Johan Santana tosses Mets franchise first no-hitter

NEW YORK -- Even before history was made at Citi Field on Friday, Terry Collins knew that Johan Santana was his hero.

The Mets manager approached the left-hander in the dugout during the seventh inning against the Cardinals and told him as much. By the end of an 8-0 win and the first no-hitter in Mets history, 27,069 at Citi Field likely felt the same.

"I don't think I even threw a no-hitter in video games," Santana said. "This was the first time I had an opportunity, and coming into this game, I had no clue. I had no sense that I might throw a no-hitter. You never know when they're going to happen.

"This is very, very special, and I know it means a lot to New York."

It took 51 seasons for the Mets and one year of rehab for Santana, but it happened. Rangers CEO and president Nolan Ryan, one of a handful of former Mets pitchers that have thrown no-hitters in other uniforms, weighed in on the magnitude of Santana's outing for the Mets.

"They've had a lot of history of one-hitters, and it's because of the great pitchers they've had there," Ryan said. "When you think of Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden there, and some of the other guys, it's amazing they never did."

"Short of Tom Seaver, I couldn't think of a better guy to have this recognition," Mets third baseman David Wright said.

Collins said before the game he would limit Santana to about 110 pitches, but he could not pull his starter when the time came to choose between a chance at history and a dangerously high pitch count. The skipper remained torn by his decision afterward, as his eyes watered up in his postgame news conference while he discussed Santana and his return from September 2010 shoulder surgery.

"I think that's what the whole thing's about," Collins said. "To do what he had to do, to have this surgery done and have people say, 'He's not coming back, his career's over. If he comes back, he'll be a subpar guy, just another guy who had surgery who is being paid a lot of money, so he'll continue to pitch.' What's got him to this level is what he showed you tonight. He trusts himself. He trusts his ability. He never gives up, never gives in. He said, 'I'm going to come back from this,' and it led to this."

It led to his second consecutive shutout, and while this one will be immortalized, Saturday's 96-pitch outing against the Padres may have been even more dominant.

Santana walked five Cardinals as his pitch count climbed, and with two outs in the ninth, he fell behind David Freese 3-0.

But Santana never hesitated, and neither did catcher Josh Thole.

Thole knew Santana already established the inside of the plate despite three balls, and they went back inside with a fastball for the first called strike. Santana went to his signature changeup for pitch No. 133 before getting Freese to swing and miss at pitch No. 134 for out No. 27.

"That whole last at-bat came right to me," Thole said. "There was no question about it. He throws a changeup and I want it down in the dirt. If he walks him, so be it, but hopefully we can get a swing through. He threw it perfect."

It was Santana's eighth strikeout of the game as he finished with a 1-2-3 ninth after receiving help to keep his no-hit bid alive in earlier innings.

"I thought his stuff in the ninth inning was better than it was in the seventh," Collins said. "His fastball had some zip. His slider had some bite to it. You could tell, that's strictly adrenaline."

Left fielder Mike Baxter let Citi Field breathe a collective sigh of relief in the top of the seventh, when he chased down a Yadier Molina fly ball and caught it for the game's 20th out as he crashed into the wall and fell. It forced him from the game with a left shoulder contusion, but it saved Santana's no-hit bid.

"What a night for the Mets," said Baxter, a native of Queens and childhood Mets fan.

Baxter's catch came an inning after third-base umpire Adrian Johnson's foul-ball call on a Carlos Beltran hit down the line kept it alive for the first time.

The former Met ripped a sixth-inning fastball down the third-base line, and replays showed it hit the chalk after it crossed the bag. But Johnson called it foul, and Beltran grounded out to Wright on the next pitch.

"Everything came out perfect for him," said Beltran after the game. "I'm not happy about it, but at the same time, he's a good man. I'm happy for him."

Santana then shouldered the rest of his quest for Mets history, even after spending increasingly long innings on the bench while his offense piled on runs.

The Mets put up three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings after spotting Santana a 2-0 lead in the fourth. That inning began with the game's first hit against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, who was already aware of zeros on the board.

"I knew after three that neither one of us had given up a hit," Wainwright said. "After four, after five, you keep thinking, 'All right, this is going to be the one. We're going to get him now.' He just kept making pitches."

He did it on a shoulder that Collins wants to protect, and one that Santana is still unsure of. But for one night, it was enough to shoulder the burden of 51 seasons of Mets history and forever include his name as part of it.

"If we go back to Spring Training ... there were a lot of question marks," Santana said. "'Could he be the same pitcher he used to be?' I don't know. And I still don't know. But one thing I can tell you is that every time I go out there, I'll compete. ... That's what I do."

In final outing, Wood fans one, then retires

"It's one of those things where you know," Sveum said. "It's the most difficult thing you ever have to deal with. Everybody has to do it. It's a time in your life where you make that decision."

Wood and his son, Justin, enjoyed the day. The two chased balls during batting practice, and even climbed into the center-field scoreboard prior to the Cubs' Interleague game against the White Sox. Wood took out the lineup card, and when he went to the bullpen, he hugged and high-fived his teammates. Then he took his seat.

Wood had talked to Sveum about retiring in the last couple weeks, but he made it clear on Thursday this was it.

"Yesterday, I knew it was a lot different than the first day he talked to me about it," Sveum said. "We talked for a long time about a lot of things. I don't think talking him out of it yesterday was right for me to do. ... There comes a time. It's unfortunate, because you'll never get it back. You'll miss the adrenaline."

Wood had plenty pumping through him when he took the mound in the eighth, replacing Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs trailing.

"I said, 'You better throw it at 80 percent, because you'll be throwing it out of your [backside]," Cubs reliever James Russell said.

Wood fired a 96-mph fastball at Dayan Viciedo, who fouled it off. Viciedo fouled off the next pitch, a curveball, and then swung and missed at a 78-mph curve. It's been a long time and 16 stints on the disabled list since Wood struck out Mark Grudzielanek, the first batter he faced in his Major League debut on April 12, 1998, in the first inning, but he felt the same rush.

"I told [Russell] before I went out, 'I feel like I'm getting ready to go pitch my first inning,'" Wood said. "The adrenaline was the same, the nerves were the same."

Viciedo had no chance. As Wood left the field, he was surprised at the top of the dugout steps by Justin, who gave him a hug. Wood tipped his cap to the fans, then hugged his teammates in the dugout. He made one more curtain call.

Wood, 34, wanted to leave on his own terms. He finishes with an 86-75 career record and a 3.67 ERA in 446 games, including 178 starts. A two-time All-Star, he ranks third with the Cubs in strikeouts behind Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins and Carlos Zambrano, and he's the only one to reach the postseason with the team four times (1998, 2003, '07 and '08). He was the fastest pitcher to reach 1,000 strikeouts in both games (134) and innings pitched (853).

How long have the Cubs had to prepare for this?

"Probably 24 hours, I guess," Sveum said. "How do you prepare for it? You don't prepare for anything like this."

It's been rough for the Cubs' bullpen, which has the worst record in the National League. Wood already had spent time on the disabled list this season with right shoulder fatigue.

"[My arm] wasn't bouncing back this year," Wood said. "I felt I was putting guys in the 'pen in situations that they didn't need to be put in, putting Dale in situations where his hands were tied using me. I didn't want to go out with my last inning being me throwing my glove in the seats. I wanted to put up a zero and at least get one guy out."

On May 8 against the Braves, he entered in the eighth with the game tied at 1, and walked two batters and gave up two hits, including a game-winning two-run single by Dan Uggla. As he left the field, Wood threw his glove and cap into the stands in frustration.

The emotions were different on Friday.

"These fans have seen me and started reading about me when I was 17 and got drafted," Wood said. "Half of my life to this point has been in this uniform. I've been blessed, and the fans have supported me through all the injuries."

Wood was the Cubs' No. 1 Draft pick in 1995 and was a starter until arm injuries forced him to switch to relief. He was the Cubs' closer in 2008, totaling 34 saves. He finishes with 1,582 strikeouts, including 20 on May 6, 1998, in his fifth big league start. In that game, Wood gave up one hit and went the distance in a 2-0 win over the Astros. The 20 strikeouts still stands as a National Leauge and rookie record.

"To come on the scene and set the expectations and the bar where he did and to play 15 years after that and to battle through some really tough times and things like that, it's pretty impressive what he's been able to do," teammate Ryan Dempster said. "It's going to be tough not seeing him pitching."

Wood has spent all but two years with the Cubs, pitching for the Indians in 2009 and then the Tribe and Yankees in '10. He returned to Chicago in '11 when he gave the Cubs a hometown discount, signing for $1.5 million. Last January, he signed a one-year, $3 million deal to stay in Chicago.

What will he do next?

"I've played baseball for 30 years and done it professionally for 19 seasons," Wood said. "It's the one thing I know how to do, and now it's over. We'll find something."

The aches and pains were just too much for him to overcome.

"He'll definitely be missed," Dempster said. "The city of Chicago and Cubs fans loved him and rightfully so. When they feel that way about somebody, it's for the right reasons. He was a great teammate, a great friend and a great human."

Not many players get to chose when to leave the game.

"I had fun, I had a blast," Wood said. "I wouldn't trade anything in."

Papelbon saves Phillies' win over Red Sox

PHILADELPHIA -- It seemed only fitting, the way Carlos Ruiz had been hitting of late, that the Phillies catcher would step to the plate in a big spot yet again on Friday.

Ruiz, who has been making a strong case to be the starting catcher in this summer's All-Star Game, came up with the bases loaded and just one out in the first inning. He took the first pitch he saw from Daniel Bard, a 79-mph slider, and lined it to center field to bring home two runs.

Ruiz's single sparked a four-run first inning that energized the announced 45,205 at Citizens Bank Park and helped the Phillies open Interleague Play with a 6-4 win against the Red Sox. It was the sixth consecutive win for the Phillies, who improved to 21-19.

Cole Hamels earned his team-leading sixth win after allowing three runs on six hits in seven innings. The win ties him with the Cardinals' Lance Lynn for most wins in the National League. The Phillies have now won each of the southpaw's last seven starts.

Bard, a converted reliever, was handed the loss after a wild outing in which he threw just 49 of his 94 pitches for strikes. He allowed five runs on three hits, issued five walks and hit two batters on his way to falling to 3-5 on the season.

Hamels set Boston (18-21) down in the seventh before handing a 5-3 lead over to Philadelphia's bullpen, which has been shaky in 2012. Chad Qualls, who has struggled of late, retired Dustin Pedroia before giving up a solo homer to Adrian Gonzalez to cut the deficit to one.

Left-hander Antonio Bastardo came in to face the pinch-hitting David Ortiz, who grounded out to first base. A solo shot from Freddy Galvis in the eighth gave the Phillies an insurance run that set the stage for Jonathan Papelbon, the first-year Phillies closer who spent 2005-11 in Boston.

Papelbon would allow a leadoff single, but he then retired the next three batters to notch his 12th save.

Verlander loses shot at third no-no in ninth

DETROIT -- Sure, the Perfect Game club is probably nice. But the three no-hitter club is more exclusive. Justin Verlander was knocking on the door Friday night.

With one flailing two-strike swing and one shattered bat, Pirates leadoff hitter Josh Harrison slammed the door shut and chained the lock.

"That's why throwing no-hitters is so difficult," Verlander said. "It doesn't take a hard one, it just takes the right placement."

And with that, Friday's 6-0 Tigers win joined the many near no-hitters Verlander has thrown over the last two years, ending with his first one-hitter. It's the first no-hit bid he has lost in the ninth inning.

It was close enough that just about everybody in the sellout crowd of 41,661 not wearing a Pittsburgh uniform at Comerica Park thought he was going to get it.

"I think it's a little bit more surprising to me that I didn't than [if] I did," Verlander did.

It was also an example why many expect Verlander to eventually join Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Cy Young and Larry Corcoran with his third.

Many in the crowd might have had a feeling early. While Verlander was entering the time of the year when he always seems to be at his toughest, the Pirates came to town with the lowest offensive numbers in baseball.

The way Verlander dropped curveballs on the plate, sent changeups at Pittsburgh's aggressive young hitters and spotted fastballs on the corner, few hitters around the league would've stood a chance. At the end, he had Harrison swinging badly at what might be his fourth-best pitch.

"I've wanted to be a part of Tigers history since I was a little kid, and I almost was," said Pirates manager and Michigan native Clint Hurdle. "For my money, it was a thing of beauty to watch. That's a master craftsman with a power tool. He can take you places you don't want to go."

He always has that potential. This always seems to be the time of year he puts it together, almost as regular as the seagulls that flock to the ballpark every year around this time to feast on bugs.

Verlander's second no-hitter came last May, holding the Blue Jays to an eighth-inning walk in Toronto. His first no-hitter, in 2007, came during Interleague Play against a Brewers team that featured a young slugging first baseman named Prince Fielder.

"They've always happened to me," Fielder joked later. "I've never been a part of it."

His catcher had a pretty strong feeling around the fourth inning. Alex Avila caught that no-hitter in Toronto last May, when Verlander used sliders and changeups to baffle a formidable Jays lineup. Friday's pitching, Avila said, was better.

Most teams start leaving pitchers with a no-hit going alone around the middle innings. Avila said he didn't talk to Verlander after the third. They simply had nothing to discuss.

"His stuff today, everything was nasty," Avila said after Verlander's 12-strikeout, two-walk performance. "Everything was working great. Changeup, curveball, slider, fastball, we were getting outs with every single one. He felt comfortable throwing every single one of them."

In what has become classic Verlander form, he mixed those pitches early while saving his upper-90s fastball for the seventh inning, when the lineup came back around to the more seasoned Pirate batters.

Rarer than the baserunners -- Neil Walker drew a walk as the second batter of the game, as did Andrew McCutchen in the seventh inning -- were the times the Pirates came close to a hit. They hit just three balls out of the infield through the first eight innings, two of them from Harrison.

The second of those nearly spared the drama and broke up the no-hitter in the sixth with a drive to deep left-center field that sent Don Kelly sprinting toward one of the deepest parts of the ballpark. Kelly was filling in for center fielder Austin Jackson, who missed the game with an abdominal strain.

"We were playing him the other way," Kelly said. "When he hit it, I didn't know at first how long it was going to hang up. Once saw it kind of go up more than a line drive, I knew I had a chance."

Had Verlander gotten the no-hitter, Kelly's running catch would've been the defensive gem that became the highlight. Nothing else was close to requiring extraordinary effort.

Once Verlander got through the middle of the order in the seventh, walking McCutchen after a full count but spotting a curveball for a called third strike on Garrett Jones, the watch was on. He geared up his fastball and struck out the Pirates in order in the eighth -- Casey McGehee watching a 98-mph fastball, Nate McLouth missing a 99-mph heater and Clint Barmes swinging at a slider in the dirt.

"Once the seventh comes, I'm not going to let them get a hit on something that's not my best stuff," Verlander said. "So I gave it all I've got the last three innings."

Once Mike McKenry grounded out to short leading off the ninth, that slider made Harrison look silly with two ugly swings for an 0-2 count. Harrison fouled off another, then took a curveball off the plate for ball one.

"I was too amped up. I was ready for the fastball, and I swung at the first two without really seeing them," Harrison said. "So I tried to slow everything down."

Harrison's deciding swing wasn't much prettier than his first two, and it shattered his bat. Still, he got enough to line it over Verlander's head and past shortstop Jhonny Peralta for a single.

"The first two he swung at were down in the dirt," Verlander said, "and this one was off the plate where he was able to just kind of stick his bat out there and hit it up the middle."

Said Avila: "His bat died a winner."

The Tigers were still winners. But they came close to so much more.

Jeter passes Yount with hit No. 3,143

BALTIMORE -- With a third-inning single to center field on Monday, Derek Jeter moved past Robin Yount for sole possession of 17th place on baseball's all-time hits list with 3,143.

In his second at-bat of the night, the Yankees captain notched the hit off Orioles starter Jason Hammel. Jeter was left aboard when Curtis Granderson grounded out.

The next player on the all-time list is Hall of Famer Paul Waner, who is the only player in Major League history with more hits than Jeter who also played for the Yankees. Jeter has stood alone as the Yankees' all-time hits leader since eclipsing Lou Gehrig's total of 2,722 in September 2009.

Lester turns in vintage performance vs. Mariners

BOSTON -- Jon Lester just missed his second career shutout at Fenway Park as the Red Sox rolled to a 6-1 victory Monday night in the first of a two-game series against the Mariners.

Lester's magnificent performance allowed him to win just his second game in the last 12 starts dating back to Sept. 11, 2011.

This season, his biggest obstacle had been run support, as the Red Sox had scored him just 3.43 runs a game entering this one -- the lowest of anyone in Boston's rotation.

But the Sox gave him enough to work with in this one.

Daniel Nava and Kelly Shoppach both went deep to spark the offense.

The Red Sox came out swinging out of the gate. Dustin Pedroia ignited the first-inning rally against Jason Vargas with a one-out walk. David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez followed with back-to-back opposite-field RBI doubles.

Lester, meanwhile, stifled the Mariners, making that early 2-0 lead seem larger.

And in the fourth, the Red Sox took some more big cuts. After a leadoff single by Cody Ross, Nava smacked a two-run homer that just cleared the Green Monster. It was Nava's second career homer, but first since he hit a grand slam in his first Major League at-bat on June 12, 2010.

Later in the inning, Shoppach unloaded for a solo shot that sailed into the parking lot beyond the Monster Seats. That gave Lester a 5-0 lead.

Harper hits no-doubter for first MLB homer

WASHINGTON -- Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, the person pegged as the LeBron James of baseball, hit his first Major League home run on Monday night against the Padres.

The Nationals were leading, 3-1, in the third inning when the 19-year-old Harper hit a 2-1 pitch from right-hander Tim Stauffer over the center-field wall to give Washington a three-run lead.

After touching home plate, Harper, playing his 15th game, was given a curtain call and acknowledged the fans by stepping out of the dugout.

Harper's first career homer

Harper entered Monday hitting .231 with three RBIs.

Wright, Mets rebound, bash Fish behind Dickey

MIAMI -- In as many ways as possible, the Mets stressed that Friday's loss to the Marlins was a blip. An aberration. The Mets had won their previous five games, they said Friday night, and possessed more than enough firepower to continue winning.

To back up that line of thinking was an entirely different challenge. But David Wright and the Mets set about doing so in quick order Saturday, rapping out 16 hits in a 9-3 victory over the Marlins. It was their sixth win in seven games, and their first in six days that did not require a late comeback.

Wright made sure of that much, singling in his team's first run in the first inning and adding a solo homer in the third. Wright finished 4-for-6 with a fine defensive play to rob Austin Kearns of a hit in the seventh inning, upping his season average to .402 -- and leading manager Terry Collins to gush afterward that "he's a star."

No Mets player has hit over .400 this late in a season since Cleon Jones in 1969. Asked if he can maintain this pace through September, Wright said simply: "No. I'll be honest with you. No."

But it was hardly a one-man band rocking Marlins Park on Saturday afternoon. The Mets tacked on a third run on Kirk Nieuwenhuis' two-out single in the fourth inning, after Brett Hayes was called for catcher's interference during Andres Torres' at-bat. Then they effectively put the game away against starter Ricky Nolasco in the fifth, when Torres singled home two more runs.

"We're playing real well," Wright said, deflecting talk of his individual achievements. "It makes my job a lot easier when the guys in front of me are getting on and the guys behind me are swinging the bats the way they are."

Nolasco had plunked Mets starter R.A. Dickey on the right arm moments prior to Torres' hit, forcing in a run with the bases loaded and leaving an imprint of the baseball's stitching on the inside of Dickey's wrist. Though the injury bothered him -- and seemed to affect him -- for the rest of the game, Dickey pitched for two more innings and did not expect to receive an X-ray.

From the start, the knuckleballer was admittedly not sharp, allowing a season-high nine hits in six innings. But he also stranded six of those runners to move to 5-1; Dickey did not record his fifth win last season until July 25.

"It was a real fight today," Dickey said. "I threw a lot of tumbleweeds up there, balls that were just kind of rotating on me. I didn't have my swing-and-miss knuckleball tonight, but they were hitting enough pieces of it to give me some ground balls in a couple of bigger situations. I was able to make a good pitch occasionally when I needed it."

Though the Marlins mustered a few token rallies in the later innings, they never seriously threatened to come back against the Mets for a second consecutive game. Of all their players, only Jose Reyes gave the Mets fits, finishing 4-for-5 and scoring one of Miami's three runs.

But Wright one-upped him with his own four-hit performance, which included a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. The third baseman is now 12-for-22 dating back to May 7, leading the Major Leagues in batting average and on-base percentage. And he has done it playing through a fractured right pinkie finger, which is still not completely healed.

"He's on fire," Reyes said. "When he hits, he's one of the best players in the league. I spent a lot of time with David. He's an unbelievable hitter. He can play."

Though Wright has no designs on keeping up this .400 pace for the rest of the year -- and though he still strikes out a bit too much for that to be a realistic proposition -- he does have a chance at some other accolades. Though it is only mid-May, Wright has proven that he could contend for the second batting title in franchise history -- Reyes won the Mets' first one last year. And he could make a run at John Olerud's franchise-record .354 average in 1998.

"At the end of the year, David Wright's going to have some stinkin' really good numbers," Collins said. "He's got me convinced."

Of course, individual accomplishments only mean so much in the context of team deficiency. Just ask Reyes. So Wright is thrilled that his own successes have coincided with those of the Mets, who have now won six of seven in rather persuasive fashion.

"It's fun to come to the ballpark every day," Wright said. "At some point, I think that teams are going to realize the kind of talent that we have."

Angels get by Rangers after C.J.'s gritty start

ARLINGTON -- C.J. Wilson's next start was supposed to come Monday. When rain pelted Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in the bottom of the first on Friday night, kicking off a near two-hour rain delay, manager Mike Scioscia's original plan had Wilson pitching three days later.

But the Angels' new left-hander -- after facing five batters, getting four earned runs charged to his name and suffering one unfortunate loss in his return to Texas -- wanted another chance.

"I wanted to stand up to it again," he said, "because obviously, last night didn't shake out and [scheduled Saturday starter Jerome Williams] kind of threw himself on the alter and sacrificed his ERA for the benefit of the bullpen. So I wanted to kind of do the same thing today."

After some quick convincing, Wilson did.

With a sellout crowd booing incessantly throughout Saturday afternoon, he set the tone with a gritty 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball against baseball's most lethal lineup. After he left, the offense broke out against a previously dominant Alexi Ogando in the seventh, and a bullpen that had struggled for most of the season hung on, giving the Angels a much-needed 4-2 win over the Rangers.

The victory evened the series, snapped the Angels' five-game losing streak to Texas (22-12) and put them seven games back of their division rivals in the American League West standings.

The start, Wilson hopes, sent a message to an Angels team (15-19) still desperate for any sort of spark.

"I feel like it's good for our team to see me go out there and challenge the situation," he said. "I just want to set a tone."

Shortly after play resumed on Friday night -- an eventual 10-3 loss by his club -- Wilson was already showered and relaxing in his hotel room. He ate a quick meal, read a book, began texting some teammates -- "Don't worry," he wrote, "we're going to get them tomorrow" -- and stayed away from the TV.

"I didn't watch the game," Wilson said. "I checked the score and was disappointed we didn't come back, but obviously, the game was pretty out of hand by the top of the second."

Initially, Scioscia was hesitant about letting Wilson pitch the following day, and thus being the first starter since the Rangers' Aaron Myette on Sept. 3-4, 2002, to start back-to-back games. But pitching coach Mike Butcher helped him out.

"It's sort of like when mom doesn't want to let you do something and dad does," Wilson said. "[Scioscia] was a little bit undecided, but Butcher helped me out a little bit. He vouched for me."

Wilson heard the boos, felt a bit off early on and was throwing to a catcher -- John Hester -- who had only been with the club for a day. But after walking the first two batters of the game, he struck out Josh Hamilton and got Adrian Beltre to bounce into a double play, beginning a run that saw him retire 12 of 13 batters.

The Rangers scored on a Craig Gentry RBI single in the sixth and, yes, another home run by Hamilton in the seventh -- making him one of two players in baseball history to club 18 through his club's first 34 games -- but that was all Wilson would allow.

"I can't say enough for what C.J. did," Scioscia said. "He pitched his heart out."

Wilson talked all week about "de-personalizing" his return to Texas, but it was hard not to hear the insults being hurled in his direction -- insults that started as soon as he began warming up in the left-center-field bullpen for Friday's original start.

"There's a really brave dozen people here that still are a fan, apparently, and there's 47,954 people that are obviously clamoring to see me fail," Wilson said.

"I'm going to have to get used to this hostile feeling, because for the next five years, it's going to be the same thing. We're going to be in the same division -- division rivalry and all that stuff -- and I guess it's good to get two starts out of the way to get a really good feeling of what it's going to feel like. And I'm probably sure it's never going to change."

The Angels' anemic offense got just six hits, with Mark Trumbo hitting his fifth homer and Albert Pujols -- batting .195 after a 1-for-3 game -- walking for the first time since April 25.

They won by breaking through against a guy right-handed batters were 0-for-28 against this season.

Ogando checked in to relieve lefty starter Matt Harrison with two on and none out in a 2-2 game in the top of the seventh, then gave up a bunt single to Peter Bourjos and RBI sacrifice flies to pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales and outfielder Mike Trout.

Then, David Carpenter, Jordan Walden, Ernesto Frieri and closer Scott Downs -- members of a bullpen that came in with a collective 4.60 ERA -- kept the Rangers scoreless through the last 3 1/3 innings, giving the Angels their ninth win in the last 13 games.

"We need to keep playing good baseball, and on a consistent basis, that's been a challenge this year," Scioscia said. "Sometimes, the wins and losses you can't control, but you certainly can control how you're playing the game, and we need to keep bringing it.

Wilson sure did his best to do that on Saturday.

Did it send a message to his struggling team?

"I don't know," Wilson said. "That's up to them to decide. But I'm going out there giving it everything I can all the time."

Black gets win No. 400 as Padres top Phils

PHILADELPHIA -- That sure wasn't much of a footrace Saturday between Padres third base coach Glenn Hoffman and speedy center fielder Cameron Maybin, although the 53-year-old Hoffman certainly had no problem with the outcome.

"He beat me," Hoffman joked of Maybin's frenzied sprint down the line during the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly that decided the outcome of the game.

"He [Maybin] just has another gear. It was a great throw but Cammie was able to find another gear that not many guys have."

Maybin was able to score from third base on a not-so-deep fly ball to Hunter Pence in right field off the bat of Jesus Guzman. The throw home by Pence arrived a scant second after Maybin did, allowing him to score the go-ahead run in the Padres' 2-1 victory over the Phillies before a sold-out crowd of 45,542 at Citizens Bank Park.

Maybin, who missed Friday's game with a stomach illness, pumped his fist after his direct slide to the plate beat the tag from Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz after Pence's dart of a throw.

"The ball wasn't too deep but against [Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay] you've got to make stuff happen," Maybin said.

Halladay (3-3) struck out 10 on Saturday but lost for the second time this season to the Padres (12-22), who have struggled against pitchers with far less talent and credentials not nearly as impressive as the two Cy Young Awards that Halladay owns.

The Padres became the first team to beat Halladay twice in a season since the Rays did so four times in 2009 and the Red Sox did twice that season while Halladay was still pitching for the Blue Jays.

"When you come in here, you know you're going to get good pitching," Padres manager Bud Black said. "When you eke out a win against him [Halladay] in this park ... I think that says a lot about us."

The victory was No. 400 for Black, all coming with the Padres since he took over as manager before the 2007 season.

Upstaging Halladay was Padres starting pitcher Edinson Volquez (2-2), who allowed one run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings. In doing so, Volquez lowered his ERA to a scant 2.79.

"Everything was working tonight," Volquez said of his three-pitch mix, the fastball, curveball and his plus changeup that actually took a back seat to the fastball and curveball on Saturday.

The Padres bullpen combined for three scoreless innings, with Dale Thayer pitching a scoreless ninth for his second save since Huston Street went on the disabled list on May 5. But getting to Thayer was sort of a chore, as reliever Luke Gregerson endured a wild seventh inning.

Gregerson mishandled a comebacker by pinch-hitter Juan Pierre to start the seventh and then he threw away a sacrifice bunt by Jimmy Rollins, leaving runners on second and third base with no outs and with the Phillies' 2-3-4 hitters due up.

"I should have made both of those plays," Gregerson said afterward. "Those are routine plays. I just tried to stay calm. That's the best you can do."

Actually, Gregerson did more than that.

First, Gregerson managed to snag a hot comebacker from Placido Polanco for the first out before issuing an intentional walk to Shane Victorino -- who reached base four times -- before getting Pence to pop up in shallow right field to second baseman Orlando Hudson. Gregerson then got Ty Wigginton to ground into a force play at second base to end the inning.

"I'm going to tell you, we had quite a few chances to score. We left quite a few men on base," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "We definitely left a lot in scoring position and we couldn't get a hit."

Halladay allowed two runs on seven hits with one walk and the 10 strikeouts but he's winless in his last five starts. The Phillies (15-19) have scored 10 runs while Halladay has been in the game during this fitful streak that the offensively-challenged Padres can certainly sympathize with.

Just not Saturday, though.

The Padres got their first run in the third inning, when Will Venable had an RBI double to score Jason Bartlett, who also had a double earlier in the game. Then in the seventh inning, Maybin lined a double to the wall in right-center and advanced to third base on John Baker's single. He scored on the Guzman fly ball to Pence, with Hoffman running alongside him down the third base line.

"I don't know if anyone but Maybin scores on that," Black said.

Pettitte will make Yankees return on Sunday

NEW YORK -- The Yankees plan to add Andy Pettitte to their active roster and have him return to the Major Leagues for Sunday's start against the Seattle Mariners.

Pettitte, 39, completed his sixth outing at the Minor League level on Sunday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Rochester, N.Y., flashing enough promise to convince the Yankees that he is ready to face a big league lineup.

"I think everybody is in agreement that he's not really going to benefit from any more time down below," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Tuesday.

Pettitte's normal turn would come on Friday, but the Yankees are planning to have Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes pitch the first two games of their series against Seattle. Rainy weather forecasts for this week in New York could also affect the planning.

On Sunday against Triple-A Pawtucket, Pettitte permitted five runs (three earned) on eight hits in five innings, proclaiming himself ready for the Majors after the outing. He threw 92 pitches, walking one and striking out five.

"The reports that I've got have been pretty good," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He struggled a little bit his last start with the command of some of his pitches, but that doesn't mean that he's ready or he's not ready. We feel that he's physically ready, he feels that he's physically ready and that's why he'll be here this weekend."

Cashman also did not witness Pettitte's start in person, but he heard enough from Minor League pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras and others that the Yankees are comfortable advancing Pettitte to the highest level.

"If everybody was telling me no, then I wouldn't do it," Cashman said. "I'm not sure if he'll get anything more by keeping going, to be honest."

The start will be Pettitte's first big league outing since the 2010 American League Championship Series. He came out of retirement this spring after briefly attending camp as a guest instructor, signing a Minor League contract worth $2.5 million on March 16.

New York could use a boost in its rotation, though Pettitte's arrival is likely to impact David Phelps, who has taken over for the ineffective Freddy Garcia as the club's No. 5 starter. Girardi said the club is not prepared to discuss who will leave the rotation.

"We have guys that we want to go out and pitch very well, and we'll make a decision on Sunday who we're going to take out," Girardi said.

The Yankees have expressed confidence that Pettitte will be able to approach the levels of performance he showed in 2010, when he was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA, but Cashman cautions that his arrival brings no guarantees.

"It would help, but at the same time, there's still the unknown," Cashman said. "If there's a gap between what the old Andy Pettitte is and what we're going to get, I just don't know yet. We're looking forward to adding another healthy arm to the mix here because our depth has been challenged and some of our healthy starters have been inconsistent."

Girardi, for his part, seems to be counting on Pettitte to shake a year's worth of rust off and be at a level close to where he was.

"I think all of us probably kind of expect that we're going to see Andy Pettitte, what we're used to seeing," Girardi said. "A guy that grinds out starts, that has the ability to get double plays, that doesn't panic out there. I think you can only go back on what you've seen from him."

While he waits to be activated, Pettitte cannot work out with the Yankees. Cashman said that Pettitte has a home in Westchester, N.Y., and plans to prepare for his start there. Pettitte told the team that he threw on flat ground on Monday in the New York suburbs, and he also tossed last week in Houston.

"He's a jack of all trades," Cashman said. "He knows exactly what he needs to do to get it done."

Pettitte has pitched 13 of his 16 big league seasons with the Yankees, spending 2004-06 with the Astros, and he ranks as the all-time leader in postseason wins (19), starts (42) and innings pitched (263).

Pettitte's 203 victories as a Yankee rank third in franchise history, behind Hall of Famers Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231), and his 1,823 strikeouts are second, only 133 behind Ford's 1,956.

"I think the fans are really excited," Cashman said. "I know Andy is really excited. And I'll be excited obviously if he plugs in and helps us."

Mets pull caper at The Bank with late comeback

David Wright's heads-up baserunning play drew an errant throw from second baseman Pete Orr in the seventh inning Tuesday, allowing the tying run to score in a 7-4 Mets victory over the Phillies. It was the Mets' league-leading 10th comeback win in 30 games, and their second in two nights at Citizens Bank Park.

After the Mets put two runners aboard while trailing by two in the seventh, Wright hit an RBI single to right field, where Hunter Pence fielded the ball and threw it up the line. But as Kirk Nieuwenhuis reached third base, Wright wandered halfway between first and second and got caught in a rundown.

Wright hustled to avoid tag after tag, then broke for an uncovered second base as Nieuwenhuis strayed far enough from safety for Orr to try to gun him down. But his throw skidded into the area beyond third base, allowing Nieuwenhuis to score easily with the tying run.

The next batter, Lucas Duda, ripped a game-winning single off Antonio Bastardo, capping the Mets' second consecutive comeback in Philadelphia. An inning later, Ramon Ramirez and Tim Byrdak pitched around a leadoff single to keep the Mets ahead.

Wright's smart baserunning took Mets starter Miguel Batista off the hook, after the 41-year-old struggled in his first start as a member of the rotation. Batista nearly did not make it out of the second inning after giving up Pence's two-run homer in the first, then a pair of run-scoring hits in the second.

But Batista did settle down, pitching well in the middle innings before Manny Acosta bailed him out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth. It was Batista's second start of the season but his first crack at the rotation, after Chris Schwinden proved unable to hold down a starting spot in place of the injured Mike Pelfrey.

Phillies starter Joe Blanton had the reverse sort of luck. Strong over his first three hitless innings, Blanton began struggling in the fourth, when Daniel Murphy tagged him for an RBI single. Blanton then walked the leadoff batter in the seventh inning, and allowed consecutive hits to Andres Torres and Nieuwenhuis before departing.

In the ninth, Nieuwenhuis added insurance on a sac fly and Duda drove in another run on a single.

Hamilton makes history with four home runs

BALTIMORE -- Josh Hamilton tied a Major League record when he hit four home runs against the Orioles on Tuesday night, and Netali Feliz allowed one run over six innings as the Rangers won their second straight with a 10-3 victory at Camden Yards.

Hamilton is the 16th Major League player to hit four in one game and the first since Carlos Delgado did it on Sept. 25, 2003, for the Toronto Blue Jays.

He also set an American League record with 18 total bases. He had a double in his other at-bat to tie a Major League record for extra-base hits. All four home runs were two-run shots as Elvis Andrus scored on all four.

Hamilton's barrage began on the first pitch he saw after Andrus drew a one-out walk in the first. Hamilton jumped on a first-pitch curve from Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta and hit it over the center-field wall for a two-run home run.

Andrus once again set up Hamilton in the third by reaching on a two-out bunt hit. This time, Arrieta missed with his first two pitches before throwing a sinker that Hamilton crushed into the seats in right-center field. Adrian Beltre followed with a home run of his own, also to right-center, to give the Rangers a 5-0 lead.

Hamilton doubled in the fifth inning off Arrieta before coming up in the seventh again with Andrus on first base. This time, Orioles manager Buck Showalter brought in left-hander Zach Phillips to face him. It didn't help. Hamilton hit the second pitch over the center-field wall for his third homer.

Hamilton came up in the eighth against Orioles right-handed reliever Darren O'Day and hit an 0-2 pitch over the center-field wall for the record-tying home run.

He now has 14 home runs and 36 RBIs on the season while hitting .406.

The Rangers are now 4-4 on their current road trip, with two games left with the Orioles.

Feliz, beating Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta, raised his record to 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA while allowing four hits and a walk. He struck out eight, his highest to this point after five starts.

No-hitter represents new low point for Twins

ANAHEIM -- So while the Twins didn't get a hit against the Angels on Wednesday night, it didn't stop them from hitting rock bottom in the early going this season.

Minnesota simply reached a new low by being held hitless by Angels ace Jered Weaver in a 9-0 loss at Angel Stadium.

It was the latest blow for the Twins, who fell to a Major League-worst 6-18 and are still reeling from last year's disappointing 63-99 showing that saw them finish with the worst record in the American League.

Center fielder Denard Span didn't deny this was the low point this year, but he added that the Twins have nowhere to go but up from here. They have a chance to regroup with an off-day on Thursday before heading to Seattle for a three-game series against the Mariners.

"This is tough," Span said. "It's definitely tough. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We've got to enjoy the off-day and be ready to go. This is unacceptable. We're better than this. We've put in way too much hard work. It's just unacceptable."

Manager Ron Gardenhire has been frustrated by his club's struggles in the early going, as the Twins are in the midst of a funk that has seen them lose nine of their last 10 games.

The pitching has mostly been the issue -- the starters have combined for a 7.06 ERA in 125 innings -- but the offense has also struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, posting a .245 average in those situations.

The offensive woes have been most glaring over the last two games, as the Twins have gone 15 innings without a hit, which spans 48 plate appearances. They were also shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since Sept. 5-6, 2011, against the White Sox.

"I'm not too excited right now," Gardenhire said. "Let's put it that way. How far do you wanna dig yourself a hole here? It's early, but it's also too early to lose games like this too. We need to win some baseball games. We need to shake hands a little bit. It's the atmosphere you worry about. Guys keep take a beating in there and they can get up so many times, but we need to win a game and shake some hands. We need to have that feeling."

The Twins were especially beat up by the struggling Angels, who entered the series having lost six of their last seven games. But Minnesota still managed to get outscored 13-3 in the series, as Los Angeles slugged six home runs.

"We came in here and they just knocked us around," Span said. "They had three good starting pitchers start for them. But nobody is going to feel sorry for us right now. We have to pick ourselves up. It's not going to get easier. It's going to get harder. So we need to man up. I don't know if our backs are against the wall, but right now we need to turn it around."

The Twins keep saying this year has a different feel than last year, as the club has mostly avoided injuries and lost several close games.

Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been mostly productive this season, although both suffered setbacks during the week. Mauer missed Monday's game after being hit on the left knee by a foul tip, while Morneau missed two games to fly back to have his surgically-repaired left wrist examined. Morneau received good news, as there was only inflammation in his wrist, but he's still unsure when he'll make his return.

So while there's still plenty of baseball to played, the Twins know they need to snap out of this skid in a hurry, as they haven't done much to distance themselves from last season.

"We need to keep doing what we're doing," Trevor Plouffe said. "It's hard to keep saying that day after day when we're not winning these games. But we're preparing the right way. We have the right team. It's about playing hard, and we're doing that. We're rooting for each other and rooting hard, and it's all you can do. We believe we have a much better team than what we showed so far. So we'll continue to keep working. That's all you can do."

Dodgers' under-the-radar moves paying off

CHICAGO -- With new owners in place back home, general manager Ned Colletti rejoined his first-place club Thursday with decisions looming on making the Dodgers even better.

The signing of Bobby Abreu for the bench appears imminent, as is a decision on reliever Ronald Belisario, who has served his 25-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy.

Belisario is out of options. Barring an unknown injury, he will either be added to the active roster (dislodging a current pitcher) or, in order to stash him in the Minor Leagues, put through waivers with the risk that another club claims him.

Meanwhile, the decisions that Colletti made over the winter, for the most part, have worked out so far. Aside from extending Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw, there was little fanfare for the signings of starting pitchers Chris Capunao and Aaron Harang, second baseman Mark Ellis, role players like Jerry Hairston, Adam Kennedy and Matt Treanor, reliever Todd Coffey, the re-signing of Juan Rivera or handing the starting catching job to out-of-options A.J. Ellis and the starting shortstop job to Dee Gordon.

For all the credit that obviously should go to Kemp, who was named the National League's Player of the Month on Wednesday, and RBI machine Andre Ethier for the team's fast start, the pieces that were added have upgraded its supporting cast.

Rivera has been out a week with a slight left hamstring strain, the contributions of Kennedy, Treanor and Coffey have been limited while Gordon has been brilliant at times but struggled at others.

Overall, working strategically with a slashed payroll, Colletti seems to have succeeded with his goals of signing two starting pitchers for the price of one Hiroki Kuroda; of improving defense at second base; and the addition of a versatile right-handed bat in Hairston to counter opposing left-handed pitching.

"I felt there were areas we needed to upgrade," said Colletti. "Mark Ellis has been really good for us, defensively and with key hits. A.J. has been exactly what the staff said he'd be -- a hard worker, a handler of the pitchers, a guy with a great on-base percentage. His diligence wasn't lost on us. And Hairston has given us defensively versatility. The pitchers have kept us in the game, which is what you ask from the back end of the rotation, and they've really done that.

"We're going to need to be more balanced offensively. We can't leave everything at the feet of Matt and Andre. We're going to have to pass it around."

Manager Don Mattingly has been especially impressed with the two Ellises.

Here's what he said about Mark Ellis, who is batting .276 and handling the unselfish role of No. 2 hitter ahead of Kemp:

"He's been great, better than I honestly thought he was. I didn't do enough research. He grows on you all the time. He's been tremendous at second. But he's also a good hitter, he knows exactly what to do at the plate. He's given himself up six or seven times. For me, I love him."

Mark Ellis isn't surprised by his manager's reaction.

"I'm just doing what I always do, this is who I am and I try to be the same guy," said the 11-year veteran. "I played most of my career in Oakland, and not a lot of people see you on the West Coast, and the last couple years, we didn't have a very good team. I fly under the radar, and that's fine. I get in trouble when I try to do too much. This team, I don't have to do that. I know what a good play is and what a bad play is. I take pride in playing the game the right way."

Here's what Mattingly said about A.J. Ellis, who has a .306 average and .449 on-base percentage, third in the league:

"He's been really good, even better than I thought. The biggest area -- I'm not talking about his hits -- is the leadership, and you can just see it. You can tell he's slowed the game down. He's taking charge. We had a first-and-third and I got busy with something and he was waiting for a sign and he just put the play on himself. I looked up and he was already all over it. He's been everything we want. He studies, he knows what he's calling. Everybody is trying to find offense, but A.J. has been that guy you want back there. He has such a good feeling, you know he's studied and he knows where he's going to go."

Sandoval has broken hamate bone in left hand

SAN FRANCISCO -- The offense-starved Giants were forced to scrape for morsels of optimism Thursday as third baseman Pablo Sandoval, their top run producer, went on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left hamate bone.

Conor Gillaspie was recalled from Triple-A Fresno to replace Sandoval, who's estimated to be sidelined from four to six weeks.

Of course, as Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, "You just don't replace a guy like Pablo. The guy was on the All-Star team last year. There are few guys in Major League Baseball who can do things he can do with the bat."

There's little doubt that the Giants will miss Sandoval, who had started each of San Francisco's previous 24 games while amassing a team-high five homers and 15 RBIs to complement a .316 batting average. For the Giants, who have struggled mightily to hit with runners in scoring position, Sandoval was a much-needed presence in the batting order's third spot.

"We'll have to maintain where we are and hopefully get better until he gets back," Bochy said.

Sandoval missed approximately 6 1/2 weeks last year when he broke his right hamate bone. But the Giants cited reasons why he could return sooner this time. Sandoval hurt his throwing hand last year, so he had to be more careful in his recovery. Also, the switch-hitting Sandoval was injured last season while batting left-handed, the side he employs predominantly. He sustained his latest fracture hitting right-handed last Sunday against San Diego, prompting the notion that he could return to action and avoid batting from that side until he's more fully healed.

"So there's hope for some optimism," Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said. "But it is four to six weeks."

Sandoval, 25, will undergo surgery Friday in Palo Alto to have the bone removed. Dr. Tim McAdams will perform the procedure.

"I guess the good news is both [hamate bones] will be gone tomorrow and he can't do it again," Groeschner said with grim humor.

Sandoval homered Sunday when he initially felt discomfort. Tuesday, following Monday's scheduled off-day, he homered and doubled. X-rays taken of his hand Tuesday revealed no fracture, but as Groeschner explained, "X-rays are tough in that area. It's not a good way to view it."

Sandoval underwent an MRI on Wednesday that confirmed the injury, after he left that night's game following a sixth-inning groundout to second base. In that plate appearance against Miami right-hander Carlos Zambrano, said Groeschner, Sandoval hit an outside sinker off the end of his bat.

"It kind of shocked him," Groeschner said.

Gillaspie, 24, will receive the first opportunity to fill the void Sandoval left. A sandwich pick immediately following the first round in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Gillaspie was hitting .362 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 23 games with Fresno. He also compiled a .417 on-base percentage and a .521 slugging percentage.

Bochy immediately installed Gillaspie in Thursday's lineup against Miami.

"Right now I'm hoping Conor takes it and runs with it," Bochy said. "I'd say he's looking at most of the playing time."

Should Bochy wish to seek alternatives at third base, he'll consider infielders Joaquin Arias, Emmanuel Burriss and Ryan Theriot, who have a smattering of experience at the position. Bochy said that Brett Pill, who has tried to make himself handy at every position, is not an everyday option.

Bochy expressed hope that first baseman Aubrey Huff, who's recovering from an anxiety disorder, can bolster the offense when he leaves the disabled list. That could happen as early as Monday.

"That will be a shot in the arm for us," Bochy said. "He'll give us some experience in the heart of the order, which I believe we really need."

Bochy also expects the rest of the Giants to motivate themselves to upgrade their performance to help compensate for Sandoval's absence. In fact, San Francisco posted a 25-16 record and moved into first place in the National League West while Sandoval was sidelined last year.

"Hopefully some of these guys are going to look at this as a great chance for them to show what they can do and go out and shine," Bochy said.

Cardinals to retire La Russa's number

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals have announced plans to retire the uniform number worn by former manager Tony La Russa in a pregame ceremony on May 11 before the contest against the Braves.

La Russa's No. 10 will be the 12th number retired by the Cardinals, and he'll join Whitey Herzog (No. 24) as the only Cardinals managers who did not play for the team to be so honored.

La Russa managed in St. Louis for 16 years, leaving after the Cardinals captured their 11th World Series championship in October. He ranks third on baseball's all-time list in managerial wins, with 2,728. Only John McGraw (2,763) and Connie Mack (3,731) have more. Of those wins, 1,408 came with the Cardinals. La Russa's .544 winning percentage in St. Louis is the best of any of his managerial tenures.

La Russa led the Cardinals to two World Series titles, three National League pennants and eight division titles. He is one of two Cardinals managers to notch 100-win seasons twice, and one of only two to win a pair of World Series championships.

The Cardinals are expected to release more details about the ceremony closer to the date, though tickets are still available for that game. The first 25,000 fans 16 and older in attendance will receive a La Russa retirement figurine.

La Russa, who was in St. Louis for the home opener festivities, is serving in an advisory role with Major League Baseball. He will briefly come out of retirement this summer to manage the NL All-Star team in Kansas City.

Cahill steals show as D-backs quiet Harper, Nats

WASHINGTON -- Most of the 22,675 at Nationals Park on Tuesday night came hoping to see Bryce Harper do some damage with the bat in his home debut.

Instead they were treated to a fine pitching outing from D-backs right-hander Trevor Cahill, as he pitched the visitors to a 5-1 win.

The victory was the D-backs' fourth in the first five games of their current 10-game road trip.

Cahill (2-2) scattered six hits and allowed just one run over 7 1/3 innings to earn the win. It was easily the most impressive of the five starts he's made for Arizona since coming over from Oakland in an offseason trade.

"That's the best he's thrown for us," D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. "Much more into the zone, commanding the zone early and often, and when you can do that, you can get early swings, and he got some early outs and kept his pitch count down."

Catcher Miguel Montero said he knew even before the game started that Cahill was going to have a good outing.

"I could tell when he was warming up," Montero said. "Because everything was working pretty good. His confidence level was way up when he saw himself working pretty good."

Harper was 0-for-3 against Cahill, and the veteran showed the rookie a thing or two when he struck him out in the second inning.

Cahill started Harper out with a pair of changeups for a 1-1 count and then threw a sinker that Harper swung through. And on the fourth pitch, Cahill went back to his changeup and Harper was way out in front and he swung and missed for strike three.

"I was throwing quite a few," Cahill said of his changeup. "I know he's got a quick bat, so I was just kind of hopefully having him speed it up and pulling the string on it a little bit."

Cahill struggled with his command in some of his earlier starts, but he was sharp Tuesday.

"In the past, it's taken him some time to get his rhythm and he's not been consistent in one spot," Gibson said. "Tonight, he was pretty much where he wanted to be all night."

Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann (1-2) matched Cahill through the first four innings before the D-backs took advantage of a defensive lapse to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

The D-backs increased the lead to 2-0 in the sixth and chased Zimmermann from the game with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh. Reliever Ryan Mattheus proceeded to hit Aaron Hill to force in a run, and Upton followed with a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead.

Upton's fly ball was fielded by Harper, who threw a strike on the fly to the plate, where McDonald just beat the tag.

"It was very impressive," Gibson said. "It kind of surprised me. We knew he had a solid arm, but very impressive throw."

Upton was caught off guard by the throw, as well.

"Obviously, it was an electric throw," Upton said. "I wasn't expecting it to be that close."

Cahill finally ran out of gas in the eighth, but Bryan Shaw was able to get the final two outs of the frame and David Hernandez retired the Nationals in order in the ninth to close things out.

"I feel like we have the hitters who can hit, but we are not as aggressive as I would like to see," said Nationals manager Davey Johnson. "Our one and two hitters [Ian Desmond and Stephen Lombardozzi] were aggressive. They swung the bat and got a couple of hits. But we are not centering on the ball. We are not getting a good strike and driving it. The talent is there."

O's click behind Matusz in Buck's 1,000th win

NEW YORK -- It went without saying that Orioles starter Brian Matusz, who entered Tuesday's game against the Yankees with the longest active losing streak in the Majors, badly needed a win. And manager Buck Showalter -- one victory shy of the prestigious 1,000-win mark -- could've used one, too, if only to appease his two children, who had made Showalter aware of the pending milestone in the first place.

So it was only fitting that Matusz -- the O's most beleaguered starter -- would toss his best start since 2010, using homers from Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy to topple New York, 7-1, and solidify Showalter's spot in the history books.

Tuesday's win was the Orioles' first in five games this season against their American League East rivals from the Bronx, granting Matusz his first victory since June 6, 2011, and crowning Showalter as the 58th manager to reach the four-digit mark in wins. It was a celebration the no-nonsense Showalter accepted begrudgingly, as first-base coach Wayne Kirby started calling on all of the O's players to meet at home plate, pushing their 55-year-old manager right where he belonged -- front and center.

"Buck wanted no part of it," shortstop J.J. Hardy, who delivered a go-ahead two-run homer in the third inning, said of the postgame celebration. "He didn't want all of the attention; he was like, 'Let's go, let's go.' We finally got him in the middle of the circle, and it was a pretty cool moment."

"That's embarrassing, but I can't tell you it doesn't tug at your heart a little," said Showalter, who was also treated to a Champagne toast in the visitors' clubhouse before coming out to meet with the media. "It's been an honor to manage this long, with so many good people -- general managers and owners and people who give you an opportunity. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the focus being off it a little, but I'm very appreciative of the players. They made me feel very young tonight, even though I'm an old goat."

GRAND COMPANY

Active managers with at least 1,000 career Major League wins.

Manager	Current team	Wins	Losses	First win
1. Jim Leyland	Tigers	1,600	1,596	1986
2. Dusty Baker	Reds	1,495	1,378	1993
3. Bruce Bochy	Giants	1,372	1,387	1995
4. Davey Johnson	Nationals	1,202	940	1984
5. Bobby Valentine	Red Sox	1,128	1,084	1985
6. Mike Scioscia	Angels	1,075	893	2000
7. Buck Showalter	Orioles	1,000	958	1992

Old aptly describes Matusz's outing, as the 25-year-old lefty -- still too young for Showalter to consider Tuesday's outing vintage -- held the Yankees to one run over 6 1/3 innings.

"It couldn't be more exciting, being Buck's 1,000th win," Matusz said of his first big league victory since June 6, 2011. "Growing up, I was a huge Diamondbacks fan, and Showalter was the manager there; [I] watched a lot of his games there. Obviously, he's been a great manager for so long. [It's] such an honor to be a part of that game, to come away with a win."

Matusz was one of the main reasons the win was possible, rebounding from Curtis Granderson's homer in the first inning to allow six hits and one walk to go with four strikeouts.

"I've seen Brian when he's right, and I try to keep a long memory of that," Showalter said of the former first-round Draft pick, who went 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA in his final eight games in 2010. "To see him command the baseball with all his pitches against a predominantly right-handed lineup, that's impressive."

Asked if he felt he was returning to his best form, Matusz said: "Absolutely. Game-by-game, I'm feeling like I'm getting better and better, being able to make those pitches and get out of an inning and not letting things escalate. It feels good to be able to go out there and attack the zone with confidence, to be able to come away with it."

The Orioles' 15th win this season keeps them in second place in the AL East, one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The O's won, as they have with frequency this season, through a true team effort. Backed by Matusz's strong showing and Hardy and Davis' homers, the rest of the O's lineup chipped in for a three-run sixth that saw Yankees starter Phil Hughes head to the showers with two outs.

Reliever Darren O'Day followed Matusz and got out of a bases-loaded jam by retiring Alex Rodriguez on a foul popup to end the seventh. O'Day hasn't allowed a run since his first game of the season, a span of 11 1/3 scoreless innings. Luis Ayala followed with a 1-2-3 ninth to cap the O's victory in front of 37,390 at the new Yankee Stadium.

"It started here, and we definitely wanted to get a win while we were here," Davis said of Showalter, whose first career win as manager came with the Yankees in 1992.

"They really embarrassed us at our place [with a sweep], and we kind of wanted to take something from them here."

The O's mounted a two-out rally in the sixth, adding to their lead after Hughes hit catcher Matt Wieters with a pitch. Davis and Wilson Betemit followed with a pair of singles off reliever Boone Logan, and designated hitter Nick Johnson -- who snapped an 0-for-29 slump to open the season with an eighth-inning RBI double -- lifted a ball to left field that scored a pair of runs when Eduardo Nunez committed a fielding error.

"It was great," Johnson said of getting Matusz the win. "He's been pitching well and he should have had that win last time, and I messed up that ball. And he is throwing so well, you never want to make errors. So this is awesome for him, and I'm extremely happy for Buck. Not a lot of people have done it, so I couldn't be happier for him."

Davis went 3-for-4 -- including a second-inning solo homer, his fifth -- and scored three runs, while Hardy's two-run blast snapped a 1-1 tie in the third to hand Matusz the lead.

"I thought he mixed his pitches really well," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Matusz. "His offspeed [stuff] was really effective, whether it was his slider, his changeup or his curveball -- just keeping people off balance and being able to get in on guys, where they weren't able to get extended because of the changing of the speeds."

Lester earns first win; Red Sox win sixth straight

CHICAGO -- A week ago, there was panic and there was outrage in the land known as Red Sox Nation. Manager Bobby Valentine went to his bullpen with an eight-run lead against the Yankees on national television, only to witness an implosion of epic proportions.

In other words, it's amazing how much things have changed for a team that is suddenly among the hottest in baseball.

This time, Valentine went to his relief crew for the final six outs with the narrowest of margins.

And they came through, leading the streaking Red Sox to a 1-0 win over the White Sox on Saturday night.

Boston has won six in a row -- all six victories coming in the aftermath of that blown 9-1 lead against the Yankees last Saturday.

"That's what they're going to do all year," said Adrian Gonzalez, who had the only RBI in the game. "We know that. For the first couple of weeks, as the guys [struggled], especially on a team like this where everything gets overblown, overdrawn, you start pressing a little bit, trying harder. As the season goes and you get into the flow of things, you just stop thinking about that and do what you can. That's what these guys are doing."

For the first time this season, Valentine's team is at .500. This, after a 4-10 start.

The strong relief performances of Franklin Morales, Vicente Padilla and Alfredo Aceves gave ace Jon Lester his first win.

"They're coming together," Valentine said. "You play the season to build the little parts of your team. I think the bullpen is coming together pretty nicely. Even though it's been Padilla-Morales, tonight it was Morales-Padilla and they got through that [eighth] inning nicely. Alfredo finished it off. But the 1-0 game is the toughest game to go to the bullpen, we all know that, especially on the road. You don't win a lot of games 1-0 on the road."

It was Boston's first 1-0 win since a 16-inning thriller at Tampa Bay on July 17 of last season.

For Lester, it was his first victory since Sept. 6, 2011.

"Well, sometime, either last night or today, he asked what he had to do," Valentine said. "I just said, 'Pitch like an ace, like Jon Lester is', and he pitched like an ace. He had both sides of the plate. Two-seamer away, cutter in. Had a good changeup. Very competitive. He was terrific."

And he needed to be. Lester's opponent was Jake Peavy, who pitched a complete game, only to get the tough-luck loss.

"Those games are fun. It's just a battle," Lester said. "I've been on the other end of those. You feel like you do everything you can to put your team in position to win, and the other guy just does a little bit more or you don't get the timely hitting or whatever. That was big tonight, grinding it out. Our hitters did a great job. Defense played awesome tonight. Those are more or less fun. Every win is important for a pitcher."

The Red Sox have gone a full turn through the rotation with every pitcher earning a win.

"When Josh [Beckett] won his game, we said maybe we'll put a string together," Valentine said. "Now we have them all winning. That's how you start building a real foundation of a team. Those other little things are just parts of a team but foundation is what those starters can do day in and day out. They're pretty good. I'll take those five that we're running out there right now."

Lester went seven innings, allowing five hits and no runs while walking one and striking out seven. He threw 122 pitches, 78 for strikes.

Then there was Peavy, who gave up four hits and one run, walking one and striking out seven.

"The ball bounced their way tonight," Peavy said. "We did all we could do. Lester was mighty good."

When Peavy buckled ever so slightly in the fourth, the Red Sox made him pay.

Ryan Sweeney started it, blooping one into right and hustling out of the box for a double.

"I knew if he didn't catch it that I would have a chance," Sweeney said. "I was just going to try to make something happen."

With one out, Gonzalez fought off a 2-2 fastball against Peavy, his former teammate in San Diego, and punched it into right for the RBI single.

"Fastballs in," Gonzalez said. "We go to 2-2 with fastballs in and I had a feeling he was going to stay with a fastball in and I just told myself, 'Get on top.' If he makes a good pitch down, offspeed down, then you have to tip your hat. I wasn't going to let him go up top again."

Lester held it right there, and handed it off to the bullpen.

After Morales and Padilla navigated their way through the eighth, on came Aceves. He was magnificent, mowing through the White Sox 1-2-3 and ending the game by striking out A.J. Pierzynski on a changeup.

"He was great," Valentine said. "You know, we talked to him that he doesn't always have to throw it 97 [mph]. Tonight, he threw some very effective fastballs at 94, 93, and then had his 96, 97. He pitched. He got the final strikeout with a changeup. That's what you have to do."

Lincecum makes sure he's best pitcher on this night

SAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Belt went to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning wanting to see the ball as well as he could. Once he got ahead in the count, he locked in on something he could hit.

Belt's two-run double chased away some of the pressure of hitting with runners in scoring position and the San Francisco Giants rallied for a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.

"You can't go up there looking for something against that guy because he can throw any pitch in any count," Belt said. "Fortunately I got something I could handle."

Tim Lincecum (2-2) made sure that was all the Giants would need in his first quality start of the season. The former Cy Young Award winner gave up an unearned run on three hits over a season-best eight innings. He walked four and struck out five.

"I was just trying to keep my rhythm going," Lincecum said. "It helps me not get too lax out there. I think that's where I've taken that new thing where I'm running off the field just to show that I still have energy."

Anthony Bass pitched like all he would need was the one run as he had a perfect game two outs into the sixth inning before Lincecum beat out an infield single.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game just because he's got good stuff and he had good numbers coming into the game," Lincecum said. "His slider was getting strikeouts and he had a live fastball. We knew it was going to be a grind and it turned out that way."

Melky Cabrera doubled leading off the seventh, but he was still there two outs later. Nate Schierholtz hit a slow grounder in the hole at second base. Orlando Hudson threw wide and it was ruled Yonder Alonso was unable to keep his foot on the base.

"It takes those things to win ballgames like these," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Earlier we had a leadoff double and couldn't do much with that. The only thing you can do is keep grinding."

Lincecum beat the Padres a fourth straight time and for the sixth time in his last seven decisions against them, all of which were quality starts. He has an 0.62 ERA in his last four starts against San Diego.

"Mentally I just felt a little more into the game from beginning to end," Lincecum said. "I'll just try not to overthink anything between now and next start. Hopefully it builds off itself." Bass did keep Pablo Sandoval off the bases, ending his 20-game hitting streak, a Giants franchise record for the start of a season and the longest to start a season since Edgar Renteria hit in 23 straight for the Atlanta Braves in 2006.

"He pitched a lot like I have seen the other guy pitch," said Padres manager Bud Black, comparing Bass to Lincecum. "Every pitch was made with a purpose."

Sandoval grounded out to first base with two runners on in the bottom of the eighth.

Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his third save.

Kemp's walk-off homer caps Dodgers' rally

LOS ANGELES -- For all the hype and buzz surrounding a Bryce Harper debut and a Stephen Strasburg start, only one player in the National League these days hears the "MVP ... MVP" serenade.

That would be Matt Kemp, who was at it again Saturday night, the game's hottest star stealing the headlines from Washington's pair of future stars. Kemp's walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Nationals, securing a series win over the surprise leaders of the National League East, and helping L.A. reclaim the league's best record at 15-6.

"I've played with a lot of great players, but this guy is as good as it gets," said Jerry Hairston Jr., who survived a 97-mph Strasburg fastball off his left hand (X-rays were negative).

Kemp had to be special to upstage the 19-year-old Harper -- who doubled and had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in his heavily promoted promotion -- and Strasburg, who hooked up in a duel with Chad Billingsley. Each allowed one run over seven innings for no-decisions, Billingsley rebounding from a horrible start in Houston last weekend.

"It was an exciting game from the first pitch to the last," said Billingsley.

It was Kemp's 11th home run of the season, setting a Dodgers record for the month of April. It was his seventh walk-off hit, five of them homers.

"I hate to say he could be scary. He is scary. He's fun to watch," said manager Don Mattingly.

The homer was launched 423 feet to center field on a 1-2 slider from Tom Gorzelanny, and before Kemp had rounded first, the crowd of 54,242 was in full-throated hero-worship mode.

"MVP ... MVP ... MVP."

"That goes back to last year," said Kemp. "It gives me goosebumps. It's definitely emotional, and it makes me play better. Keep doing that. It's always good to see Dodger Stadium filled like that. That's the Dodger Stadium I remember two or three years ago. Every Friday and Saturday, 56,000 fans. It helps a lot to have them on your side."

After the customary scrum at home plate that gave reliever Jamey Wright his first Dodgers win, Kemp made his way to the dugout seats to acknowledge his mother.

"She's been here when I got 30/30, when I tried for 40/40 in Arizona -- she's my hero, and I look up to her," said Kemp. "She's my little good-luck charm when she's there to see me. I'm very blessed. It's fun for my whole family to experience this ride we're on. I have to keep her here. Might have to buy a condo, or she can stay with me as long as she stays in L.A."

Kemp got the chance to win it only through an improbable rally in the bottom of the ninth, after the Nationals scored runs off Dodgers relievers Scott Elbert and Javy Guerra, who was making a shaky first appearance since taking a line drive off the jaw Wednesday night, in the top of the frame.

Adam LaRoche, who homered in the seventh inning off Billingsley, singled off Elbert leading off the top of the ninth, and was erased at second base on an attempted sacrifice bunt by Rick Ankiel. Danny Espinosa singled off Guerra to send LaRoche to third, and he scored on Harper's sacrifice fly to left. Wilson Ramos then singled home Espinosa.

The Dodgers answered with two runs in the bottom of the ninth off Henry Rodriguez to send the game into extra innings. They opened the ninth with three consecutive hits -- singles by Mark Ellis and James Loney and an RBI ground-rule double by Juan Uribe. The tying run scored on a wild pitch to Dee Gordon, plating Uribe, one of three wild pitches by Rodriguez.

The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Jerry Hairston was hit on the left hand. Loney followed with a chopper that was booted by second baseman Espinosa. Uribe, failing to bunt, struck out.

A.J. Ellis (2-for-4) then singled to left. Harper made a perfect throw to catcher Ramos ahead of the sliding Hairston, who slapped the ball out of Ramos' glove with his left hand, Hairston scrambling back to the plate on all fours to score the tying run. Nats manager Davey Johnson argued plate umpire Mark Carlson's call, to no avail.

"I slide like that all the time," said Hairston. "It's an aggressive slide, and it so happens I hit his glove. It happens."

Harper finished the night 1-for-3 with a double and RBI.

"I wish we would have gotten the W, of course." Harper said. "We played a great team today. Billingsley threw a great game. We fought until the end. That's not the way you want to start off your career. I just wish we got a W."

How sweep it is: Mets rally in ninth

NEW YORK -- For years, the Mets diligently kept track of their record with and without Jose Reyes in the lineup. Now, they can proudly document how they do when they play against him.

The Mets used a late comeback to take a 3-2 win and a series sweep Thursday, and they even kept Reyes from being a factor. Reyes went 0-for-4 and hit into a double play in the eighth inning Thursday, and he went 1-for-12 in his first series against the team that signed and developed him.

New York, meanwhile, was quiet for most of the day and patient when it mattered most. The Mets drew four walks in the ninth inning against Miami closer Heath Bell, and rookie leadoff man Kirk Nieuwhenhuis drove home the winning run on a single over right fielder Giancarlo Stanton's head.

"Closers don't usually throw 50 pitches. I thought that might've worn him down," said manager Terry Collins. "You just don't see guys at this level get walked that much. I've never seen anything like it."

David Wright, the first batter of the final frame, took two called strikes and walked on six pitches. He wound up moving to second base on a Lucas Duda grounder, giving the Mets their first runner in scoring position since the third inning.

Ike Davis walked on four pitches, and Bell walked catcher Josh Thole on six to load the bases. That brought up pinch-hitter Justin Turner, who engaged the veteran closer in an epic 13-pitch at-bat. Turner fouled off eight pitches -- including four in a row -- before walking on an errant fastball.

"I was feeling pretty comfortable," said Turner. "He was making some pretty good pitches and I was able to foul them off. When you're up there for that long, you kind of get that locked in feeling. He ended up yanking a fastball a little ... just off the plate. I still missed a lot of decent pitches I should've hit."

That may be the case, but it hardly mattered. Turner's walk brought home the tying run, and after Scott Hairston grounded into a fielder's choice, Nieuwenhuis drilled the game-winning hit to right.

That single gave the Mets their second one-run victory of the series and their sixth comeback victory of the year. New York scored in the first inning Thursday but didn't push a runner to scoring position in between the fourth and eighth before taking advantage of Bell's wild streak in the ninth.

"This guy, I believe in him," said Miami manager Ozzie Guillen of Bell. "I don't know about tomorrow. He threw more pitches than [Ricky] Nolasco. But he's the guy right now. He's my closer. I'm not going to change my mind until I change my mind. We have confidence in him. I think he will be fine."

Collins said he was pleased with his team's patience, especially against a pitcher as good as Bell.

"As a position player, I always thought the onus is on [the pitcher]," said Collins. "He's the one that's got the bases loaded. He's the one that's got to make the pitches. You've just got to relax and still hunt the strike zone. It's a really tough situation for the pitcher, especially in that kind of weather."

Jon Niese pitched well for the Mets, going seven innings and allowing just four hits. Niese struck out six batters and didn't walk any, and he was charged with isolated runs in the third and fifth. Miami's go-ahead score was set up by a leadoff double and crossed the plate on a double play in the fifth.

The Marlins (7-10) got a strong start from Nolasco, who matched Niese for most of the day. Nolasco held the Mets to five hits and a walk and left after the seventh. Nieuwenhuis, the game's hero, led off the first inning with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly.

His later hit sent the stadium into histrionics, but it never would've happened without Turner's resilience. That larger point wasn't lost on Niese, who spent the final inning inside the clubhouse.

"Turner's at-bat was phenomenal. That was so fun to watch," said Niese of the payoff. "I was in here watching on the TV, but it was nerve-wracking. My hands are numb from clapping so hard."

The Mets (10-8) were held to fewer than three runs in each end of their doubleheader loss to the Giants on Monday, and they followed that up by earning 2-1 and 5-1 wins over Miami, ruining Reyes' return to Flushing.

Collins said that Reyes, the recipient of a few scattered catcalls during the series, may have been feeling the pressure.

"Jose Reyes is a human being. He's one of the nicest people I've ever been around," said Collins. "If it didn't bother him, I'd be shocked. He gave his heart and soul to the people here."

The Mets got some bad news after the game regarding starter Mike Pelfrey, who estimated that he is 99 percent certain that he'll undergo a season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow. The Mets will recall rookie Chris Schwinden from Triple-A Buffalo to start Friday's opener against the Rockies.

That's a concern for the next series, though, and not part of the thought process on Thursday. For one day, at least, Collins could be thrilled with the way his starting rotation has performed.

"Obviously, it starts on the hill," said Collins of the Miami series. "We got great pitching -- tremendous pitching -- this series. So did they. Jon pitched really well today and deserved better fortune. He did what the starter's supposed to do, and that's kept you in the game and give you a chance to win."

Crawford has sprained ulnar collateral ligament

CHICAGO -- Left fielder Carl Crawford has been diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his left elbow and will be shut down from baseball activity, the Red Sox announced Thursday.

"Carl Crawford was examined by the Red Sox medical staff," the team said in a news release. "He was diagnosed as having a left elbow ulnar collateral ligament sprain. A conservative treatment protocol was recommended. Carl was also examined by Dr. James Andrews, who was in agreement with the assessment and plan. Carl received a Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injection and will be shut down from baseball activity during the initial phase of his treatment."

The Red Sox did not give a timetable as to when Crawford will return to action.

News of Crawford's elbow injury first surfaced before the Red Sox's home opener. On Wednesday, manager Bobby Valentine said in an interview with WEEI that Crawford might have felt discomfort in the elbow in February. Crawford had left wrist surgery in January and then was shut down in Spring Training when he developed inflammation in the wrist. Previous to Wednesday, the elbow was believed to have been a later development.

Clemens' lawyer says trial a 'tale of two men'

WASHINGTON -- Defense attorney Rusty Hardin presented an opening statement Tuesday that portrayed the federal perjury trial of Roger Clemens as a "tale of two men" -- namely, his client and Clemens' former strength and conditioning trainer, Brian McNamee.

In an hour-plus presentation before the jury panel in Judge Reggie Walton's courtroom at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Hardin told jurors Clemens was a driven athlete who from his teenage years had the best work ethic coaches and fellow players had ever seen, and that he became a Major League star whose best work had nothing to do with his association with McNamee.

By contrast, Hardin described McNamee as an unreliable witness who advertised on his tie during the 2008 Congressional hearings that led to this case, joked with Howard Stern about Clemens ending up in prison garb and continues to try to make money off his association with his client, accusing McNamee of lying and manipulating key evidence.

"You can't go with the government's case unless you have no reasonable doubt about Brian McNamee," Hardin told the jurors, then telling them McNamee lied to the government, to Mitchell Report investigators and to the prosecution, as well as to law-enforcement officials investigating a charge against him in Florida in 2001.

Following Hardin's opening statement, the government began its case against Clemens with Congressional staffer Phil Barnett explaining in great detail the background of why Clemens testified before Congress in 2008. Barnett's testimony lasted more than two hours before Walton put the trial into recess until Monday because he has an out-of-town commitment as an instructor at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev.

Clemens, who won a record seven Cy Young Awards in his 24-year Major League career, is charged with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making a false statement and two counts of perjury stemming from his February 2008 testimony and deposition before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, during which he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee is the key witness against Clemens and provided the government with needles and medical waste the prosecution says substantiates the strength trainer's assertion before Congress that he injected Clemens with steroids and human-growth hormone on numerous occasions.

Barnett, who interviewed Clemens during his Feb. 8, 2008, deposition, went through with Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Durham a detailed account of where the deposition and hearings were held and what authority Congress had to question Clemens. Barnett's testimony was stopped by the recess as various audio excerpts of the deposition were being played for the jury.

Earlier, Hardin began his opening statement saying he was disappointed that Durham had literally pointed the finger at his client in his opening statement the day before, using words like deceit, dishonesty and betrayal.

"We're here because a man dared to publicly deny that he committed a crime" and "in every form known to man" professed his innocence after being named as a user of steroids and HGH in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

Hardin also broke down the 15-point obstruction of Congress charge, of which the government must prove just one to get a conviction, and said only four are really at issue in the case. His statement was interrupted four times by Durham's objections, the last time causing Hardin to shake his head and mutter when the objection was raised.

"Let me say this as nicely as I can: Much of what Mr. Durham told you [Monday] in many different incidences was only half the story," Hardin said to the jury.

By then, Hardin already had shown the jury photos of McNamee wearing a tie that had a logo for a supplement company, another one of him laughing in Stern's radio studio and, finally, a proposed cover jacket for an as-yet-unreleased McNamee memoir, "Three Constants in Life ... Death, Taxes and Mac," with the "X" in "Taxes" made of syringes.

Bringing out "the sharp knives" for McNamee, as Durham foretold jurors his opponent would, Hardin proceeded to show a different picture, literally, of the key evidence McNamee had kept for years that includes steroids and Clemens' DNA on it. McNamee kept gauze, cotton balls and syringes he says he used to give Clemens steroids stashed in an empty Miller Lite beer can from August 2001 until turning it over to federal authorities in early 2008 prior to the Congressional hearing. Clemens claims that all McNamee ever injected into him was vitamin B12 and lidocaine.

In the first attempt last July to try Clemens, which ended in a mistrial when the government showed the jury inadmissible evidence, a photo taken by federal agents of the medical waste and the beer can organized neatly within the frame was shown to the jury during the prosecution's opening statement. In Monday's opening statement, the prosecutors showed the jurors only tightly cropped photos of a needle and three cotton balls. Hardin, on the other hand, showed a photograph -- actually taken by members of McNamee's defense team, he said -- that had the beer can and medical waste strewn about in an unorganized fashion.

"Can I have the garbage again, please?" Hardin said in asking an associate to display the photo to the jury again. "It is the most mixed-up hodgepodge of garbage you could ever imagine," adding that it's "ludicrous" it could ever be evidence in a criminal case.

Hardin suggested the evidence was tainted by McNamee and touched on another hot issue -- whether the government should be pursuing a case like this. Introducing the subject by saying, "I'm not talking about government wasted resources, that's not my issue," Hardin displayed a graphic he used during the first trial of a map of the United States with icons spread around the country for each of the attempts to corroborate McNamee's story. Hardin pointed to the listing of 187 witnesses, 268 witness reports, 79 locations and, raising his voice, "103 federal law-enforcement officers on whether a baseball player used steroids."

Hardin, who said he and his client have no issues with Clemens' friend and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, stumbled by saying that Clemens was born in 1982, not 1962. But he had the jurors smiling when he called himself Columbo while shuffling for notes, and he used softer tones at the end of his presentation, imploring the jurors to recognize that all Clemens ever has done is deny the allegations about him.

"Our government should never punish someone for trying to clear his name," Hardin said.

Before the jury came into the courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Butler wanted to get on the record that Hardin had mistakenly -- and angrily -- said that Debbie Clemens, the defendant's wife, had been allowed in the courtroom last year, but this year was not going to be allowed inside during the trial. In fact, as a potential witness, Debbie Clemens was not allowed to watch the proceedings last year, either, as Butler pointed out.

"Your honor, counsel is absolutely right. . . . I misremembered," Hardin said, borrowing a famous line from Clemens' testimony before Congress. "The only thing I'd ask is you not charge me with perjury."