Last Updated on August 22, 2008 9:23 am by admin
SCOREBOARD
Saturday, Aug. 23
New York Yankees at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EDT). Carl Pavano is the New York Yankees’ scheduled starter for the first time this season. After signing a $39.95 million, four-year contract with New York before the 2005 season, Pavano has been limited to 19 appearances and only two since June 27, 2005.
STARS
Thursday
– Grady Sizemore, Indians, drove in seven runs with a three-run triple in the second, a run-scoring single in the sixth and a three-run homer in the eighth in a 10-3 victory over Kansas City.
– Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks, pitched seven shutout innings for his career-high and major league-leading 19th victory in Arizona’s 4-1 win over San Diego.
– Cliff Lee, Indians, earned his AL-best 18th victory and seventh straight decision in a 10-3 win over Kansas City.
– Roy Halladay, Blue Jays, improved to 13-5 in 30 career games against the New York Yankees and helped Toronto to a 14-3 rout.
– Carlos Delgado, Mets, tied his career high with five hits, the last a run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth that gave New York a 5-4 win over Atlanta.
– Carlos Zambrano, Cubs, earned his 13th victory on the fourth try and hit his fourth homer of the season to lift Chicago to a 3-2 victory against Cincinnati.
NATIONAL GAINS
Austin Kearns hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night. Washington (45-83) still owns the worst record in the majors.
PIRATE SAILS
Utilityman Jose Bautista was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday for a player to be named. The 27-year-old hit .242 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 107 games for Pittsburgh this season, then was demoted to Triple-A this month.
HOMER ZAMBRANO
Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano hit his fourth homer of the season – and the fifth of his career against the Reds. Zambrano also earned his 15th victory of the season in Chicago’s 3-2 win Thursday.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Before the end of the regular season, Major League Baseball will start allowing umpires to review video to determine boundary calls on home runs, such as whether they cleared fences or went by the foul pole in fair territory.
STREAKING OUT WEST
The Dodgers’ 3-1 win Thursday over Colorado helped Los Angeles go 7-3 on a 10-game homestand and kept the team two games behind NL West-leading Arizona. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Rockies, who scored 36 runs in three wins in Washington and two more at Dodger Stadium. It also ended Colorado’s four-game winning streak against the Dodgers.
GIANT GAINS
Four days after Emmanuel Burriss’ costly baserunning gaffe, the San Francisco Giants’ rookie made an aggressive play pay off. Burriss moved from second base to third on a routine fly ball to left, then scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the San Francisco Giants a 4-3 victory over the Florida Marlins 4-3 on Thursday. San Francisco (55-72) won for the fourth time in five games and improved to 19-13 against the NL East, the only division the Giants have a winning record against this season.
YOUNG GUNS
gs in major league history is 0.38, by Boston’s Buck O’Brien in 1911.
ROYAL BLUE
Kansas City outfielder Mitch Maier’s right eye was swollen shut and his nose still bleeding Thursday, less than 24 hours after being hit in the face with a pitch. The Royals placed Maier on the 15-day disabled list with multiple facial fractures. Maier was hit by a pitch from Cleveland left-hander Zach Jackson in the fifth inning of Kansas City’s 8-5 loss Wednesday.
PITCHING PAVANO
Carl Pavano will return to the New York Yankees and start for the team on Saturday at Baltimore. The 32-year-old right-hander signed a $39.95 million, four-year contract with the Yankees before the 2005 season but injuries to his shoulder, back, buttocks, elbow and ribs have limited him to only 19 appearances for New York, just two since June 27, 2005. He is 5-6 for the Yankees.
SPEAKING
“I expect to catch that ball. I’ve got to catch that. I’d been playing Punto to pull all night, and he hit it right where I was supposed to be. If it hits your glove, you’ve got to catch that. I make those plays nine out of 10 times.” – Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter, who couldn’t corral a triple hit by Minnesota’s Nick Punto, leading to the winning run in the Twins’ 2-1 victory Thursday night.
SEASONS
Aug. 23
1906 – On their way to the American League pennant, the Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Senators 4-1 for their 19th straight victory.
1907 – Pittsburgh’s Howie Camnitz pitched a five-inning, no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader at New York. The Pirates beat the Giants 1-0.
1931 – Lefty Grove of the Philadelphia Athletics was beaten 1-0 by Dick Coffman of the St. Louis Browns, snapping a personal 16-game winning streak. A misjudged fly ball by outfielder Jim Moore led to the winning run.
1936 – In his first major league start, 17-year-old Bob Feller struck out 15 Browns as the Cleveland Indians beat St. Louis 4-1. Feller gave up six hits and allowed four walks.
1952 – During a game against the Cardinals at the Polo Grounds, the Giants’ Bob Elliott complained and kicked dirt arguing over a called strike. Umpire Augie Donatelli ejected him from the game. Bobby Hoffman finished the at-bat by being called out on strikes and was also ejected by Donatelli for arguing the call.
1982 – Seattle pitcher Gaylord Perry was ejected in the seventh inning for allegedly throwing a spitball against the Red Sox. It was the first ejection for Perry, who was subsequently suspended for 10 days.
1989 – Rick Dempsey’s leadoff homer in the 22nd inning gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0 victory against the Montreal Expos in the second-longest shutout in major league history.
1992 – There were no hits in Clearwater’s 1-0 victory over Winter Haven in the Class A Florida State League. In what appeared to be the first professional game in 40 years without a hit, Andy Carter and the Clearwater Phillies beat Scott Bakkum and the Winter Haven Red Sox. The only run scored in the seventh inning on a pair of walks and a pair of sacrifice bunts.
1998 – Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs hit his 50th and 51st homers against the Houston Astros. Mark McGwire hit his 53rd at Pittsburgh marking just the second time two National League hitters have 50 homers in the same season. In 1947, Ralph Kiner of Pittsburgh and the New York Giants’ Johnny Mize tied for the league lead with 51 each.
1998 – Barry Bonds became the first player in major league history to hit 400 home runs and steal 400 bases when he homered off Florida’s Kirt Ojala in the second inning of San Francisco’s game at Florida. Bonds, who hit his 26th homer of the season, had 438 steals.
2001 – Randy Johnson struck out 16 in seven innings to become the first pitcher to strike out 300 in four straight seasons, only to see his eight-game winning streak end as Kevin Young’s two-run homer led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 victory over Arizona.
Today’s birthdays: Denny Bautista 28; Casey Blake 35.