Geovany Soto’s first inside-the-park home run will be one that he won’t forget.
It should have been an automatic homer, but for the second straight night major league umpires botched a home run call. So Soto had to run the bases for his three-run homer in the Chicago Cubs’ 7-2 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night.
“Never in my whole life had I had an inside-the-park home run,” Soto said. “I didn’t think it was out. It’s so big that left-center area I didn’t think I hit it over it. I thought double, maybe triple if they misplayed it.”
Replays showed the ball bounced just to the right of the yellow line on the wall in left-center field.
Third base umpire Ed Rapuano defended his call saying, “The ball hit the yellow line that designates home run, no home run,” he said.
When asked if there was any question in his mind when he made the call, he said: “No. I called what I saw.”
New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado was robbed of a three-run homer Sunday night when his ball was originally ruled a home run but the call was reversed, turning it into a long foul. Just like Soto’s hit, the replay showed it should have been a home run.
Delgado ended up with an RBI single.
In the other NL games on Monday night, it was: Washington 4, Philadelphia 0; Colorado 4, San Francisco 3; St. Louis 8, San Diego 2; and Los Angeles 6, Cincinnati 5.
In Houston, Aramis Ramirez singled and Kosuke Fukudome walked before the hit. Ramirez added an indisputable two-run homer to the back row of the stands in the left field Crawford Boxes in the ninth inning.
Soto’s was the first inside-the-park home run for a catcher since Joe Mauer of the Twins hit one against the Angels on July 21, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last National League catcher to achieve the feat was Kelly Stinnett for Arizona on Aug. 29, 2005.
It’s been almost 49 years since a Cubs catcher hit an inside-the-park homer, dating back to Cal Neeman’s hit on June 17, 1959, against Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix. Derrek Lee hit one for the Cubs on Aug. 26. Soto’s inside-the-parker was the third in Minute Maid Park history.
The win was Chicago’s ninth in the last 11 and puts the Cubs at 11 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2004 season at 16 over.
Astros starter Brian Moehler (1-1) allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings.
Ty Wigginton dived for, but missed Ryan Theriot’s hard-hit grounder down the third-base line in the seventh inning for a double. Theriot scored on a single by Lee to push Chicago’s lead to 4-2.
Ted Lilly (5-4) allowed four hits and two runs with six strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings for his fourth straight win.
Nationals 4, Phillies 0
At Washington, Ryan Zimmerman saved a run or two with a quick stab to stop a double down the left-field line in the first inning, charged a two-hopper barehanded to throw out the swift Shane Victorino in the fifth, then made a tough catch look routine when pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs hit a foul popup in the seventh.
With the help of his third baseman’s flawless defense, Tim Redding (6-3) threw 6 1-3 scoreless innings and the Nationals opened a seven-game homestand with a win over the Phillies.
Brett Myers (2-5) allowed eight hits and three runs with two walks and three strikeouts over six innings.
Rockies 4, Giants 3
At Denver, Clint Barmes homered and Yorvit Torrealba added a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth, leading the Rockies to a win over slumping San Francisco, which has lost a season-high six straight.
Jason Grilli (1-0) got two outs in the sixth to earn his first win as a member of the Rockies. Brian Fuentes pitched around an opening single in the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.
Vinnie Chulk (0-3) took the loss.
Cardinals 8, Padres 2
At San Diego, Albert Pujols hit two mighty home runs, and Cesar Izturis and Ryan Ludwick also went yard in leading the Cardinals over the punchless Padres.
It was the third straight win for the Cardinals, who got to face Wil Ledezma (0-1) instead of Padres ace Jake Peavy, who could be heading for the disabled list due to soreness in his pitching elbow. The four homers were the most in a game this year for the Cardinals, who tied their season high with 16 hits.
Starter Todd Wellemeyer (5-1) hit an RBI single and held the Padres to two runs in six innings. He walked three and struck out two.
Dodgers 6, Reds 5
At Los Angeles, rookie Blake DeWitt’s bases-loaded RBI single with one out in the ninth inning helped the Dodgers end the Reds’ six-game winning streak.
Russell Martin led off the ninth against David Weathers (1-3) with an infield single up the middle and continued to second when shortstop Paul Janish threw the ball over the head of first baseman Joey Votto and into the dugout.
Martin advanced on Jeff Kent’s groundout, and Weathers intentionally walked James Loney and Matt Kemp before DeWitt stroked an opposite-field hit to left. He is 6-for-6 with 12 RBIs in bases-loaded situations.
Takashi Saito (2-1) pitched a perfect ninth for the victory.
Adam Dunn tied a Cincinnati record by homering in his fifth straight game.
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