Pittsburgh
  • Current Conditions
    57°
    Partly Cloudy
  • 11:00am
    66°
  • 2:00pm
    70°
Full Forecast » Radar ImageCurrent Radar »

MLB


Johnson Wins, D'Backs Top Tigers

POSTED: 8:41 pm EDT May 18, 2008

(Sports Network) - Randy Johnson threw seven shutout innings, and Mark Reynolds went 3-for-4, as Arizona took a 4-0 victory in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series with Detroit.

Johnson (4-1) was efficient in scattering six hits, walking one and striking out five on 98 pitches. He also notched career victory 288, and tied Tommy John for 25th on the all-time list.

"Early on he gave up some hits, but it looked like his command was there right away," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said of Johnson. "The stuff was similar to what we have seen, yet the command was a lot better. You could see he got into a great rhythm out there and was rolling."

Chris Young hit a double, walked and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks, who have won five of six.

Nate Robertson (1-5) held Arizona scoreless through four innings, but lost control and ended up allowing all four runs on seven hits and four walks in 5 2/3, while striking out five.

Placido Polanco and Edgar Renteria each had a pair of hits for the Tigers, who have lost six of seven.

"When you are fighting for your life, not giving a run inning after inning after inning, it is tough," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "If our offense was clicking like we thought it would be, (Robertson's effort) would have been a good enough effort for us to win."

Reynolds began the home fifth with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Chris Burke followed him with a walk. Miguel Montero then lined a single to shallow right field to load the bases.

After Johnson struck out, Young smacked a high breaking ball off the center field wall for a double, driving in the first two runs of the contest. Robertson, though, struck out Stephen Drew and got Justin Upton to fly out to deep center to end the threat.

The Diamondbacks doubled their advantage in the sixth with a two-out rally. Conor Jackson and Eric Byrnes each popped out to lead off, but Reynolds came through with a single to left.

Burke then dropped in a hit to right field, but Magglio Ordonez didn't field it cleanly and his throw was too late to get Reynolds at the plate. Burke went to third on the play, and Robertson intentionally walked Montero. But the Detroit starter unintentionally gave a free pass to his counterpart Johnson, on four straight balls.

Freddy Dolsi came in to replace Robertson and close out the inning, but walked Young -- after getting the Arizona hitter in a 1-2 hole -- to force in another run for a 4-0 Diamondbacks lead. Bobby Seay, though, got Drew to ground out and end the frame.

"For me it comes down to a couple of pitches; the one with Young in the fifth, I left the changeup up," Robertson said. "The rest of what happened could have been prevented, I just didn't make a good pitch in the sixth."

Johnson was strong in his seventh and final inning by setting Detroit down in order. The lefty had just two batters reach base from the fourth through seventh frames.

Chad Qualls took over in the eighth and only gave up a single to Renteria, while Brandon Lyon worked a perfect ninth to end the game.

Game Notes

The Diamondbacks are 13-8 all-time against the Tigers, including an 8-4 mark now at Chase Field...Arizona improved its MLB-best record to 28-16...Johnson is 11-7 lifetime against the Tigers...Detroit has lost in five of Robertson's last six outings.

Arizona Diamondbacks

News

Arizona Diamondbacks
Manny Ramirez clubbed a three-run homer off Brandon Webb and drove in five runs to help the Los Angeles Dodgers supplant the Diamondbacks from atop the NL West standings with a 7-2 victory over Arizona.

Scoreboard

Sat, Sep. 6 FINAL
Arizona (71-69) 2
Los Angeles (71-70) 7

Sports E-News

Sign up to receive daily sports headlines.
 


Links We Like

Sponsored Content
Understand the signs of mental illness and you can learn the best ways to treat whatever problems you may have. More Details

Here are 15 insider tips everyone should know when it comes to remodeling a home. More Details

Clearly defining your career objective is step one to creating a resume that will resonate with employers. More Details

The signs of Cancer can sometimes be very subtle. Here's a guide to help you recognize them early. More Details

Like online video? Then you'll love Now See This.

Links We Like includes a selection of information, tools and resources from our partners and sponsors.

Market Place

Sponsor Links

Back To Top