Wood Is Hurt in Cub Loss
Chicago Cub ace Kerry Wood left a game early with shoulder pain again, and the Houston Astros ended their longest losing streak in nearly three years with a 7-5 victory Saturday night at Houston.
Houston’s six-game losing streak was its longest since May 19-25, 2002.
Wood departed after only three innings because of tendinitis in his right shoulder, the same problem that caused him to leave his previous start last Sunday. He will be examined by a doctor Monday in Chicago.
“I felt great the first two innings. The second inning was the best I’ve thrown the ball this year, but in the third it just kind of crept up on me,” Wood said.
Wood, also slowed by shoulder trouble during spring training, was pulled for a pinch-hitter after giving up three runs and four hits. He struck out six and walked two.
Brandon Backe (2-1) pitched seven innings for the win. He gave up gave up four runs and six hits. He struck out eight and walked two.
Cliff Bartosh (0-1) yielded one run and two hits in two innings of relief.
Willy Taveras gave Houston a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning when he doubled in Brad Ausmus.
The Astros increased their lead to 7-3 in the seventh when Jeff Bagwell walked and moved to third on a double by Mike Lamb.
After an intentional walk to Jose Vizcaino, Bagwell scored on Jason Lane’s groundout. Ausmus drove in Lamb and Vizcaino with a bases-loaded single.
San Francisco 7, Pittsburgh 6 -- Deivi Cruz got the Giants off to a fast start at Pittsburgh with a two-run homer and Pirate center fielder Jason Bay’s fielding error helped key a three-run sixth inning.
The Giants won their season-high fourth in a row despite a shaky start from left-hander Noah Lowry, who left trailing, 4-3, in the fifth.
Lowry, the former Pepperdine star, has gone three successive starts without winning after starting his career 7-0.
Bay’s error for overrunning Pedro Feliz’s RBI single was Pittsburgh’s first in 71 innings, but it scored the go-ahead run after starter Dave Williams (1-3) took a one-run lead into the sixth.
Washington 5, New York 3 -- Tomo Ohka (2-3) yielded two hits in six shutout innings as a late replacement for an ailing Zach Day, and Nick Johnson and Ryan Church homered to lead the Nationals in a game called before the bottom of the eighth at Washington because of rain.
Showers fell steadily from the fifth inning on -- there was a 30-minute delay during the sixth -- and the infield was filled with puddles by the eighth.
Atlanta 3, St. Louis 2 -- Raul Mondesi homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Braves the victory.
Mondesi, batting .200 in his first season with the Braves, connected on the second pitch from James Journell (0-1). It was the fifth game-winning homer of Mondesi’s career, the last coming on Aug. 2, 2003, with Arizona.
San Diego 2, Arizona 0 -- Sean Burroughs hit a home run and Brian Lawrence (2-3) rebounded nicely from the shortest start of his career to lead the Padres at San Diego.
Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth to earn his 397th save. Hoffman, who blew a save Friday night, is three shy of becoming the third pitcher with 400 saves.
Lawrence held the Diamondbacks to two hits in eight innings. He lasted 2 1/3 innings last Sunday, giving up six runs and seven hits in an 8-6 loss.
Milwaukee 6, Cincinnati 5 -- Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first home run this season, No. 502 of his career, but it wasn’t enough at Milwaukee. Damian Miller’s bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the ninth won it for the Brewers.
Griffey hit a two-run shot off reliever Victor Santos in the fourth inning, ending his longest drought to start a season. He did not homer in his first 79 at-bats.
Florida 2, Philadelphia 1 -- Dontrelle Willis yielded one unearned run in five innings and Alex Gonzalez had a two-run single, leading the Marlins at Philadelphia in a game shortened to 5 1/2 innings because of rain.
Willis (5-0) limited the Phillies to three hits to become the first five-game winner in the majors. The left-hander lowered his earned-run average to 1.29. He has three of Florida’s league-leading six complete games.