PHILADELPHIA, 23 June 2003 — Todd Pratt belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning to spoil Nomar Garciaparra’s six-hit show and rally the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 Interleague win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Pinch-hitter Pratt’s blast, served up by reliever Rudy Seanez (0-1), followed David Bell’s run-scoring double. Jose Mesa (3-4) notched the victory despite surrendering one run in the 12th and two in the 13th.
Jim Thome homered in the 12th to keep the Phillies alive. It was his second solo shot of the day.
Garciaparra tied a club record with his six safeties, raising his average to .338. Jimmy Piersall (1953), Pete Runnels (1960) and Jerry Remy (1981) also had six-hit games for Boston. Three times Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez, in his third start since coming off the disabled list, went seven innings for the Red Sox, allowing four hits while striking out seven.
White Sox 7 Cubs 6
In Chicago, the White Sox nearly squandered a 7-0 advantage but hung on to down the Cubs 7-6. Mark Buehrle (4-10) notched the victory, working 6 1/3 innings and getting the White Sox on the board with a second-inning single, his first major league RBI. All seven runs were charged to loser Matt Clement (5-7). The Cubs threatened to go ahead in the late innings but were set down for the final time by Billy Koch.
Dodgers 4 Angels 2
In Los Angeles, Adrian Beltre homered with two men aboard to spark a four-run first inning as the Dodgers beat the Anaheim Angels 4-2. Beltre tagged loser John Lackey (4-7), who was chased after only four innings. Andy Ashby (2-4) tossed 5 1/3 innings of four-hit ball for the win, with Eric Gagne finishing up for his major league-leading 29th save of the season.
Marlins 2 Devil Rays 0 (5 1/2 innings)
In Miami, Dontrelle Willis (7-1) tossed five innings of two-hit ball to notch his sixth straight win as the Florida Marlins blanked the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2-0 in a rain-shortened game. Juan Encarnacion doubled off Jason Standridge (0-2) to plate the first Florida run, then went around to score the second.
Braves 10 Orioles 2
In Atlanta, Javy Lopez cracked a three-run homer to spark a five-run sixth inning before going deep again with two aboard in the eighth as the Braves crushed the Baltimore Orioles 10-2.
Lopez’s first blast came off loser Rodrigo Lopez (1-4), who worked six frames for the Orioles. Horacio Ramirez (6-2) went seven innings, allowing six hits while striking out seven, to notch the victory.
Brewers 8 Twins 1
In Milwaukee, Wes Helms homered twice to plate five runs and help the Brewers thump the Minnesota Twins 8-1. Both homers were served up by Kyle Lohse (6-5), who was charged with seven of the eight Milwaukee runs. Wayne Franklin (4-5) tossed seven innings of five-hit ball for the win.
Expos 8 Blue Jays 5
In Montreal, the Expos exploded with seven eighth-inning runs to overcome the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5. Orlando Cabrera took loser Cliff Politte (1-5) deep with two men gone and two aboard to put Montreal up for the first time. Luis Ayala (6-2) earned the win with an inning in relief.
Pirates 7 Indians 6 (15 innings)
In Pittsburgh, Abraham Nunez tripled in the 15th inning before racing home following Dan Miceli’s (0-3) errant pitch to give the Pirates a 7-6 triumph over the Cleveland Indians. The teams also went 15 innings on Friday, Pittsburgh winning 5-4. Scott Sauerbeck (2-4), the sixth Pirates pitcher, notched the victory with a scoreless 15th.
Rockies 9 Tigers 6
In Denver, Todd Helton and Preston Wilson homered late to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 9-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Wilson also went deep in the fifth with two men aboard off loser Steve Sparks (0-4), giving him a National League-best 66 RBI on the season. Jason Jennings (7-5) scattered 10 hits over seven innings while striking out seven to earn the decision.
Astros 9 Rangers 5
In Arlington, Texas, the Houston Astros scored at least one run in each of the first six innings on the way to a 9-5 win over the floundering Rangers, losers of six straight and 18 of the last 20 games. Jeff Bagwell homered and doubled to plate three Houston runs.
Cardinals 8 Royals 1
In St. Louis, Albert Pujols doubled twice and then homered to drive in four runs as the Cardinals thumped the Kansas City Royals 8-1. Woody Williams (9-2) tossed eight innings of five-hit ball for the win, helping his own cause with a run-scoring double in the fourth. Darrell May (0-4) took the loss, charged with four of the eight St. Louis runs.
Giants 6 Athletics 4
In Oakland, Pedro Feliz homered to plate San Francisco’s first and last runs as the Giants snapped the seven-game winning streak of the Athletics with a 6-4 victory.
Feliz tagged loser Tim Hudson (5-3) both times. Jerome Williams (1-1) worked 6 1/3 innings for the win, scattering four hits.
Mariners 4 Padres 2
In San Diego, the Seattle Mariners put together consecutive two-run innings to start the game and it was good enough to earn a 4-2 decision over the Padres.
Two bases-loaded walks yielded by Seattle native Adam Eaton (2-6) allowed the winning runs to score. Joel Pineiro (7-5) tossed seven innings of five-hit ball, striking out seven, for the victory.
In New York, the Mets-Yankees game at Shea Stadium was called off due to rain with the Yankees ahead 4-3 in the fourth inning. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader next Saturday.
Moeller Is Hero and
Villain for D-Backs
In Phoenix, Chad Moeller made amends for a botched throw which led to the tying run in the fourth inning by smacking a two-run homer in the seventh to lift Arizona to a 5-3 National League triumph over Cincinnati on Saturday.
The Diamondbacks (37-36) moved above .500 for the first time this season after their fourth straight win. It was also their 13th consecutive victory over the Reds.
The game was tied 3-3 when Lyle Overbay had a one-out double against Reds starter Jimmy Anderson (1-4), who had retired 15 successive batters. Moeller sent the left-hander’s next pitch over the wall in left field for his fifth homer of the season.
Cincinnati had tied the contest on a bizarre play in the fourth.
With two outs, Ken Griffey Jr. attempted to steal second. Moeller threw the ball high into center field but Steve Finley slipped trying to pick up the errant throw and the ball trickled to the wall, allowing Griffey to ease home.
