Diamondbacks Up in Arms Over Bunt

Curt Schilling said he was shocked. Bob Brenly responded with profanity. Mark Grace said he wouldn’t have the guts to do it.

The debate centered on whether San Diego’s Ben Davis should have bunted for a hit when Curt Schilling was five outs shy of a perfect game.

Schilling finished with a three-hitter at San Diego that led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-1 victory over the Padres Saturday.

“I was a little stunned by it,” Schilling said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t think it was that bad of a pitch. It caught me off guard more than anything.

Schilling (8-1)--the major leagues’ first eight-game winner, was trying for what would have been the 15th perfect game in baseball’s modern era. He had to settle for his third complete game this season.

Schilling threw a high curveball in the eighth to start off Davis, who blooped a bunt past the mound between first and second. Second baseman Jay Bell got to the ball when Davis was a step from first and didn’t make the throw.

Brenly, the Diamondback manager, wasn’t as diplomatic as Schilling.

“Ben Davis is young and has a lot to learn,” Brenly said. “That was just uncalled for.”

After Davis reached, Schilling then walked Bubba Trammell before retiring pinch-hitters Dave Magadan and Mike Darr.

The Diamondbacks peppered Davis with profanities.

“I’ll let them worry about it,” said Davis, who added that teammate Tony Gwynn, an eight-time batting champion and member of the 3,000-hit club, said he did the right thing.

“I would understand where they’re coming from if it’s six-nothing, but I brought the tying run to the plate and Bubba [Trammell] can go deep at any time,” Davis said. “If he goes deep right there, it’s a tie ballgame.

Trammell walked but Schilling retired the next two batters.

In the ninth, Alex Arias had a leadoff double, Mark Kotsay singled and Ryan Klesko had a sacrifice fly.

Klesko called the Diamondbacks’ complaints “unprofessional.”

“That was just stupid,” he said. “I don’t care what they think. We are trying to beat these guys.”

Jay Bell and Reggie Sanders homered for the Diamondbacks, who handed Adam Eaton (6-3) his first loss in more than a month.

Cincinnati 7, St. Louis 2--Elmer Dessens struck out a career-high nine and Sean Casey hit a two-run double at Cincinnati.

Atlanta 9, Pittsburgh 3--B.J. Surhoff homered, tripled and doubled after being sidelined five games because of a back injury, driving in three runs at Atlanta.

Colorado 10, San Francisco 4--Mark Little doubled twice and singled, and also threw out two runners at the plate from center field for the Rockies at San Francisco. Shawn Chacon (3-1) gave up one run and seven hits in seven innings. Ben Petrick added a two-run home run.

Florida 7, New York 3--Preston Wilson hit two solo home runs and an RBI double at New York. Ryan Dempster (4-6) ended his three-game losing streak, giving up three runs, six hits and six walks in seven innings.

Montreal at Philadelphia, ppd., rain--The teams will play a makeup as part of a doubleheader today.

Milwaukee at Chicago, ppd., rain--The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Aug. 20.