AMERICAN LEAGUE : Cabrera shows off big swing, then pulls off triple play
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/225623/
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run home run in the first game of a doubleheader Monday then made the 14 th unassisted triple play in major league history in the second game.
The home run helped Cleveland beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0. The fielding gem wasn’t enough to complete the sweep as the Blue Jays won 3-0.
Shannon Stewart hit a sacrifice fly in the 10 th inning, and Aaron Hill added a two-run single for the Blue Jays in the second game.
The second game featured terrific pitching performances from Cleveland’s Cliff Lee, the former Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher from Benton who got a big assist from Cabrera in the fifth inning, and Toronto’s Shaun Marcum.
With Kevin Mench and Marco Scutaro on with singles, Cabrera made a diving backhand catch of a line drive by Lyle Overbay, touched second base to force Mench and then tagged out Scutaro.
Cabrera didn’t keep the ball.
“He flipped it into the stands and right as he did cried out, ‘Oh, no !’” first-base coach Luis Rivera said, serving as the Venezuelan’s interpreter.
“I knew it was pretty special,” Cabrera said.
Lee failed to become the American League’s first seven-game winner even though he worked nine scoreless innings and lowered his ERA to 0. 67. The left-hander gave up 7 hits, walked 2 and struck out 5.
Marcum allowed two hits in eight innings.
B. J. Ryan (1-0 ) worked a scoreless ninth for the victory, and Scott Downs pitched the 10 th for his fourth save.
Fausto Carmona (4-1 ) pitched a fivehitter in the first game. The Blue Jays’ A. J. Burnett (North Little Rock, Central Arkansas Christian ) dropped to 3-4, giving up 3 runs and 5 hits
2 in 7 / 3 innings. Burnett allowed only one hit until Grady Sizemore doubled off the wall in right-center with one out in the sixth. Sizemore went to third on a groundout by Jamey Carroll and scored on David Dellucci’s single. RAYS 7, YANKEES 1 Matt Garza (2-1 ) pitched seven scoreless innings as host Tampa Bay beat Andy Pettitte (3-4 ) and New York for its fifth consecutive victory. Pettitte is 14-4 against Tampa Bay, 8-2 at Tropicana Field. TWINS 7, RED SOX 3 Livan Hernandez (6-1 ) pitched six innings as host Minnesota beat Boston for its ninth victory in 12 games. The Red Sox’s Manny Ramirez hit career home run No. 498, a two-run shot, in the first inning.
National League BREWERS 8, CARDINALS 3 Dave Bush (1-4 ) gave up a run and four hits in six innings and led off the third with a double, setting the stage for a five-run inning as host Milwaukee beat St. Louis and Adam Wainwright (3-2 ). Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Manager Tony La Russa were ejected in the fifth. After a borderline pitch low and outside was called a ball, Molina complained and was ejected by home plate umpire Paul Schrieber as La Russa was walking out of the dugout. As Molina protested his ejection by taking off his gear and leaving it in a pile at Schrieber’s feet, La Russa continued to argue and was ejected. CUBS 12, PADRES 3 Carlos Zambrano (6-1 ), pitching with an extra day’s rest after his start Sunday was scratched because of rainy conditions, won his fifth consecutive decision, doubled to start the six-run fifth inning and singled in the five-run sixth as Chicago won its fourth consecutive, beating San Diego. PIRATES 5-1, BRAVES 0-8 Tim Hudson (6-2 ) won his third consecutive, allowing only 2 hits and 1 unearned run in 7 innings, Brian McCann hit a three-run home run and Mark Kotsay had three RBI as Atlanta ended its seven-game road losing streak and host Pittsburgh’s six-game winning streak overall and seven-game home winning streak in the second game of a doubleheader. REDS 8, MARLINS 7 Jeff Keppinger broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run home run in the seventh and Brandon Phillips later hit a two-run home runs in the inning as Cincinnati ended Florida’s seven-game winning streak. Aaron Harang (2-5 ), who hadn’t won since April 10, going 0-4, gave up 4 runs and 7 hits in 7 innings. NATIONALS 10, METS 4 Odalis Perez (1-3 ) had three hits and two RBI and pitched into the seventh in his 200 th career start as Washington beat host New York. Monday’s games NATIONAL LEAGUE Pittsburgh 5-1, Atlanta 0-8 Washington 10, N. Y. Mets 4 Cincinnati 8, Florida 7 Chicago Cubs 12, San Diego 3 Milwaukee 8, St. Louis 3 Houston at San Francisco, (n ) AMERICAN LEAGUE Cleveland 3-0, Toronto 0-3 Minnesota 7, Boston 3 Tampa Bay 7, NY Yankees 1 Seattle at Texas, (n ) Chicago White Sox at LA Angels, (n )