Padres fall in Wells’ return to New York
Published 12:00 am Monday, June 14, 2004
NEW YORK -David Wells got close to a satisfying feat himself, only to see his former teammates spoil it.
Wells pitched seven shutout innings in his return to Yankee Stadium, but New York tied the game with two outs in the ninth on consecutive homers by Hideki Matsui and pinch-hitter Kenny Lofton off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman.
That cost Wells his win. Then, after San Diego took a three-run lead in the 12th, the Yankees came back again. New York beat the Padres 6-5 behind Jorge Posada's tying double and pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra's winning sacrifice fly.
''I know weird things happen in Yankee Stadium, but this was amazing,'' Alex Rodriguez said.
When he stepped to the mound for his first start against his former Yankees teammates since signing with the Padres during the offseason, the 41-year-old Wells got a huge ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd. He tipped his cap in appreciation.
''It was touching, I got a little choked up,'' Wells said. ''I'll always appreciate them - what they have done for me.''
Giants 7, Orioles 3
At Baltimore, Barry Bonds hit his 676th homer and drove in three runs to lead San Francisco past former teammate Sidney Ponson (3-8).
Bonds' homer gave him 500 with San Francisco, making the Giants' franchise the first in baseball history to have three players hit 500 with the club. Willie Mays had 646 and Mel Ott hit 511.
Jerome Williams (6-4) allowed three runs in 7 1-3 innings, and Tyler Walker got four outs for his first major league save.
Red Sox 4, Dodgers 1
At Boston, Pedro Martinez (7-3) pitched seven strong innings to beat the team he started his career with, and Pokey Reese hit a two-run double and made a leaping catch that saved a run.
Diamondbacks 5, Blue Jays 3
At Toronto, Randy Johnson struck out 11 and won his sixth straight start.
Johnson (9-4) is tied with the 41-year-old Clemens and 39-year-old Kenny Rogers for the most wins in the majors. It was the 196th time Johnson has struck out 10 or more. He allowed two runs in six-plus innings.
Ted Lilly (5-3) lost for the first time since April 21 - a span of 10 starts.
White Sox 10, Braves 3
At Chicago, Mark Buehrle (7-1) pitched eight solid innings, and Carlos Lee extended his hitting streak to 27 games.
Lee has the longest hitting streak in the majors this season, and he matched the franchise record set by Albert Belle in 1997 and Luke Appling in 1936.
Marlins 9, Tigers 2
At Detroit, Dontrelle Willis (6-3) allowed seven hits in his second complete game of the season and Juan Pierre went 4-for-5 with an inside-the-park homer, ending the Tigers' four-game winning streak.
Devil Rays 3, Rockies 2
At St. Petersburg, Fla., Julio Lugo singled home the winning run off Shawn Chacon (0-4) in the ninth, sending Colorado to its season-worst eighth straight loss.
The Devil Rays won their fifth in a row. Tampa Bay (26-34) has its best record after 60 games.
Cardinals 13, Rangers 2
At Arlington, Texas, Scott Rolen hit a two-run homer and an RBI double in the first two innings for St. Louis, which improved baseball's best road record to 23-12.
Woody Williams (4-6) didn't allow a hit until Mark Teixeira's leadoff single in the fifth, when the Cardinals already led 13-0.
Phillies 2, Twins 1
At Minneapolis, Cristian Guzman's errant throw on a potential double-play grounder in the eighth inning allowed Placido Polanco to score the go-ahead run. Billy Wagner got his ninth save - and first since coming off the disabled list.
Mets 5, Royals 2
At Kansas City, Mo., Tom Glavine took over the major league ERA lead, and Mike Piazza backed him with a two-run homer that helped the Mets stop a five-game skid.
Glavine (7-3) lowered his ERA to 2.03, moving ahead of Clemens (2.08).
Royals center fielder Carlos Beltran bruised his left knee and is day to day after crashing into the center-field wall trying to catch Piazza's homer.
Mariners 8, Expos 1
At Seattle, Joel Pineiro ended his seven-game losing streak, and the Mariners completed their first sweep of the season.
Pineiro (2-8) won for the first time in 10 starts since April 18. The right-hander allowed only a solo homer to Terrmel Sledge in the fifth, ending a streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings by Mariners pitchers, including 24 by their starters.
Athletics 13, Pirates 3
At Oakland, Calif., Adam Melhuse hit his first career grand slam, and Mark Kotsay went 4-for-4 in the Athletics' eighth straight win. Oakland has the best record (81-47) in interleague play, including 18-0 against the NL Central.
Cubs 6, Angels 5, 15 innings
At Anaheim, Calif., Derrek Lee had a career-high five hits, and Todd Walker hit an RBI single in the 15th. Jon Leicester (1-0) earned his first major league win by tossing three scoreless innings.
Astros 5, Brewers 4
At Milwaukee, Jose Vizcaino and Jeff Kent each hit a solo homer for Houston, which salvaged the final game of the three-game series.
Astros reliever Brad Lidge tied a major league record - last accomplished by teammate Octavio Dotel on June 11, 2003 - by striking out four batters in the seventh.