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Rays/MLB

NL roundup

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published May 28, 2006

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GIANTS 4, ROCKIES 1 : SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds might be taking his pursuit to pass the Babe back on the road.

Bonds went without a home run for his fifth straight game, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run in the Giants' victory over the Rockies.

Giants manager Felipe Alou wasn't sure whether Bonds would play in Sunday's series finale before the team heads out of town for three games at Florida followed by three against the Mets in New York.

Matt Cain, who pitched a one-hit shutout last Sunday at Oakland that ended a four-start winless stretch after he had his turn in the rotation skipped once, allowed two hits. Armando Benitez recorded the final three outs for his first save since May 8 and third in five chances.

Josh Fogg lost for the first time in six career appearances against the Giants.

NOTABLE: Bonds splashed a foul ball into McCovey Cove some 400 feet away on the third pitch he saw leading off the second inning, then lined out to right field one pitch later. That foul into the water was the closest he's come to homering at home in 21/2 weeks.

BRAVES 2, CUBS 1 : CHICAGO - If Horacio Ramirez wanted to test the sore hamstring that kept him out since the third game of the season, he did it Saturday. And then some.

The Atlanta lefty pitched seven strong innings, singled, ran all the way home from first base for the go-ahead run on Marcus Giles' second-inning double, and made two nice plays covering the bag at first.

"I was real happy with the way things went. I don't think I've had to run that much in a game my whole life," Ramirez said after beating the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Saturday.

Ramirez (1-0), who hurt his left hamstring running out a bunt single in his season debut April 5 at Los Angeles, didn't appear rusty after a long layoff.

"I felt great out there. After the second or third inning, I got real comfortable," Ramirez said. "Hopefully this is a building block for me. I'm hoping for a few more starts like this."

The victory was the 12th in 16 games for the Braves.

The Cubs, meanwhile, continued their free fall.

A crowd of 41,526, the largest at Wrigley Field since 1978, watched on a spectacular 75-degree day as Chicago lost for the 20th time in 24 games.

QUOTABLE: "We're not very good right now. That being said, you have to have a little magic, you got to have a little luck. We got nothing going for us right now." - Cubs 1B Todd Walker

BREWERS 9, PHILLIES 6 : PHILADELPHIA - Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall homered in the eighth inning to help the Brewers win their third straight road game.

Carlos Lee also homered and Hall drove in four runs for the Brewers, who have won all five games over Philadelphia this season.

Jimmy Rollins had three hits with a homer and three runs scored for the Phillies, who have lost nine of 11 since going 13-1 at the start of the month.

Weeks, who is hitting .500 (12-for-24) in his last seven games, launched a two-run homer into the leftfield seats off reliever Ryan Franklin for his fifth homer of the season. Hall's shot went even farther, reaching the second deck in left field for his 12th homer.

Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand went 0-for-4 in his return from the 15-day DL, but received a standing ovation from the fans.

NOTABLE: Franklin has surrendered six homers in just 232/3 innings.

D'BACKS 7, REDS 0 : CINCINNATI - Juan Cruz gave the Reds fits with his cut fastball a night after Arizona teammate Brandon Webb baffled Cincinnati with his sinker.

Cruz, relying more and more on a pitch he just started using in February, had six shutout innings over the slumping Reds, striking out five and walking two to earn his first win in his last four starts.

"Obviously, we're pitching very well," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "All of his pitches he located for strikes. When he's locating his fastball, he becomes unpredictable."

And he's beginning to trust his newest pitch.

"I threw a lot of cutters the last three innings," Cruz said. "I can control it. I don't throw strikes with it every time, but I have confidence in it."

Orlando Hudson had three hits as the Diamondbacks earned their seventh win in their last eight games. His three-run home run in the eighth sealed the win.

NOTABLE: The Diamondbacks now are 10 games over .500 for the first time since they were 54-44 on July 20, 2003.

CARDINALS 4, PADRES 3 : SAN DIEGO - Albert Pujols didn't have to hit a home run to help beat San Diego.

With a glance at catcher Yadier Molina, the slugging first baseman set in motion a pickoff throw that nailed Brian Giles for the final out.

"When you get a pickoff like that to end the game, it feels like a walkoff home run," Molina said.

"This is teamwork," Pujols said. "That's why you practice things in spring training, you know, hopefully to help you win some games like today."

Closer Jason Isringhausen retired the first two Padres in the ninth before Mike Cameron singled and Giles walked.

When Giles took a big lead off first with left-hander Josh Bard batting, Pujols made eye contact with Molina. On the next pitch the catcher wheeled behind Bard and threw to Pujols, who tagged the surprised Giles.

QUOTABLE: "I could sugarcoat it, but you can't get picked off in that situation." - Giles

METS 7, MARLINS 4 : MIAMI - Tom Glavine's brush with perfection helped New York avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season.

Glavine carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing a hit, and pitched 72/3 strong innings in the win.

"You think about it but I don't think about it realistically," Glavine said of his no-hit bid. "For me to throw a no-hitter and perfect game, so many things would have to line up right."

But Glavine's ability to hit the corners and change speeds was more than enough in a nine-strikeout, no-walk performance.

Reggie Abercrombie broke up Glavine's bid to become the first Mets pitcher with a perfect game or a no-hitter when he led off the sixth with a double.

NOTABLE: Glavine won his sixth straight start and 283rd career game, tying him with Jim Kaat for 28th on the all-time list.

QUOTABLE: "It was a combination of location and stuff. I did a good job of mixing my pitches." - Glavine

DODGERS 3, NATIONALS 1 : WASHINGTON - Los Angeles returned to the formula that has served it so well lately: Stingy pitchers and a clutch hit from Nomar Garciaparra.

Derek Lowe allowed one run over seven innings to win his second straight start, and Garciaparra singled in the deciding run in the eighth.

"These are fun games to be a part of," Lowe said. "You want to be in games where every pitch counts, and it's good to come out on the winning side when you do have games like that."

The Dodgers have won seven of eight, allowing one run or no runs in five of their last six. The only hiccup was Friday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals, when Brett Tomko was chased after 42/3.

NOTABLE: Lowe prevailed in a pitchers' duel that spoiled the return of Nationals starter Shawn Hill.

QUOTABLE: "It was an outstanding performance by the kid. You couldn't ask for any more than that." - Nationals manager Frank Robinson on Lowe

[Last modified May 28, 2006, 01:28:09]

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