honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, August 30, 2009

Braves hand Phillies' Lee first NL loss, 9-1


Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Atlanta's Chipper Jones, left, and Martin Prado celebrate after Jones hit a two-run homer off Philadelphia's Chad Durbin in the sixth inning of last night's game.

MATT SLOCUM | Associated Press

spacer spacer

PHILADELPHIA — Cliff Lee finally got hit hard.

Garret Anderson hit a three-run homer off the Philadelphia Phillies' new ace and three other Braves went deep to help Atlanta hand Lee his first NL loss with a 9-1 win last night in a rain-shortened game.

"I went to watch every hit I gave up and basically all night they were right down the middle," Lee said. "I got ahead and didn't walk anybody and was in position to put guys away but I didn't do it. I've got to do a better job of keeping the ball down. They're a very good hitting ballclub and they didn't miss any of them."

The game was called with the Phillies due up in the eighth inning after a 43-minute delay caused by torrential rain. The game started 24 minutes late due to a rain delay.

Lee (5-1) was making his sixth start with Philadelphia since being traded from Cleveland on July 29.

Derek Lowe (13-9) scattered eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five, to improve to 6-1 lifetime against the Phillies and 4-0 at Citizens Bank Park.

Matt Diaz and Yunel Escobar also homered off Lee, who entered with an ERA of 0.68 and had surrendered just 24 hits and six runs in 40 innings.

DODGERS 11, REDS 4:

Manny Ramirez hit the first of his team's four homers, and visiting Los Angeles blew a four-run lead before Rafael Furcal hit a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth and Matt Kemp sparked a six-run seventh with a three-run shot.

GIANTS 5, ROCKIES 3:

Barry Zito (9-11) allowed a run on eight hits over 8 1/3 innings, carrying a shutout into the ninth, Pablo Sandoval hit a homer and Randy Winn, Juan Uribe, Nate Schierholtz and Eli Whiteside drove in runs as host San Francisco closed to one game of Colorado in the NL wild card race.

CUBS 11, METS 4:

Jake Fox hit his first career grand slam during a six-run fifth inning and added an RBI double in the seventh, and Ryan Dempster (8-7) allowed eight hits and four runs over six innings to lead host Chicago.

PADRES 7, MARLINS 4:

Tony Gwynn Jr.'s two-run triple broke an eighth-inning tie, and Evreth Cabrera added a sacrifice fly to cap the three-run surge as visiting San Diego beat Florida.

BREWERS 7, PIRATES 3:

Pinch-hitter Jody Gerut had an RBI double to break a 3-all tie and Alcides Escobar scored on a wild pitch by Ken Hart later in the bottom of the sixth as Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh for the 20th time at Miller Park.

CARDINALS 9, NATIONALS 4:

Matt Holliday and Colby Rasmus each hit a three-run homer to power host St. Louis past Washington. Holliday is hitting .376 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs since joining the Cardinals on July 24.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, ASTROS 0:

Mark Reynolds hit his 40th homer, only the second Diamondbacks player in franchise history to homer 40 times in a season, and Jon Garland (8-11) scattered five hits over seven sharp innings as host Arizona routed Houston.