Johnson's double lifts Mariners
Toolbox
The Associated Press - Published: July 4, 2009
BOSTON — Rob Johnson doubled home two runs in the 11th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Friday night.
George Kottaras hit his first major-league homer in the bottom of the 11th for the Red Sox, who tied the game at 5 with two runs in the eighth inning.
Seattle's Ronny Cedeno hit a tie-breaking, two-run homer in a three-run fourth, three batters after a fan in the front row snatched a foul pop that third baseman Kevin Youkilis was attempting to make a play on.
Tim Wakefield made his 383rd start for the Red Sox, surpassing Roger Clemens for the top spot on the team's all-time list.
Jose Lopez added a solo homer for Seattle, which won for the 11th time in 16 games.
Yankees 4, Blue Jays 2
NEW YORK — A.J. Burnett quickly got the New York Yankees back to their winning ways.
Burnett scattered six hits over seven innings, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez homered, and the Yankees opened the long holiday weekend with a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Wearing jarring red caps as part of Major League Baseball's Fourth of July weekend celebration, the Yankees rebounded from Thursday night's 8-4 loss to Seattle for their eighth win in nine games.
Burnett (7-4), who lost to his former team at Toronto on May 12, allowed both runs, struck out seven and walked two. He got his first three strikeouts on 96 mph fastballs, then rung up his final four with curveballs in the low 80s.
Indians 15, Athletics 3
CLEVELAND — Shin-Soo Choo homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, snapping their five-game losing streak.
Choo had an RBI single, two-run double, three-run homer and capped his night with a solo shot, his 12th. It was Choo's second career multihomer game and the most RBIs by a Cleveland player since Grady Sizemore drove in seven Aug. 21 against Kansas City.
Cleveland, with the worst record in the AL at 32-49, won for only the third time in 16 games. Asdrubal Cabrera had three RBIs in the Indians' biggest output since a 22-4 win at Yankee Stadium on April 18. They totaled only 13 runs and batted .195 during their five-game losing skid.
Cubs 2, Brewers 1
10 innings
CHICAGO — Jake Fox drew a bases-loaded walk off Mark DiFelice to force in the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning Friday, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.
Ryan Theriot singled off second baseman Craig Counsell's glove with one out in the 10th and went to second on a wild pitch from DiFelice (4-1). After Theriot moved up on a fly ball, the Brewers intentionally walked Milton Bradley. With a 3-0 count on pinch-hitter Geovany Soto, DeFelice also walked him intentionally to load the bases.
Fox fouled off four straight pitches before walking on a close 3-2 pitch that had DiFelice extending his arms and walking toward plate umpire Bill Welke as the Cubs celebrated.
The Brewers threatened in the ninth when Cubs right fielder Milton Bradley lost Jason Kendall's high fly in the sun — the ball hit him on the right arm — and fell for a double. Kevin Gregg (3-2) hit Counsell with a pitch, but Ryan Braun popped out to end the inning.
Phillies 7, Mets 2
PHILADELPHIA — Rodrigo Lopez took a three-hitter into the seventh inning in his first outing in two years, helping the Philadelphia Phillies snap a six-game home losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
Lopez (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings to earn his first win since beating the Phillies on July 7, 2007, when he played for Colorado. The right-hander hadn't pitched in the majors since having elbow ligament replacement surgery 23 months ago.
The NL East-leading Phillies were swept by Toronto and Baltimore in consecutive three-game series at Citizens Bank Park last month.
They won for just the fifth time in 19 games.
Mets starter Livan Hernandez (5-4) lasted three-plus innings, allowing seven runs.
Ramirez apologizes to fans, teammates
SAN DIEGO — Manny Ramriez has walked in his first at-bat since his 50-day suspension for violating baseball's drug policy ended.
San Diego Padres right-hander Chad Gaudin brushed back the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger with his first pitch of the seven-pitch at-bat. Ramirez was then forced at second on Andre Ethier's grounder to first.
It was a loud at-bat, with Dodgers fans standing and cheering, and Padres fans trying to drown them out with boos. The sold-out crowd at Petco Park looked and sounded more like it belonged at Dodger Stadium.
Ramirez spent the moments before the first pitch hugging and fist-bumping teammates in the dugout. He hadn't played with them since May 6, the night before his suspension was announced.
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