored three runs for the Indians, who have won five of their last six games. Ryan Garko hit a three-run homer and Jhonny Peralta went 3-for-4 with an RBI to bolster the offense. Cliff Lee (2-0) allowed four runs - two earned - and six hits over six innings in the win. The left-hander improved to 8-0 in 11 career starts against National League opponents. He is now 3-0 against the Reds in his career. Kyle Lohse (1-5) was tagged for seven runs - five earned - and seven hits in just 1 1/3 innings for the Reds. The right-hander, who has not earned a win since beating the Chicago Cubs on April 15, had his shortest outing since 2001 with Minnesota. He has an 8.03 ERA in his last five starts and is the first Red to lose five straight since John Smiley from April 6-28, 1997. Brandon Phillips extended his hitting streak to a career-best 20 games for Cincinnati, which has lost six of seven. Ryan Freel added a bases-loaded triple.
Final Score: Texas 7, Houston 4
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Nelson Cruz and Ramon Vazquez hit back-to-back home runs and Robinson Tejeda had a no-hitter through five innings as the Texas Rangers beat the Astros 7-4 in the opener of a three-game interleague set at Minute Maid Park. Tejeda (4-3) was flawless before surrendering two hits and a walk in the sixth. Scott Feldman relieved him and worked out of the jam. Tejeda yielded just one run and two hits in five-plus innings, walking four and striking out six. The Astros scored four runs off the Rangers' bullpen, but Eric Gagne pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second save in as many tries. Vazquez finished with three hits, Sammy Sosa had two RBI and Kenny Lofton scored twice for the Rangers, who snapped a four- game losing streak. Brad Ausmus, Mike Lamb and Carlos Lee all drove in a run for the Astros, who have dropped two in a row since their four-game winning streak. Matt Albers (1-3) lasted only three innings, allowing five runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out four.
Final Score: Minnesota 8, Milwaukee 1
Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Boof Bonser notched a career-high 11 strikeouts, and Torii Hunter belted his eighth career grand slam as the Minnesota Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-1, in the first game of a three- game interleague series at Miller Park. Bonser (2-1) tossed seven innings of one-run, three-hit ball for Minnesota, which has won five of the last six games he has started. Jeff Cirillo hit his first homer of the season, a two- run shot in the seventh, and also chipped in with an RBI triple against his former team, as the Twins won for just the second time in their last nine games and third in their last 11. Chris Capuano (5-2) allowed six runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in the loss for Milwaukee. He walked four and struck out two while dropping his second straight game. The left-hander suffered his first loss of the season to the New York Mets on May 13. Bill Hall had the lone RBI for the Brewers, who have dropped six of their last eight games.
Final Score: Oakland 15, San Francisco 3
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Barry Zito struggled in his return to Oakland and the A's, behind a grand slam by Mark Ellis and a two-run home run by Dan Johnson, roughed up their former Cy Young teammate and defeated the San Francisco Giants, 15-3, in the opener of a three-game interleague set. Zito (3-5), who pitched seven seasons for Oakland and helped the club capture four American League West titles as well as a wild-card berth during his tenure, tied a career-high with seven walks and was tagged for six hits and seven runs in four-plus innings of work. The 29-year-old southpaw, who compiled a 102-63 record in an Athletics uniform and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2002, bolted from his original team over the winter and signed a seven-year, $126-million free-agent contract with San Francisco. Ellis finished with five RBI while Johnson went 2-for-3 with three walks and four runs scored for the A's, who had lost three of their last four. Nick Swisher, Jack Cust and Bobby Crosby each had two RBI for Oakland while Eric Chavez also scored three runs. Chad Gaudin (3-1) picked up the win after yielding seven hits and two runs in six innings of work. Barry Bonds' homerless drought hit eight games, as the legendary slugger went 2-for-3 with a walk for the Giants, who have lost three of four. Bonds remains 10 home runs shy of tying Hank Aaron's all-time record.
Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 9, LA Dodgers 1
Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Reggie Willits finished 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and scored twice, as the latest edition of the Freeway Series got underway with the LA Angels of Anaheim routing the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-1, in the first of three straight interleague matchups between the Southern California foes. Maicer Izturis went 2-for-3 and scored two runs with an RBI for the Angels, who won their third straight. Casey Kotchman ended 2-for-4 and scored twice in the win. Ervin Santana (3-5), who stopped a four- start winless streak, gave up one run on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings for the Angels. Rafael Furcal finished 2-for-4 for the Dodgers, who entered the set with victories in five of their last six contests and took the final two matchups of a three-game series with defending world champion St. Louis earlier this week. Russell Martin went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the loss. Brad Penny (5-1) allowed eight runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five- plus frames for his first loss in nine starts.
Final Score: San Diego 8, Seattle 1
Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Mike Cameron went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two runs batted in, as San Diego downed Seattle, 8-1, in the opener of a three-game interleague series from Safeco Field. Chris Young got the start for San Diego and gave up just one run on six hits in 6 2/3 strong innings. Young (5-3) also struck out five and walked one. Russell Branyan added a three-run homer for the Padres, who have won two straight and four of their last five games overall. Seattle starter Miguel Batista pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up four runs -- one earned -- on six hits. Batista (3-4) also struck out four and walked four in the loss. Ichiro Suzuki ended 2-for-4 and stole three bases for the Mariners, who have lost three straight.