Offense backs up Slowey's gem
MINNEAPOLIS -- On Aug. 19, 2007, Minnesota starter Johan Santana was blowing away Texas with a lethal barrage of filthy pitches. The two-time Cy Young winner struck out a Twins franchise-record 17 hitters in eight innings of a 1-0 victory.
Exactly one year later Kevin Slowey took the mound. He didn't blow anyone away. He didn't elicit shakes of the head from baffled A's hitters.
Instead, Slowey stuck to his usual script -- throwing strikes and attacking hitters -- while racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts as Minnesota drilled Oakland, 13-2. It was the most whiffs by a Twins pitcher since Santana's gem. Slowey maxed out in the low-90's, but effectively mixed four pitches and threw 82 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
"I'd love to throw 96-97 [mph], but I definitely don't," Slowey said. "I don't have a slider like Joe Nathan, [either], but [pitching coach Rick Anderson] and [manager Ron Gardenhire] and [backup catcher Mike Redmond] are huge proponents of location over velocity."
Slowey allowed only one earned run on five hits while not walking a batter in seven innings to earn the victory. He received a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 35,256 as he walked back to the dugout after the top of the seventh inning. The right-hander tipped his cap to acknowledge the fans.
The Twins' bats gave Slowey plenty of run support as they knocked around A's starter Sean Gallagher to the tune of 10 earned runs in five innings.
Brian Buscher began the barrage with a two-run homer over the right-field baggie in the second to give Minnesota its first lead.
"I had two strikes on me -- trying to put something in play, and got it up in the air," Buscher said.
Gallagher's struggles helped Carlos Gomez break out of a prolonged funk after not starting in consecutive games. Minnesota's young center fielder turned on an inside slider and belted it over the left-field wall for a two-run homer in the fifth. The home run snapped a 0-for-14 stretch for Gomez and was his first round-tripper since June 6 at Chicago -- a span of 224 at-bats.
"We finally had to make him smile," Gardenhire said. "He didn't even want to smile when he was coming in. He was trying to act all serious. We told him: 'Smile, son. That's a home run.' That was nice to see. He worked really hard in extra BP today staying on the ball. The guy hung a breaking ball, and he deposited it in the seats. That may be a boost for him."
Buscher went 3-for-4 and tied a career high with five RBIs. The success was especially surprising because Buscher and Denard Span were not feeling well prior to the game. Both had upset stomachs, but didn't carry the effects onto the field. Span's RBI triple to right-center field came two batters after Buscher's homer. Buscher joked after the game that the ailments helped them play better.
Every Twins starter recorded at least one hit.
"On and on, up and down the lineup, we had a bunch of guys whacking the ball around and running around," Gardenhire said.
The Twins had built a 6-1 lead by the third inning, and Slowey cruised from there.
"You get an opportunity when we get up big like that to really pound the strike zone," Slowey said.
"He pitched a real good game," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He got a big lead and did what you're supposed to do: be aggressive."
Slowey elicited 10 swinging strikeouts. He estimated that he shook off catcher Joe Mauer only twice during the game.
The right-hander kept the ball down throughout the night, stymieing an A's team that has struggled mightily in the 30 games since the All-Star break. In that time, Oakland is 6-24, while batting .217 and averaging 2.77 runs per game.
The win helps the Twins keep pace in the AL Central race with the White Sox, who also won.
"These are games that we need to win," Span said. "We're playing a team that is struggling a little bit this year. Games like this are games we're supposed to win. It's hard to get up for games like this, and we came out and played real well."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Wells' slam backs Purcey in Jays' win
DETROIT -- David Purcey has the physical tools to be a solid starter for the Blue Jays. It's the mental side of his craft that Toronto wants the young pitcher to continue to hone as he gets used to life in the rotation.
When discussing Purcey this week, Blue Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg stressed that the left-hander needs to maintain his focus, because the starter can be practically unhittable at times. Purcey looked to have heeded Arnsberg's advice on Wednesday night, when he guided Toronto to a 4-3 victory over Detroit at Comerica Park.
"He's got to keep his focus and he's got to be able to throw the ball over the plate," Arnsberg said. "When he's in the zone, he's tough -- he's real tough. They don't see it. They don't like hitting off of him."
The Tigers certainly didn't look like they were having a good time against Purcey, and they probably were grateful for the 49-minute rain delay that chased the 6-foot-5 southpaw from the game after six innings. With Purcey on the hill, Detroit's lineup needed 18 tries before finally recording a hit.
Following Purcey's exit, the Tigers managed some late drama, rallying for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The would-be comeback by Detroit was too little, too late, though, still allowing Purcey's performance to stand out when it was all said and done for the Blue Jays (62-59).
"The kid did just an outstanding job for us," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "You can see him coming. He still has to work on getting ahead of the hitters a little more often than he did tonight. Even though he got behind, he managed to battle those guys and hold them to two hits."
Purcey sliced his way through the first 17 hitters he faced, creating nine flyouts, striking out four and inducing one groundout along the way. His only blips came in the form of three walks, but Purcey managed to strand the runner each time. After Purcey struck out Edgar Renteria and Brandon Inge to open the fifth inning, the Tigers finally broke through.
It took 11 pitches, but Ramon Santiago lofted an offering from Purcey into shallow right field for Detroit's first hit of the game. The crowd inside the stadium roared with approval, but Purcey avoided the type of lapse in focus he might have experienced in the past, inducing a groundout off the bat of Curtis Granderson to end the inning.
It was the type of turn Arnsberg said he hoped to see from Purcey.
"What I'm really trying to talk David into is expect to go out and throw a shutout," Arnsberg said, "but when you don't, don't let it kill your whole day. I think his ability to focus in and keep his focus is something that we're going to really spend a lot of time on and not have those three or four hitter glitches that can cost you that whole ballgame."
Purcey (2-3) said he's learning to adopt that mentality.
"I knew I had to focus," Purcey said, "especially in the fourth and fifth innings, just to relax. I made an effort to try to slow myself down and not let myself fall into situations where they had a good chance to score.
"I've always been like, 'I can try to throw it by people.' But, at this level you can't really do that. You can surprise hitters here and there, but for the most part, you have to pitch and try to stay in good counts."
On this evening, it was Detroit veteran Kenny Rogers (8-10) who experienced a brief lapse that tilted the game in Toronto's favor. The 43-year-old left-hander issued a walk to Marco Scutaro to open the third inning and then allowed consecutive singles to David Eckstein and Alex Rios to load the bases.
One batter later, Toronto's Vernon Wells launched the first pitch he saw from Rogers deep to left field, where the ball ducked just beyond a leaping Ryan Raburn for a grand slam. That gave the Blue Jays a 4-0 advantage that proved ample to send Purcey to his first victory since July 26.
Of course, the showers that interrupted the game for nearly an hour during the top of the seventh robbed Purcey of an opportunity to log at least another inning. That proved to be a blessing for Detroit (58-62), which tagged relievers Scott Downs and Brandon League for a trio of runs in the final frame.
During the Tigers' late charge, Downs -- one of the top setup men in the American League this season -- tumbled to the ground in front of Detroit's dugout while hurrying to back up home plate. The left-handed reliever sprained his right ankle and is likely headed to the disabled list.
"It could be a costly win for us tonight," Gaston said.
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
Yanks regroup to beat Rangers
ARLINGTON -- Lest the rest of the season speed on by them, the Yankees have no choice but to look ahead. There's no use in looking back at Joba Chamberlain, a pitcher who might not return to the team this season. No use in looking back at Chien-Ming Wang or Phil Hughes or Jorge Posada. Call it bad luck; call it baseball. The Yankees call it an excuse.
And they won't taint their season by relying on excuses.
So the Yankees made none on Wednesday, and wound up needing none. Their 5-3 win over the Rangers was complete and comprehensive, drawing from a patched-up rotation and a taxed bullpen and a cyclical offense. The Yankees showcased the finest traits of all three areas on Wednesday, and so they left Rangers Ballpark with a win.
They did not escape with a win, but they earned one instead.
"It was good to win," shortstop Derek Jeter said. "I don't really care who was pitching, to be honest with you."
But he knew it was Sidney Ponson, a former rotation stopgap who has bullied his way into a regular job with the Yankees. Despite allowing a two-run single to Chris Davis in the second inning Wednesday, and despite serving up a solo homer to Michael Young in the sixth, Ponson handled his former team as efficiently as the Yankees might have hoped.
His final line wasn't quite as sparkling as the one he produced against the Angels last week, but his process was perhaps even more impressive. Ponson recorded eight ground-ball outs and only five flyouts -- one-third the amount he had against the Angels. That's no small detail, considering how fly balls tend to rocket over walls in this Texas heat. Ponson knew that coming in, so he took extra care to throw a sharp sinker.
"I always try to keep the fly balls to a minimum," Ponson said. "When you're a sinkerball pitcher and they're hitting fly balls, that means it's not working."
But Ponson had another reason to keep the ball on the ground, as well.
"I never saw a ground ball leave the ballpark," he said.
Compared to days past, even fly balls on Wednesday had a tough time clearing the wall. Other than Young's hit, only Jason Giambi's home run in the fourth inning escaped the park. But that's not to say that there were no fireworks.
Perhaps the game's most significant -- and damaging -- play came in the second inning, when Ian Kinsler served a single into shallow right field. Charging the ball, Bobby Abreu fired home, where the ball, catcher Ivan Rodriguez and baserunner David Murphy all arrived at once.
Murphy was out. Rodriguez was on the ground. And both players left with injuries.
Yet that out also ended the inning, stunting the Rangers' most productive rally and keeping the Yankees well within striking distance.
Soon after, they struck. The Yankees plated one run on Wilson Betemit's double in the third, another on Johnny Damon's groundout and a third on Jeter's single. And the offense was more than enough to back Ponson, even giving him something of a cushion. Which was significant, because with the bullpen still taxed and uncertainty marring the rotation, the Yankees needed as much length from Ponson as they could possibly get.
"I like to go deep every game, but knowing that the bullpen was a little bit thin, I'm happy that I could give them 6 1/3 today," Ponson said.
Bullpens, of course, are supposed to shorten the game -- not lengthen it, as both 'pens did on Tuesday. Making that task easier on Wednesday was the presence of Mariano Rivera, who hadn't pitched in five days while battling back spasms.
On this night he did pitch, and did so quite effectively, allowing a single and nothing else.
"Definitely, I was ready for the opportunity," Rivera said. "I felt good."
So did the Yankees -- as much as they could, at least, after hearing the news that Chamberlain wouldn't touch a baseball for a week. Their young star was diagnosed with right rotator cuff tendinitis, an injury that manager Joe Girardi called "good news" but that Rivera called "serious." Beyond that, the Yankees know little else.
Chamberlain could be gone for three weeks. He could be gone for three months. Right now, it doesn't matter, because the Yankees must continue winning without him.
Ponson is not Chamberlain -- not even close -- but down the stretch, he may just prove more important to the team. The Yankees spent much of this week talking about their critical position in the standings, and what they must do to save their season.
Ponson might not be the answer, but he is a key. And Chamberlain, perhaps, isn't. He's an important part of their future, but now, he's just another injured pitcher. And the Yankees must proceed with the men they have in uniform, in Texas, in good health.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Dickey gains revenge of sorts in win
ARLINGTON -- There was nothing personal against the team he was facing on Thursday night that got the juices flowing for Mariners right-hander R.A. Dickey.
What he wanted most was to get back at the place that put him in the Major League record book.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington had a different name on April 6, 2006, but the dimensions are the same now as they were back then, when he surrendered six home runs in one unforgettable game.
Dickey got even in a big way in the series finale, pitching a two-hit shutout for seven innings in the Mariners' 8-5 victory in front of 17,839 fans. Some of them might have been here more than two years ago, when the knuckleball specialist was just learning how to throw the pitch.
"This is especially satisfying for me," he said, "because the last time I was on this field, it didn't go so well. The metamorphosis from that day to this day is pretty neat for me."
Dickey worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and sailed through the most prolific offense in the Majors this season. Between a hit batter in the first inning, and a leadoff double in the eighth, the knuckleball specialist retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced.
His bid for a shutout ended when Ramon Vazquez drilled a two-run home run to right field.
"I was pitching to the scoreboard right there," Dickey (3-5) said. "We were ahead 8-0 and I didn't want to walk [Vazquez]."
Things got a little hairy for Seattle after Dickey departed.
The Rangers loaded the bases after Vazquez's home run. Right-handed reliever Mark Lowe, who replaced Dickey and promptly walked the first batter he faced, retired David Murphy to end the inning.
The six-run lead dwindled in the ninth, when four consecutive one-out hits scored three runs and brought the heart of the big league's most potent lineup to the plate. After being welcomed by a first-pitch, two-run double by Frank Catalanotto, right-hander J.J. Putz retired Michael Young on a line drive to Ichiro Suzuki in right and struck out Josh Hamilton to end the game and give Seattle (41-67) a split in the four-game series.
"J.J. regrouped and was outstanding," manager Jim Riggleman said. "We want to get J.J. back. Catalanotto stepped up and turned one around on him, but his velocity was good. The last pitch was real good, not only in velocity, but the location. He tied up the best RBI guy in the league with a fastball down and away."
Putz didn't pick up a save, but there were a lot of sighs of relief in the visiting dugout.
"We never really felt comfortable the way they swing the bat up and down the lineup," said Riggleman of the Rangers, who usually have four All-Stars at the top of the lineup.
The Mariners have one All-Star, at the very top of the lineup in Ichiro, who led the way with a triple and double and scored runs in the first and second innings. Seattle finished with 11 hits, including at least one from every starter, and designated hitter Adrian Beltre belted his 19th jack of the season, a three-run line drive into the right-field bleachers in the eighth inning.
What looked to be three insurance runs became the decisive runs.
It was the sixth consecutive game that the Mariners reached double figures in hits, but what was even more impressive, perhaps, were the eight walks they worked two Rangers pitchers for in the finale.
"Eight walks were impressive," Riggleman said, "but it's too early to call it anything other than one night. We'd like to see it become a trend. You don't want to lose aggressiveness, but like for them to be able to tell a ball from a strike."
Dickey certainly knew the difference. He walked only one of the 31 batters he faced, crediting the numerous first-pitch strikes he threw with his knuckleball for his success.
"This park will produce a lot of runs, so getting my knuckleball over early in the count was huge," he said. "They are aggressive hitters and they were hitting pieces of it."
Dickey retired the side in order in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings and only one Ranger reached second base between the first and eighth innings.
"When a starter does that, it's a beautiful thing," Riggleman understated. "After [Carlos Silva] came out early in the second game, we needed someone to go deep in the game. We didn't want to use [Cesar] Jimenez or [Roy] Corcoran and it was really big that Dickey gave us that much time out there."
And he enjoyed every minute of it.
"It's not like I have any vendetta against the Rangers for not keeping me around," he said. "I had a good experience here. It was the experience that started the embarkation of what I am doing now, throwing a knuckleball. There are some guys in that front office and on that team I am real thankful for."
As for the ballpark itself, Dickey got even.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Barrett exits after getting hit by ball
DENVER -- Catcher Michael Barrett left Wednesday's game in the top of the third inning after fouling a ball off what appeared to be his nose during an at-bat.
Barrett fouled off a 1-1 pitch from Colorado starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and quickly fell to the ground.
Barrett was attended to by the Padres' training staff and walked off on his own, though he had blood on his face after the foul ball appeared to hit under his helmet before hitting his nose.
Barrett was replaced in the game by Luke Carlin. The Padres don't have a third catcher on their roster, though second baseman Edgar Gonzalez worked out at catcher in Spring Training.
Barrett was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluations. The preliminary diagnosis was a fractured nose.
Barrett, who missed a month of action early this season with a strained right elbow, entered Wednesday's game against the Rockies hitting .202 with two home runs and nine RBIs.
San Diego manager Bud Black said that Barrett will remain behind in Denver on Wednesday while the team flies to Phoenix to start a three-game series with the Diamondbacks on Friday. Black also said that Barrett was to have a CT scan at some point Wednesday.
Black said a disabled-list stint for Barrett might be in order and that Nick Hundley will likely be recalled from Triple-A Portland to take Barrett's spot on the 25-man roster.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Joba shines in first win as a starter
PITTSBURGH -- The process of moving Joba Chamberlain from the bullpen to the rotation took exactly five weeks to complete.
All things considered, it could not have gone any better.
Set loose from those pesky pitch-count shackles, Chamberlain logged his first victory as a starter, shutting out the Pirates into the seventh inning on Wednesday. Bobby Abreu homered and drove in four runs to pace the offense as the Yankees hammered out a 10-0 victory at PNC Park.
The transition began in secrecy on May 21 in New York, when Yankees manager Joe Girardi allowed Chamberlain to throw 35 pitches and announced the reason after the game. As Chamberlain whipped 114 pitches through Pittsburgh's lineup, those cautious days seemed distant.
"Looking back, it doesn't seem like too long," Chamberlain said. "As you're going in, every fifth day, it seems like the next time you get to throw takes forever. As we're going now, I've just got to continue to get stronger and get better."
Making his fifth Major League start, Chamberlain was buoyed to support before he even took the mound, as the Yankees scored twice in the top of the first inning off Pirates left-hander Zach Duke.
Chamberlain said the early runs allowed him to relax, and though he had a lengthy second inning, Abreu kept the Bucs off the board with a perfect throw to cut down Ryan Doumit attempting to score from second base for the final out.
That was the Pirates' best chance against the 22-year-old rookie, who saw his lead swell to as large as eight runs by the time he trotted out for the sixth inning, the Yankees hoping to continue building his pitch count.
By night's end, Chamberlain was safe-guarding a lineup card on the top shelf of his locker, indicative of his fourth Major League victory -- and his first when he'd pitched the first inning.
"You don't really care, as long as you just get wins," Chamberlain said. "It's easy to go out when the offense scores a couple of runs for you and relaxes you a little bit. A win is a win and you try to get as many as you can."
Chamberlain relied mostly on his bread-and-butter -- the fastball and slider -- but also mixed in a smattering of curveballs and changeups in continuing to refine his repertoire. The approach has been consistent.
"The thing about Joba is that he's really pitched through all of this," Girardi said. "He hasn't just been a two-pitch guy. He's tried to incorporate all of his pitches and he's done a real nice job making the adjustment."
Girardi tried to coax Chamberlain through the seventh inning as well, but a pair of two-out singles spoiled those plans, drawing Girardi out to retrieve Chamberlain amid applause from the crowd of 38,952. Chamberlain said the 114 pitches were the most he had thrown since he was wearing the uniform of the University of Nebraska.
"Everything feels good," Chamberlain said.
Seventy-six of those offerings went for strikes as Chamberlain scattered six hits over his 6 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out seven. With five earned runs in 25 innings as a starting pitcher, Chamberlain has compiled a dazzling 1.80 ERA.
"This has probably went as well as it could have went," Girardi said. "It just shows you how hard Joba has worked at it. He has embraced this challenge and really wanted to do this. It's a testimony of how hard he works."
Chamberlain's move to the rotation, at the time, drew a heavy amount of criticism from those who believed the Yankees would be best served to keep him in his role as a dominant eighth-inning setup man, paving the path to closer Mariano Rivera.
He was very good at that, no question, but it appears he's also very good at this.
"You've got people saying he should be in the bullpen or start, and there's arguments for both sides," Derek Jeter said. "He's done a good job in the bullpen and he's done a good job starting. It's pretty much a win-win situation."
The results have reduced those claims, as has a devastating injury to ace Chien-Ming Wang. Had Chamberlain not already been in the process of building up his pitch count, the Yankees almost certainly would have had to make the move as a result of the partially torn tendon and sprained right foot that will sideline Wang until September.
"The kid knows how to do it," Abreu said. "He was a starter before in the Minor Leagues. When he gets a lead and gets ahead, he handles it very well. His goal is to attack the hitters, and that's the way to do it. He's not afraid."
One evening after an agitated Girardi lambasted his club by repeatedly saying they "stunk" in a 12-5 loss to Pittsburgh, the Yankees got to Duke for four runs in five innings, including those first-inning cushions. Jason Giambi grounded into a fielder's choice that shortstop Jack Wilson threw away for an error, allowing the first two runs to score.
"We were a lot better tonight, that's for sure," Girardi said. "The approach was great tonight, and it starts with starting pitching. Joba comes out and does his job, and we get two runs in the first -- it was a nice start for us."
Giambi added an RBI single in the third inning and Jeter tacked on an RBI double in the fourth to close out the scoring on Duke (4-5), who allowed seven hits while walking two in his first career appearance against New York. It was one of three hits for Jeter, who owns a team-leading 13-game hitting streak.
Robinson Cano clubbed his fifth home run leading off the sixth inning, and Abreu connected on a three-run shot later that inning, both off reliever T.J. Beam, a former Yankee who appeared in 20 games for the 2006 club.
The previously slumping Cano now has 13 hits in his past 32 at-bats and Abreu -- who had four RBIs with an eighth-inning double off of Franquelis Osoria -- has now hit in seven consecutive games, including homers in back-to-back contests.
"Bobby Abreu is a great hitter," Girardi said. "He's going to go through his ups and downs. Jeter had a big night. We had big nights from a lot of guys. It's great to see."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Error opens door for Braves' rally
ARLINGTON -- As Mike Gonzalez rocked back and forth before every pitch in a somewhat intimidating manner, he displayed that excitement he'd promised, and at the same time, provided the Braves a rare occasion actually to celebrate being the benefactor of a late-inning blunder.
It had been more than a year since Gonzalez had thrown a Major League pitch. But as he completed a perfect ninth to cap the 5-2 win the Braves claimed over the Rangers at Rangers Ballpark on Wednesday night, he looked like a confident closer, who had no concerns about his surgically-repaired left elbow.
"It's a just a great feeling, letting [the pitches] go without feeling anything," Gonzalez said about his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery on May 31, 2007.
During the eighth inning, before Omar Infante provided the Braves a lead with his ninth-inning RBI single off C.J. Wilson, Braves manager Bobby Cox had decided Gonzalez would get the ball whenever his team gained a lead.
Earlier in the day, when he activated Gonzalez from the disabled list, the veteran skipper was concerned that the left-handed reliever's heightened adrenaline level would lead to control problems. But as Gonzalez swayed back and forth with loose hips before throwing each of his 15 pitches, he showed nothing but controlled excitement.
"The better that I feel, the more that I rock," said Gonzalez, after converting his first save since May 11 of last year.
Since being swept out of Chicago, the Braves have actually started to prove they can win on the road. They've won four of their past six games and can complete this 10-game road trip with a 5-5 record with a win in Thursday's series finale against the Rangers. Entering this trip, they had won just seven of their 28 road games.
"Based on the teams that we've played and the amount of travel, going 5-5 would be great, and maybe it would give us confidence that we can win on the road," said Jeff Francoeur, who sparked the ninth-inning rally with a swinging bunt that Rangers closer Wilson fielded and threw into right field.
"We caught a break leading off the ninth and took advantage of it," said Chipper Jones, who homered in the first inning and enjoyed a 2-for-5 night that once again kept his batting average exactly at .400. "The guys came out and got the job done."
Wilson's miscue allowed Francoeur to race to second base with nobody out. Two batters later, Infante delivered his game-winning single to right-center field. He would score on a Gregor Blanco RBI triple that simply helped give Gonzalez some cushion.
"It was a great way to end a well-pitched game by [Jo-Jo] Reyes," said Cox, whose team had won just two of the previous eight games in which they were tied after eight innings. "He was dynamite again."
Looking to win consecutive starts for the first time in his young career, Reyes allowed two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in seven innings. The 23-year-old southpaw battled control problems, as he issued four walks and threw just 55 of his 102 pitches for strikes. Still, the only time his control hurt him was when he hit German Duran with an 0-2 fastball in the third inning. Duran stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a Gerald Laird RBI single.
Misfortune visited Reyes again in the sixth inning, when Marlon Byrd stole second base with two outs and then raced to third when Brian McCann's throw bounced past Kelly Johnson and into center field. When Byrd scored on a Brandon Boggs RBI single, the Braves' young hurler was in line for another no-decision. Despite posting a 2.80 ERA in his past five starts, he still is just 1-2 during that span.
"I kept the team close," said Reyes, who allowed three earned runs in the 15 innings he completed during this road trip. "It's a [win] for the team, and that's all that matters."
After Jones hit his 16th homer of the season, the Braves didn't do much more damage against Rangers starter Eric Hurley, who was making his second career Major League start. The 22-year-old right-hander rebounded, allowing just two runs and five hits in five innings. His other damage came in the third inning, when Yunel Escobar doubled with two outs and then came home on a Johnson single.
After Hurley exited with runners on first and second and nobody out in the sixth, the Braves didn't score. Francoeur, who has two hits in 18 at-bats with the bases loaded, struck out on three pitches against Frank Francisco. But three innings later, the Braves right fielder found a chance to at least give his team a chance to win.
Once Francoeur's hustle helped induce Wilson's errant throw and the Braves completed their three-run ninth, all eyes turned toward Gonzalez. With his parents and sisters in attendance, the left-handed reliever took advantage of the fact that Cox showed so much confidence.
It had been more than a year since Gonzalez had been on a Major League mound. But with his first pitch -- a 94-mph fastball that was called a strike against Boggs -- he showed his normal flair. Then, when he ended things by inducing Jarrod Saltalamacchia to fly out to center, he hugged McCann and felt fortunate that Cox had provided this chance, this soon.
"I definitely wanted the opportunity to do that at the end of the game," Gonzalez said. "That meant the world to me."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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