Late rally lifts Cubs past Oakland, 4-3

Barry Bonds went 0-for-4, but the Giants still beat Boston.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO -- Michael Barrett added another highlight to his career season.
Barrett lined a two-run double into the right-field corner in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday, giving the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. It was Chicago's seventh win in its final at-bat and its 18th comeback victory this season.
It wouldn't have happened without Barrett. Acquired in a trade last offseason, the catcher finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs. He raised his average to .313 and is fourth on the Cubs with 36 RBIs.
"This has been a dream," Barrett said. "That hit right there is comparable to my first hit in the majors. I'm not a guy who shows that much emotion. I try to stay consistent, but that was incredible."
The Cubs spoiled another strong start by Mark Mulder, who outpitched Mark Prior in a marquee matchup.
Oakland took a 3-2 lead into the ninth. But with closer Arthur Rhodes absent, Chad Bradford couldn't hold it.
Pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth started the winning rally with a one-out infield single. Todd Walker had a pinch-hit single, and both scored on Barrett's drive to right.
Barrett started his career in Montreal and hit .293 with eight homers and 52 RBIs in his first full season in the majors. His production dropped off the next two seasons, and he struggled during an injury-plagued year in 2003.
He's been a pleasant surprise for the Cubs.
"He makes contact, he uses the whole field and stays out of the air, which is what a clutch hitter has to do. There's no particular way to play him," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "I'm just glad we have him. Because boy, that was huge."
Derrek Lee went 4-for-4 for the Cubs and Kyle Farnsworth (2-3) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.
OAKLANDCHICAGO
abrhbiabrhbi
Byrnes lf4010Grdzln 2b4110
Kotsay cf4000TWalkr ph1110
Dye rf4120Barrett c5023
Httberg 1b4011Alou lf4000
Crosby ss4020SSosa rf3120
DMiller c3100ARmrz 3b4000
Scutaro 2b3110DeLee 1b4041
Germn 3b4022CPttson cf3000
Mulder p3000REMtiz ss4010
Durazo ph1000Prior p1010
Brdford p0000Rmlngr p0000
Godwin ph1000
Beltran p0000
Merckr p0000
Frnswr p0000
Hlndsw ph1110
Totals34393Totals354134
Oakland000300000--3
Chicago010000102--4
One out when winning run scored.
E--Crosby (8). DP--Oakland 2, Chicago 1. LOB--Oakland 6, Chicago 9. 2B--Dye (15), Grudzielanek (1), Barrett (12), SSosa (11). 3B--German (1). SB--Dye (2). CS--Crosby (2). S--CPatterson.
IPHRERBBSO
Oakland
Mulder8102224
Bradford L,3-4 1-332201
Chicago
Prior563315
Remlinger110001
Beltran1 2-310003
Mercker1-300000
Frnswr W,2-3110012
Umpires--Home, Rob Drake; First, Larry Young; Second, Mike Everitt; Third, Mark Wegner. T--2:38. A--40,022.
Giants 6, Red Sox 4
SAN FRANCISCO -- Edgardo Alfonzo hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lead San Francisco.
Alfonzo connected on a 1-1 pitch from Alan Embree (2-1) for his fourth homer of the year and the first of his career as a pinch-hitter to snap a 4-4 tie. Matt Herges (3-2) pitched 11/3 innings for the win despite blowing his fourth save.
The Red Sox tied it in the eighth to get Pedro Martinez off the hook.
Boston loaded the bases against Jim Brower after singles by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez and a walk to Gabe Kapler. Herges entered with two outs to face pinch-hitter Trot Nixon, who hit a two-run, bloop single to left-center.
Left fielder Barry Bonds and center fielder Marquis Grissom both hustled to the ball, which fell between the players. Bonds misplayed the hop for an error that allowed the tying run -- Kapler -- to score.
The Giants seemed set for a victory over Martinez with no help from Bonds -- except for a few routine catches he made early.
Ray Durham homered and Noah Lowry pitched 5-plus impressive innings in a spot start, but wound up with nothing to show for it.
The Red Sox pleased the sellout crowd of 42,499 by pitching to Bonds in the highly anticipated meeting between the six-time NL MVP and Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona called it one of baseball's premier matchups. Bonds finished 0-for-4, with a strikeout, flyout, popout and groundout. He came in hitting .367 lifetime with a homer against Martinez.
The Boston right-hander allowed four runs on six hits, and struck out six in six innings.
BOSTONSAN FRAN
abrhbiabrhbi
Bllhorn 2b5010Drham 2b3111
Yukilis 3b4000Mohr rf3120
DOrtiz 1b5120Grssom cf3111
MRmrz lf5110Bonds lf4000
Millar rf3110Feliz 3b4111
Varitek c4010Przyns c4121
Kapler cf3121Minor 1b2000
Reese ss2000Alfonzo 3b1112
Nixon ph1012NPerez ss4000
Crespo ss0000Lowry p2000
PMrtnz p2000WFrkln p0000
Damon ph1000DCruz ph1000
Wllmsn p0000Brower p0000
McCty ph1010Herges p0000
Embre p0000
Totals364103Totals31686
Boston000100030--4
San Francisco40000002x--6
E--Bonds (3). LOB--Boston 9, San Francisco 5. 2B--Kapler 2 (7), Grissom (14), Pierzynski (9). 3B--Bellhorn (2). HR--Durham (3), Alfonzo (4). CS--Mohr (1).
IPHRERBBSO
Boston
PMartinez664426
Williamson100001
Embree L,2-1122200
San Francisco
Lowry5 2-351134
WFranklin1 1-300003
Brower2-323311
Herges W,3-21 1-330002
HBP--by Williamson (Mohr), by PMartinez (Minor).
Umpires--Home, Paul Nauert; First, Randy Marsh; Second, Larry Vanover; Third, Sam Holbrook. T--3:01. A--42,499.
Yankees 6, Dodgers 2
LOS ANGELES -- Hideki Matsui hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat against Hideo Nomo, and Brad Halsey won his major league debut Saturday in the New York Yankees' 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The second regular-season meeting between the division leaders attracted another sellout crowd of 54,876 on a cool, gloomy day that required the stadium lights to be on.
The largest crowd in Dodger Stadium history -- 55,207 -- saw the home team win 6-3 Friday night.
Halsey was called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Columbus, where manager and former Yankee Bucky Dent recommended him to Joe Torre.
Halsey (1-0) even got his first major league hit with a single off Nomo in the second. Nomo responded by hitting a home run against Halsey in the fifth.
The left-hander gave up two runs and five hits in 5 2-3 innings, struck out three and walked one before leaving to a standing ovation from pinstripe-clad Yankee fans.
The Dodgers threatened in the seventh. Tom Gordon relieved Paul Quantrill with runners at the corners and retired Milton Bradley to preserve a 4-2 lead.
Gordon retired the side in order in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless ninth.
Alex Rodriguez, who reached base safely in 53 consecutive games until Friday, had an RBI single in the eighth to give New York a 5-2 lead.
After a two-out intentional walk to former Dodger Gary Sheffield, second baseman Jose Hernandez fielded a ball hit by Matsui cleanly in the hole but threw wildly to first base for an error, allowing Rodriguez to score for a 6-3 lead.
Nomo (3-8) got into trouble early against the Yankees, who have the best record in the majors at 43-23. He needed 33 pitches to get out of the first.
Sheffield drove in New York's first run with a two-out single in the first after Nomo gave up consecutive walks to Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.
Matsui followed Sheffield's hit by reaching out and pulling an 0-2 pitch just inside the right-field foul pole for his 12th homer, giving the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
It was the first time Matsui ever faced Nomo, though both starred for years in Japan. Matsui played in the Central League while Nomo was in the Pacific League -- and their careers in Japan only coincided from 1993-94.
NEW YORKLOS ANGELES
abrhbiabrhbi
BWllms cf5110Izturis ss4010
Jeter ss4010Werth lf4120
ARdrgz 3b3211Brdley cf4010
JaGbi 1b3100ShGren 1b4001
TClark 1b0000Beltre 3b4010
Shffield rf2111JEcrcn rf4010
Matsui lf4113JHrndz 2b3010
Flherty c4000Ross c3000
Cairo 2b3000Vntura ph1000
Halsey p2010Nomo p2111
Qantrill p1000Grbwsk ph1000
Gordon p0000Snchez p0000
Sierra ph1010TMartn p0000
MRivra p0000WAlvrz p0000
Saenz ph1000
Totals32675Totals35282
New York400000020--6
Los Angeles100010000--2
E--Cairo (3), JHernandez (3). DP--New York 1, Los Angeles 1. LOB--New York 5, Los Angeles 7. 2B--Bradley (12), Beltre (15). HR--Matsui (12), Nomo (1). SB--ARodriguez (13), Sierra (1), Izturis (11). CS--Jeter (3).
IPHRERBBSO
New York
Halsey W,1-05 2-352213
Quantrill120000
Gordon1 1-300002
MRivera110001
Los Angeles
Nomo L,3-8744433
Sanchez2-322110
TMartin1-300000
WAlvarez110000
HBP--by Sanchez (Jeter), by Nomo (Cairo). WP--Nomo. Umpires--Home, Dan Iassogna; First, Jeff Kellogg; Second, Charlie Reliford; Third, Doug Eddings. T--2:59. A--54,876.
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