Guzman’s Debut Is Worth the Wait

Geraldo Guzman made his long-awaited major league debut look easy.

Guzman, a former carpenter, scattered four hits over eight innings Thursday night to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros and a three-game sweep at Houston.

“He’s been pitching in Latin ball, and there you are pitching for your country and city,” Diamondback Manager Buck Showalter said. “I’ve been allowed to go down there and you can cut the tension with a knife.

“From where he came from, I don’t think he felt this as pressure.”

Guzman (1-0), who left baseball in 1990 and worked seven years as a carpenter in the Dominican Republic before resuming his career, certainly didn’t appear awe-struck. He struck out three and walked one.

“There was no reason to fear any type of situation, it was just a baseball game,” Guzman said through an interpreter. “I was only trying to do what I know to do, keep the ball down and throw inside and outside.”

Matt Mantei pitched the ninth for his third save to send the Astros to their 11th loss in 13 games. Houston was swept for the fifth time this season in a three-game series.

“The first one is always the best one, so I hope a made a good one,” Guzman said.

Guzman, 27, took up carpentry after he was released by the Montreal Expos in 1990. He signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Nov. 12, started the season in double A and worked his way to his first major league game.

Cincinnati 12, St. Louis 6--Alex Ochoa had three hits and a career-high four runs batted in as the Reds avoided a three-game sweep at St. Louis.

The Cardinals played most of the game without Jim Edmonds and Mark McGwire. Edmonds was sidelined for the second consecutive game because of illness and McGwire left after three innings because of irritation in his right knee.

Cardinal catcher Keith McDonald became only the second player in major league history to homer in his first two at-bats when he connected in the second against Osvaldo Fernandez. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns on Sept. 14, 1951, against the Boston Red Sox.

McDonald walked in his third at-bat, in the third inning, and had a run-scoring groundout in the fifth to give him three RBIs in his first three at-bats. He hit a pinch-homer in his first at-bat Tuesday.

San Francisco 6, Colorado 5--Jeff Kent’s game-winning double in the ninth completed a four-game sweep for the Giants at San Francisco, where the Rockies have lost 12 in a row.

Bill Mueller led off the ninth with a walk. J.T. Snow appeared to bunt into a double play, but was awarded first when the umpires ruled that a collision with pitcher Mike Myers (0-1) prevented Snow from reaching first.

Kent then doubled off the left-field wall.

Montreal 4, Atlanta 2--Vladimir Guerrero went three for five, including a three-run homer, and Jose Vidro also had three hits to lead the Expos at Atlanta.

Mike Johnson (4-3) pitched five innings, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out four.

Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 2--Jose Hernandez and Tyler Houston each hit solo homers at Milwaukee as the Brewers ended the Phillies’ five-game winning streak.