Adam Wainwright has flirted with complete games several times this season. He finally got one, even if it was on a waterlogged technicality. Wainwright weathered two delays and pitched six strong innings, Rick Ankiel ended a five-week homer drought and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped a three-game losing skid with a rain-shortened 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.
If Cole Hamels gets on track, the Philadelphia Phillies will be even more dangerous. Hamels pitched seven effective innings, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz had three hits apiece and Philadelphia beat the San Diego Padres 9-4 in a makeup game Thursday night. One day after their 10-game winning streak ended, the NL East-leading Phillies moved 6 1/2 games up on Atlanta and Florida with their 15th win in…
Kansas City Royals right fielder Jose Guillen is headed to the 15-day disabled list after spraining his right knee while putting on his shin guard against the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday night. Guillen started against the Angels and played in the outfield in the first two innings, then felt a pop in his knee as he bent over to put on his shin guard.
The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle's day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew — his perfect game was in jeopardy. Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted toward the fence in left-center, a dozen strides.
First fan Barack Obama made time for a congratulatory call to the pitcher on his favorite baseball team who just threw a perfect game. Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox didn't allow a hit or walk a batter in a 5-0 victory at home over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was only the 18th perfect game in major league history.
Rafael Betancourt has watched teammates come and go during his tenure with the Cleveland Indians. On Thursday, he was on the move. The Cleveland Indians traded the reliable reliever to Colorado for minor league pitcher Connor Graham. Betancourt, who has spent his entire seven-year career with Cleveland, learned of the deal following the Indians' 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays.
Barry Zito earned the win in the box score and the save from his manager. Zito gave up only three hits in seven innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep. "He saved us," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Zito. "It would have been tough to come in here and get swept." The Giants improved to 2-5 on their 10-game road…
Making his first career start as a catcher was just the thing to keep Chris Gimenez from fretting about his lost passport. After his RBI grounder helped Cleveland beat Toronto, Gimenez just hoped he'd be able to join the victory party as the Indians' took off for the West Coast. Rookie David Huff won for the first time in three starts, Shin-Soo Choo tripled home two runs and the Indians…
Jarrod Washburn didn't mind losing the spotlight. Moments after Washburn helped the Seattle Mariners finish off a 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers, he and his teammates gathered around clubhouse televisions to cheer the end of Mark Buerhle's perfect game against Tampa Bay. "It would have been pretty hard for me to top that," Washburn said.
Jim Parque, a former pitcher for the White Sox and Tampa Bay, says he used human growth hormone "about six times" after he was cut by Chicago in 2002 and before he tried a comeback with the Rays the following season. Parque made his confession in a lengthy, first-person account printed Thursday in the Chicago Sun-Times.
