Nationals, Redding quiet Phillies' bats
Tim Redding ran his scoreless streak this season to 13 1/3 innings against big-hitting Philadelphia, and Ryan Zimmerman made three fine defensive players and was on base every time the Nationals scored in last night's 4-0 shutout of the Phillies in Washington.
Redding (6-3) threw 6 1/3 goose-egg innings, an echo of his performance April 2, when he tossed seven in a 1-0 win - the only other time the Phillies have been blanked this season. He didn't have his best stuff this time, but he stayed afloat by spacing the outs perfectly. The Nos. 2, 3, and 6 hitters (Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Geoff Jenkins) went a combined 6 for 6 over the first four innings, but Nos. 4 and 5 (Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell) didn't get a hit all night in eight at-bats.
Redding's only 1-2-3 inning came in the fifth, and he was removed after allowing a hit and a walk with one out in the seventh. Relievers Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala, and Joel Hanrahan finished the job. "By no means do I think it was a quality effort as far as making good pitches, but the results were there," Redding said.
Philadelphia's Brett Myers (2-5) gave up eight hits and three runs over six innings, but that was an improvement for a pitcher who entered the game with an 0-3 record and an 8.18 ERA away from Citizens Bank Park.
Cardinals 8, Padres 2 - Albert Pujols hit two mighty home runs, and Cesar Izturis and Ryan Ludwick also homered as visiting St. Louis handed San Diego its 11th loss in 15 games.
Dodgers 6, Reds 5 - Rookie Blake DeWitt's RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning lifted host Los Angeles and snapped Cincinnati's six-game winning streak.
Rays 7, Athletics 6 - Evan Longoria hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning and visiting Tampa Bay overcame a pair of home runs by Frank Thomas to beat Oakland.
Twins 7, Rangers 6 - Howie Clark's single in the 12th inning over the head of Josh Hamilton in center field lifted host Minnesota. Reliever Bobby Korecky picked up his first career victory and became the first Twins pitcher to get a hit in an American League game.
Cubs 7, Astros 2 - Geovany Soto was credited with an inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning - despite replays showing that it should have been an automatic homer - as visiting Chicago beat Houston.
Rockies 4, Giants 3 - Clint Barmes homered and Yorvit Torrealba added a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth, helping host Colorado hand San Francisco its season-high six straight loss.
