lucylily's blog: "ght"

BOSTON -- Elvis Andrus and the Texas Rangers didnt let their recent problems bother them. Andrus hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the seventh inning after earlier ending a 1-for-18 slump. And his team beat the Red Sox 3-2 on Wednesday night one day after getting thumped by Boston 17-5. "It was a huge win for us," Andrus said. "Were really good trying to turn the page and be ready for the next game. Thats the way weve had success so far the last couple of years." He went 2 for 4 in the meeting of the ALs top two teams. He singled in the fifth, and hopes the hitting will carry over for a while. "You cant get (frustrated)," said Andrus, whose batting average has dropped from .282 to .261 in his last 14 games. "I know I havent found my swing so far this year, but, at some point, it will get back. So Im really glad just to do something for the team to get a win." The victory gave the Rangers their best record through the first 58 games at 36-22 -- their previous best was 35-23 three times in the 1990s. They also broke a four-game road losing streak. Texas has the best record in the AL, while Boston is second at 36-24 after its three-game winning streak was stopped. The Rangers also got a big lift from Alexi Ogando, who returned after being on the disabled list since May 16 with a strained right biceps. He allowed one run on three hits in 5 2-3 innings and left after allowing Dustin Pedroias tying homer with two outs in the sixth. "To be out two weeks and to get a rehab start and throw 60 pitches," Texas manager Ron Washington said, "and then come against that lineup that showed what their might is about last night and shut them down like that, he deserves a lot of credit. It was a lift for us. We needed it." Five Texas pitchers allowed Boston just five hits one day after the Red Sox got 19, including 13 for extra bases, in the opener of the three-game series. Neal Cotts (1-0) got his first win since 2006 despite walking three of the four batters he faced. Craig Breslow (2-1) took the loss. Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled in a run for Boston in the eighth, but Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. John Lackey, sidelined all last season after Tommy John elbow surgery, gave up one run -- Adrian Beltres 12th homer of the season in the fourth -- and five hits in six innings. He lowered his ERA from 2.96 to 2.79. "Im definitely taking some positives out of it," he said. "I think Ill take giving up one run for the rest of the way," His catcher was impressed. "I thought he threw the ball great. Velocity was really up there," Saltalamacchia said. "There was a couple times where the ball was actually hurting my hand. He was able to throw that ball over the plate." In the fifth, Andrus singled off Lackey then got the big hit on the first pitch from reliever Koji Uehara, his teammate in Texas the past two seasons. "Elvis usually does that type of stuff," Washington said. "It seems like when hes in those types of situations where the team needed a lift and hes up there he finds a way to come through. Weve known Koji for quite a while. He was with us and (Andrus) didnt waste any time. He jumped on his first pitch. He knows Koji likes to throw strikes and he jumped on it." Breslow had relieved Lackey to start the seventh and allowed a leadoff double to Mitch Moreland, who left the game with tightness in his right hamstring and was replaced by pinch-runner Jeff Baker. After Jurickson Profar grounded out, pinch-hitter Craig Gentry walked and Uehara replaced Breslow to face Andrus, who broke the 1-1 tie. Boston threatened with no outs in the seventh when Stephen Drew led off with a walk and went to second on a single by Jose Iglesias. After Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out, both runners advanced on a wild pitch. But Daniel Nava grounded out and Jonny Gomes flied out. Saltalamacchias double in the eighth drove in Mike Napoli, who walked with two outs. NOTES: Moreland said he would return to Texas for an MRI and hoped to be back for Thursday nights game. ... Lackey didnt get a decision for the first time in his nine starts. He allowed three runs or less for the eighth time this season. ... Iglesias reached base for the 17th time in his 18 games. ... To make room for Ogando, the Rangers sent LHP Joseph Ortiz to Triple-A Round Rock. Ortiz allowed six runs in 2 1-3 innings in Bostons win on Tuesday night. ... Derek Holland (5-2) pitches for Texas against Jon Lester (6-2) on Thursday night. NFL Jerseys Wholesale . At the end of a difficult week for everyone in the city of Vancouver, the Whitecaps brought some positive sporting feelings back to the Lower Mainland by ending their 14-game winless streak. Cheap NFL Jerseys . The Blue Jays will start lefty Ricky Romero, the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, while the Royals counter with righty Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2006 draft. Toronto got the upper hand in the series on Wednesday, when Adam Lind belted the second grand slam of his career and Jayson Nix added a three-run blast in a 9-8 win. http://www.uscheapwholesalejerseys.com/ . Hudson, 38, sat in the clubhouse Friday waiting to have his cast and staples removed and replaced with a walking boot. He underwent season-ending surgery two weeks ago and begins treatment soon.CINCINNATI, Ohio - Chris Heisey had come close enough to hitting a home run this season that he knew one eventually would come. Still, he was starting to get a little anxious. Heisey finally got on the board Saturday, giving Cincinnati the lead with his first homer of the season and four relievers made it stand up in a 10-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. "I told my wife (Lisa) a few times that I need to hit one one of these days just to get it off my back," the Cincinnati outfielder said. "It was nice to finally get one." Devin Mesoraco and Ryan Ludwick also homered as the Reds overcame a poor start by Mike Leake to pick up their seventh win in eight games. The power was badly needed, manager Dusty Baker said. "Leake couldnt keep the ball down," Baker said. "(Colorado) can hit. Youve got to outscore them, and thats what we did. It was nice to see some balls leaving the ballpark." Rookie J.J. Hoover (1-0), the first Cincinnati reliever, pitched 1 1-3 shutout innings to pick up his first career win. Sam LeCure followed with two innings before Logan Ondrusek and Sean Marshall each added one. "All the guys are just trying to go out and do the job and give the team a chance to stay in the game or come back," Hoover said. Colorado right-hander Jeremy Guthries first career start in Cincinnati was forgettable. Guthrie (2-3), in his third start since coming off the disabled list on May 15, allowed a season-high 10 hits and tied his season by giving up six runs. He had five strikeouts and a walk in five innings. "I never really got into too much of a groove," Guthrie said. "I fought myself early in the count throwing balls. I got behind a pretty good lineup knowing I had to throw strikes so I didnt walk guys. It wasnt a well-pitched game on my end." Four of the first five Colorado batters Leake faced got hits, but the Rockies managed just one run. Marco Scutaro led off the game with a triple off the left-field wall on the third pitch and Tyler Colvin followed with an RBI single. Carlos Gonzalez hit into a double play, helping the Reds avoid more damage. The Reds took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the first, which started with Zack Cozart reaching on third baseman Jordan Pachecos two-base error. Two outs later, Brandon Phillips doubled to drive in Cozart, Jay Bruce walked and Heisey hit a 0-1 fastball 367 feet into the stands down the left-field line for his first home run since last Septtember.dddddddddddd "Id hit a couple that could have gone out, but either it was the wind or I hit it to the wrong part of the ballpark," Heisey said. "I just reacted to it and got enough of the barrel on it." The inning-opening error was the key, Colorado manager Jim Tracy said. "We didnt get off to a very good start," he said. "If you look back, the error to start the game came back to haunt us after the Heisey at-bat, but with that being said, as we went along, we didnt pitch particularly well. We really didnt. Jeremy was not sharp, but you would have liked to have the opportunity to get him jump-started correctly." Colorado knocked Leake out of the game with a two-run fourth that started with doubles by Pacheco and Nieves on back-to-back pitches to start the inning and Colvins two-out RBI single. Leake, 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his previous two starts, lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing nine hits and three runs with one walk and four strikeouts. "We would like to have seen Leake go deeper, but they had the heart of their order coming up, and they can score quickly," Baker said. Mesoraco led off Cincinnatis fourth with his third homer of the season and second in his last two games, a 406-foot blast to left field on a 3-2 pitch. Mesoraco hit a go-ahead grand-slam in Cincinnatis 6-3 win over Atlanta on Thursday. The Reds broke the game open with a four-run seventh, three on pinch-hitter Ludwicks 421-foot, three-run shot into Cincinnatis bullpen in left-centre field on a 1-1 pitch from Matt Reynolds. The homer was Ludwicks fifth of the season, and the fifth of his career as a pinch-hitter. Notes: Pacheco extended his career-high hitting streak to 11 games (16 for 44, .364) with a second-inning single. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa was scheduled to make the first start of his second rehab assignment Sunday for Triple-A Colorado Springs at Fresno. De La Rosa underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left elbow last season. ... Reds LHP Aroldis Chapmans 20 appearances without an earned run to begin a season are a franchise record, surpassing the record of 18 set by John Hudek in 1998, according to Elias Sports Bureau in stats distributed by the team. ... OF Michael Cuddyer returned to Colorados lineup after being scratched from Fridays with a stiff neck. ... Reds RHP Mat Latos seeks his second win of Cincinnatis homestand in Sundays series finale. Hell be opposed by 49-year-old Colorado left-hander Jamie Moyer. ' ' '