10B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MLB
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2009
Royals turn game around on Twins in the seventh
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Royals' Jose Guillen hits a three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning on Sunday. Guilleen finished the game 2-of-3 with one run and four RBI.
Bloomquist ended Baker's no-
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — Sitting in the Kansas City dugout watching Scott Baker go for a no-hitter, Willie Bloomquist and the Royals wondered aloud how to hex the Minnesota ace.
It was the second time Baker had a brush with history against
"We were trying every way possible to jinx himeveryjinning." Bloomquist said.
Whatever they did right before the seventh inning sure worked.
hit bid with a single, Jose Guillen connected for a three-run homer in the same inning and the Royals rallied past Minnesota 7-5 on Sunday.
"When they've got a no-hitter into the seventh inning and we get five runs, that says a lot that the guys haven't given up."
tive hits in the seventh and failed to record an out as the Royals overcame their largest deficit this season to take two of three in the series.
GIL MECHE Royals starting pitcher
Guillen's three-run shot accounted for the first runs off Baker (0-4), who flirted with Minnesota's first no-hitter since 1999. But he gave up five consecu-
Kansas City. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning on Aug. 31, 2007, at the Metrodome before issuing a leadoff walk to John Buck and allowing a one-out single by pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney.
The right-hander finished that game with a one-hitter.
This time was a much different outcome.
"A little frustrating, obviously," Baker said. "Just try to take what you can take positively from the outing and just kind of go from there."
Guillen drove in four runs, and Kansas City starter Gil Meche (2-2) lasted six innings and a season-high 116 pitches after leaving his previous start at Toronto with lower back stiffness.
"When they've got a no-hitter into the seventh inning and we get five runs, that says a lot that the guys haven't given up," said Meche, who also started opposite Baker during his 2007 one-hitter.
Delmon Young's RBI single in the sixth gave Minnesota a 4-0 lead.
Until that point, Baker's lone blemish was a second-inning walk to Guillen. Baker then retired 15 straight before Bloomquist's lead-off single in the seventh. Mark Teahen followed with a single and Guillen hit his third homer on an 0-2 pitch to pull the Royals to 4-3.
"The game did a 360 on us," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I don't know if he hit a wall. It looked like he just couldn't make a pitch after he gave up that one hit. A tough day. Bake threw the heck out of the ball."
Mike Jacobs and David DeJesus singled to chase Baker, who struck
out four and left to a standing ovation. Still, he wound up with a loss.
"Didn't seem like they ever gave up or ever gave in," Baker said. "They made me battle the whole game, made me throw a lot of pitches."
Luis Ayala gave up Alberto Callaspo's two-run double to lefthcenter, putting the Royals up 5-4. Guillen added a run-scoringdouble in the eighth and Coco Crisphit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Guillen has three homers since coming off the disabled list April 24.
"He's a cornerstone there in the middle of the lineup and he's an RBI machine," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "It's nice having him back."
Horacio Ramirez and Jamey Wright each worked a scoreless inning before Joakim Soria pitched the ninth for his sixth save in six chances.
MLB
Soria gave up a run when pinch-hitter Joe Mauer singled to score Denard Span.
Cubs pitcher injured, but bats finally picking up
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — Just when the Chicago Cubs started swinging the bats, they may have lost the centerpiece to their pitching staff.
Derrek Lee hit a grand slam shortly after Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano hurt himself while beating out a bunt single, and Chicago defeated the Florida Martins 6-4 Sunday for their third straight win.
Zambrano strained his left hamstring on his leadoff it in the fifth inning and left the game.
Zambrano was taken to a hospital for an MRI exam. The Cubs will have the results on Monday, though manager Lou Piniella said Big Z's next scheduled start "is in jeopardy."
"That will be a big blow," Lee said. "Hopefully it's not too serious. He's a horse and we don't want him to miss too many games.
Chicago, which led the National League in runs scored last season, had gone seven of nine games of scoring three runs or less until breaking out for an 8-6 win on Friday night. Chicago then won 6-1 on Saturday.
If Zambrano misses any time, the Cubs will need their bats to continue this weekend's surge.
Mike Fontenot went 2 for 4 with a homer and a stolen base for Chicago, which won its third straight for just the second time this season.
Ryan Theriot also went 2 for 4,
but his surprising home-run streak
"We're putting some runs on the board with a little more consistency and we're winning with a little more consistency," Piniella said. "If we get Derrek swinging the bat the way he's capable of, it really helps our offense."
ended at two games. He had gone 620 at-bats without a homer before his grand slam on Friday. He added a two-run shot on Saturday.
John Baker homered, doubled and singled for the Marlins, who have lost 10 of 13 since starting the season 11-1. Hanley Ramirez added a double and three walks for Florida.
Ricky Nolasco allowed five earned runs and eight hits in six innings. A year after setting career bests with 15 wins and an ERA of
"Other than a pitch here or there, I thought out of the six innings he pitched four that were pretty decentinnings." Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
Zambrano (3-1) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings to earn career win No. 99. Known for taking big swings at the plate, he dropped down a bunt in the bottom half of the fifth and stretched to beat the throw from Nolasco (1-3).
Pitcher Rich Harden pinchran for 'Zambrano, and the Cubs loaded the bases on Ryan Theriot's bunt single and right fielder Ross Gload's error on a fly ball by Kosuke Fukudome.
3. 52, he has allowed at least four runs in all but one of his six starts this season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Cubs trainer Mark O'Neal, left, talks to starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano during the fifth inning on Sunday. Zambrano injured his left hamstring running out a bunt single.
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