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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, May 29, 2008

Eaton wins first for hot Phils

Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Colorado shortstop Omar Quintanilla takes a throw from catcher Chris Iannetta as Philadelphia's Shane Victorino, a Maui native, steals second base in the first inning. Victorino had two steals and 12 for the season.

TOM MIHALEK | Associated Press

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PHILADELPHIA — Adam Eaton needed one-third of the season to eliminate the goose egg next to his name.

Chase Utley hit his major league-leading 17th homer to help Eaton earn his first win, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-1, last night to complete a three-game sweep.

Eaton (1-3) allowed one run over six innings, Geoff Jenkins hit a two-run shot and the Phillies (31-24) moved a season-best seven games above .500 with their first sweep of the season. Philadelphia outscored Colorado 33-10 in the series.

"I was nervous, to be honest with you," said Eaton, who was winless in his first 10 starts. "It was a weird feeling."

The defending NL champion Rockies, who swept Philadelphia in the division series last October, are 13 games under .500.

Eaton gave up four hits and struck out four in his best outing so far, lowering his ERA to 4.99. Eaton was a bust last season after signing a $24.5 million, three-year deal in free agency. He was 10-10 with a 6.29 ERA and got left off the postseason roster.

"He's been a little more aggressive," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's stayed out of a big inning. If he can get us to the sixth, seventh inning, he'll be OK."

Rockies rookie right-hander Greg Reynolds (0-2) allowed six runs and five hits with eight walks in 5 2/3 innings. Reynolds was the second overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft.

"We were in the game until the two homers," Reynolds said. "It was pretty disappointing they had an inning like that."

After Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino walked to start the bottom of the fifth, Utley drove one into the second deck in right field to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead. Jenkins connected after Ryan Howard walked to make it 6-1.

REDS 9, PIRATES 1

CINCINNATI — David Ross hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot, to put the finishing touch on a six-run first inning off Tom Gorzelanny (4-5), helping Cincinnati rout Pittsburgh to win its ninth straight at home.

Gorzelanny retired only two of the eight batters he faced during the shortest of his 54 starts in the majors.

BREWERS 1, BRAVES 0

MILWAUKEE — Rickie Weeks hit a run-scoring triple in the eighth inning in support of Jeff Suppan (3-4), who scattered four hits over eight innings as Milwaukee beat Atlanta for Ned Yost's 400th career victory as manager of the Brewers.

Salomon Torres pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save, completing the four-hitter and giving the Brewers their fourth win in five games.

CARDINALS 6, ASTROS 1

ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright (5-2) gave up a run — Ty Wigginton's third-deck blast in the third — on three hits over eight innings, Yadier Molina had two hits and two RBIs, and Cesar Izturis had a two-run triple to lead St. Louis over Houston.

Wandy Rodriguez (1-1), making his first start since going on the 15-day disabled list on April 20 with a strained left groin, labored over 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and six hits.

METS 7, MARLINS 6

NEW YORK — Endy Chavez connected for the first pinch-hit home run of his career to tie it at 5 in the bottom of the ninth before Fernando Tatis hit a two-run double in the 12th to lift New York over Florida.

Alfredo Amezaga homered with two outs in the 12th off reliever Duaner Sanchez (1-0) to give Florida a 6-5 lead. The Mets rallied with Tatis' one-out hit coming off Justin Miller (1-2).

CUBS 2, DODGERS 1

CHICAGO — Mike Fontenot doubled with one out off Chan Ho Park (1-1) and Alfonso Soriano singled him home in the bottom of the 10th to help Chicago complete a three-game sweep.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs tied it against Dodgers' closer Takashi Saito on Geovany Soto's bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

GIANTS 11, D-BACKS 3

PHOENIX — Ray Durham drove in four runs with a solo homer and a three-run single, powering San Francisco to a rout of Arizona.

Bengie Molina was 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He is batting .625 (20 for 32) with 14 RBIs through nine games of the Giants' 10-game road trip.

NATIONALS 6, PADRES 4

SAN DIEGO — Jesus Flores drove a high fastball off Shawn Estes (1-1) into the left-field seats in the fourth inning for a grand slam, leading Washington over San Diego.

Odalis Perez (2-4) allowed three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings to keep the Padres from assembling their first three-game winning streak this season.

NOTES

Blue Jays: Gregg Zaun felt something in his right elbow after making a throw Monday and it was still bothering him two days later. To let him fully heal, the Toronto Blue Jays placed their 37-year-old veteran catcher on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with a mild strain and inflammation in the elbow.

Mets: New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, but St. Lucie lost to Vero Beach, 2-0, last night in a Class A Florida State League game at Port St. Lucie, Fla. The three-time Cy Young winner strained his left hamstring in his only start for New York on April 1 against Florida and has been on the disabled list since.

SHORTS HOPS

New York Yankees right-handed starter Ian Kennedy, who strained a muscle near his right ribcage in his start Tuesday night against Baltimore, was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday ... St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Joel Pineiro was put on the 15-day disabled list yesterday, retroactive to May 21, because of a strained right groin. ... Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival limped off the mound with tightness in his left hamstring in the ninth inning of the Rays' 5-3 victory over Texas yesterday and is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam and will be re-evaluated today. ... Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka returned to Boston for more tests on his pitching shoulder, with what the Red Sox continued to vaguely term yesterday as "shoulder fatigue."