INTERLEAGUE BASEBALL 'Rocket' again fails to win No. 300 as Yankees fall to Cubs at Wrigley Field

Roger Clemens will have to wait until Friday against St. Louis for another try.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO -- Strike three for Roger Clemens.
The Rocket remained stuck on career victory No. 299 Saturday, watching his bullpen blow his lead with its very first pitch and delay his entry into one of baseball's most exclusive fraternities.
Kerry Wood pitched a gem and substitute Eric Karros hit a three-run homer to lead the Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees.
Karros was in the game only after a scary collision in the fourth inning sent Cubs first baseman Hee Seop Choi to the hospital.
The traveling road show that's become Clemens' pursuit of 300 now goes right back to where it started May 26 -- Yankee Stadium.
Clemens (6-4) will face St. Louis on Friday night, trying to become the 21st pitcher -- and the first since Nolan Ryan in 1990 -- with 300 victories.
Clemens lost to Boston in his first bid, then blew a six-run lead at Detroit.
If any setting was ever perfect for Clemens to get the milestone victory, Saturday was it. He'd never pitched at Wrigley Field, spending the 1990 All-Star game on the bench.
And this weekend, the Yankees are visiting the ballpark for the first time since the 1938 World Series, with the atmosphere as electric as any playoff series.
Topping it all off, Clemens' opponent was Wood, a tall Texan with a sizzling fastball who was drawing comparisons to the Rocket even before he stepped on a big league mound.
In just his fifth career start, Wood matched Clemens' 20-strikeout record. Clemens has done it twice.
NEW YORKCHICAGO
abrhbiabrhbi
ASrano 2b4000Grdzln 2b3010
Jeter ss3000ASGzlz ss3111
JaGbi 1b3000CPttson cf4000
Posada c4111SSosa rf4121
Vntura 3b4000Alou lf3100
Mndesi rf4010Choi 1b1000
Matsui cf4131Karros 1b2113
JRivra lf3000LHarrs 3b3000
Clmens p1000Rmlngr p0000
JuAvdo p0000Brwski p0000
Sierra ph1010DMiller c3010
Gipson pr0000Wood p2000
Weaver p0000REMtiz 3b1110
CHmnd p0000
Zeile ph1000
Totals32262Totals29575
New York000010001--2
Chicago00000032x--5
E--Posada (4). LOB--New York 7, Chicago 3. 2B--ASGonzalez (19), DMiller (5). HR--Posada (14), Matsui (5), Karros (6). SB--Grudzielanek (2). S--Clemens, Grudzielanek, ASGonzalez.
IPHRERBBSO
New York
Clemens L,6-46 1-332215
JuAcevedo2-311100
Weaver1-322200
CHammond2-310000
Chicago
Wood W,5-47 2-3311311
Remlinger1-300001
Borowski131101
Umpires--Home, Dan Iassogna; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Dale Scott; Third, Laz Diaz. T--2:59. A--39,363.
Orioles 8, Cardinals 1
ST. LOUIS -- Deivi Cruz homered twice and Sidney Ponson pitched his second complete game in three starts.
Melvin Mora and Jeff Conine also homered for Baltimore, which snapped a four-game skid and ended the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.
The former city rivals wore old-style jerseys -- with the Orioles donning St. Louis Browns uniforms -- to commemorate the only all-St. Louis World Series in 1944. The Browns left to become the Baltimore Orioles after the 1953 season.
Cruz's second career two-homer game gave him seven homers this season. Cruz went 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs in the series opener Friday night.
BALTIMOREST. LOUIS
abrhbiabrhbi
BRbrts 2b5110Cairo 2b4120
Matos cf5110JDrew rf4020
Mora lf5232Pujols lf4011
Conine 1b5123Fssero p0000
Gbbons rf4010Edmnd cf2010
TBtsta 3b4010Rbnson cf1000
DCruz ss4222Rolen 3b4000
Frdyce c4110Rnteria ss3000
Ponson p4000WDgdo ph0000
TMrtnz 1b4000
Mtheny c3000
Stphnsn p2000
Calero p0000
Hrmns p0000
OPlmro lf1010
Totals408127Totals32171
Baltimore210101021--8
St. Louis100000000--1
E--Renteria (8). LOB--Baltimore 5, St. Louis 6. 2B--Conine (17), Fordyce (4), Cairo (8), Pujols (21). HR--Mora (9), Conine (7), DCruz 2 (7).
IPHRERBBSO
Baltimore
Ponson W,8-3971128
St. Louis
Stephenson L,3-55 2-375503
Calero1 1-300001
Hermanson132200
Fassero121001
Umpires--Home, Bruce Froemming; First, Doug Eddings; Second, Ron Kulpa; Third, Mike Winters. T--2:26. A--43,369.
Giants 7, Tigers 5
SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds hit one of San Francisco's four home runs and Jason Schmidt pitched seven strong innings.
Andres Galarraga, Jose Cruz Jr. and Marquis Grissom also homered for the Giants, who improved to 8-3 on their season-long 12-game homestand. They wrap it up today with a chance to sweep the struggling Tigers.
Bonds' two-run homer in the eighth gave him 628 for his career and 15 this season. The 41-year-old Galarraga connected two batters later for his fourth homer of the year and career shot No. 390.
Cruz drove the first pitch from Detroit starter Mike Maroth (1-11) in the second over the wall in left for his ninth homer of the season and first since May 9. Schmidt followed Cruz's homer with a single for his first hit of the season, breaking an 0-for-24 drought.
DETROITSAN FRAN
abrhiabrhbi
ASnchz cf5012Grssom cf4222
Kngsle lf5000Drham 2b4010
Monroe rf5001Aurilia ss4110
DYong 3b4010Bonds lf3123
Witt 1b3020BStiago c4000
Halter 1b2000Glrrga 1b4111
Inge c3110Alfonzo 3b4010
WMoris 2b4111JoCruz rf4111
Infante ss3220Schmdt p2010
Maroth p1010Benard ph1110
Munson ph1011FRdgez p0000
Sprling p0000Eyre p0000
Avery p0000Chrstns p0000
Sparks p0000Worrell p0000
Wlbeck ph1110
Totals375115Totals347117
Detroit000000104--5
San Francisco11000023x--7
E--Infante (12). DP--Detroit 1, San Francisco 1. LOB--Detroit 9, San Francisco 4. 3B--Inge (2). HR--Grissom (9), Bonds (15), Galarraga (4), JoCruz (9). SB--ASanchez (10), DYoung (1), Infante (4), Bonds (5). CS--BSantiago (1).
IPHRERBBSO
Detroit
Maroth L,1-11662213
Spurling133300
Avery011100
Sparks111101
San Francisco
Schmidt W,5-2761128
FRodriguez2-310000
Eyre1-300000
Christiansen023310
Worrell121111
Spurling pitched to 1 batter in the 8th, Avery pitched to 1 batter in the 8th, Christiansen pitched to 3 batters in the 9th.
WP--Schmidt. Balk--Schmidt. Umpires--Home, Jerry Meals; First, Gary Darling; Second, Chris Guccione; Third, Larry Vanover. T--2:46. A--40,060.