Jones' hot bat lifts Braves in ninth
Associated PressPublished June 26, 2005
ATLANTA - Andruw Jones lifted a 1-2 pitch just over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth Saturday to give Atlanta a 5-4 win over Baltimore as the Braves recovered after wasting a four-run lead.
"I was trying to get it over with, and I came through," Jones said.
The homer gave Jones the major league lead with 23. He has hit home runs in six of the last eight games - including a two-homer game.
Atlanta took a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning, but Baltimore scored one run in the eighth and tied the game with three runs off closer Chris Reitsma in the ninth.
"To come back like that and to lose it on the first hitter, it's a bitter pill to swallow," Baltimore manager Lee Mazzilli said.
RED SOX 7, PHILLIES 1: Matt Clement pitched seven strong innings, leading visiting Boston to its sixth straight win.
Trot Nixon and Bill Mueller each had two doubles and one RBI, and Edgar Renteria had three hits and drove in a run.
RANGERS 6, ASTROS 5: Michael Young homered twice and drove in three runs, rookie Chris Young took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and the visiting Rangers ended a five-game losing streak.
METS 10, YANKEES 3: Cliff Floyd hit a pair of two-run homers, David Wright also connected and the visiting Mets routed the Yankees for their second consecutive Subway Series victory.
Bernie Williams had another embarrassing lapse in center field, and rookie Sean Henn was roughed up again for the Yankees, who have dropped five of six to the Devil Rays and Mets - both last-place teams.
ATHLETICS 6, GIANTS 3: Dan Haren outpitched college buddy Noah Lowry in their first major league matchup, and Nick Swisher hit a three-run homer to lead host Oakland.
Alex Sanchez, claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on Thursday, was involved in two of San Francisco's errors.
CUBS 6, WHITE SOX 2: Aramis Ramirez hit the fifth grand slam of his career, Greg Maddux allowed two runs in six innings, and the visiting Cubs stopped the White Sox's eight-game winning streak.
With his 312th win, Maddux moved past Tom Seaver into sole possession of 17th place on the career list.
ROCKIES 4, ROYALS 2: Runelvys Hernandez forced in runs with walks to pitcher Jeff Francis and Eddy Garabito in the second inning, and host Colorado handed AL-worst Kansas City its fifth straight loss.
PADRES 8, MARINERS 5: Xavier Nady and Khalil Greene hit consecutive homers in the third inning as host San Diego won despite a poor start by Jake Peavy.
Given an early seven-run lead, Peavy allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings, raising his ERA from 2.56 to 2.88.
San Diego broke open the game in the bottom half of the third when Nady hit a three-run homer and Greene followed with another homer to left.
NATIONALS 5, BLUE JAYS 2: Livan Hernandez won his career-best 10th straight decision, and Washington extended its home winning streak to 12.
Marlon Byrd drove in two runs for Washington, which leads the NL with 26 home wins. Chad Cordero got four outs for his major league-best 25th save in 27 chances.
BREWERS 7, TWINS 6: Rookie Prince Fielder hit his first major league home run, a pinch-hit, three-run drive in the sixth inning that led host Milwaukee.
After J.J. Hardy sacrificed, Fielder batted for pitcher Matt Wise (1-2). The 21-year-old son of former major league star Cecil Fielder hit Crain's next pitch 426 feet to left-center field to give the Brewers a 7-5 lead.
INDIANS 12, REDS 7: Ben Broussard hit two of host Cleveland's five homers and Jake Westbrook got some unaccustomed run support.
Cleveland, which scored eight runs in the third to overcome a 3-1 deficit, had a season-high 21 hits. Tampa native Jason Romano, called up by the Reds from Triple-A Louisville, hit a two-run homerun.
TIGERS 5, D'BACKS 1: Omar Infante doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning to lead visiting Detroit. Placido Polanco had three hits, including an RBI single in the Tigers' four-run seventh.Ivan Rodriguez, Chris Shelton, Brandon Inge and Rondell White also had run-scoring hits for Detroit.
ANGELS 3, DODGERS 1: Rookie Ervin Santana overcame a shaky start to pitch 62/3 solid innings and Orlando Cabrera hit a two-run double in the host Angels' win. The Angels have beaten the Dodgers four times in five games this season and in 11 of the last 15 meetings between the teams.CARDINALS 8, PIRATES 0: Chris Carpenter pitched a four-hitter, and Yadier Molina, Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols homered for host St. Louis.
Three straight singles, including a run-scoring hit by So Taguchi, and a balk by Redman highlighted the fourth. Pujols connected off Ryan Vogelsong in the seventh for his 20th homer.