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 McClung, Brewers stifle Nationals, 5-2
Asked to start after spending most of last two seasons in the bullpen, Seth McClung turned in a strong performance. He stayed ahead of hitters, didn’t overthrow and displayed composure. McClung was victorious in his first start in almost two years and Corey Hart and Mike Cameron homered to help the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Saturday night. “It’s probably unlike any start I’ve ever had (due) to the fact that I was getting ahead, staying ahead, being able to execute my pitches,” said McClung. “I’ve learned so much since I’ve toed the rubber as a starter.” Replacing ineffective Carlos Villanueva in the rotation, McClung (2-1) allowed two runs and four hits over five innings. He walked none and struck out four in his first start since June 18, 2006 with Tampa Bay. “It was better than I was looking for,” Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. “He kept his pitch count down, got good quick outs—nice job.” 
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Red Sox and othersIt's interesting to watch a team go from the underdog to the team on top that everyone tries to knock down. I am a Bostonian and sat through what seemed like endless years of sub-par Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots teams that disappointed me annually. The poor Red Sox, people thought they had a curse that couldn't be lifted. But now the Sox are World Series winners twice in three years, something I never thought I'd say! All of a sudden, the Red Sox are the mighty that everyone will want to beat. They are the bad guys now, the ones everybody wants a piece of. And it's the same thing with the Patriots. They are now hated by lots of football fans. One commentator called every game against the Pats as that team's Super Bowl. I haven't seen the Patriots this year, but I went to the Angeles vs Red Sox game 3 in the playoffs and also Game 2 of the World Series. I bought game tickets from here. This year, I think I am going to forget about sports for a while and instead check out a show, maybe Young Frankenstein. But of course you can bet you'll see me at Fenway Park or Wrigley Field during this upcoming MLB season. Giants at Florida
Vizquel can tie and break Luis Aparicio’s major-league record for games played at shortstop as the Giants play a doubleheader against the Florida Marlins on Sunday. Vizquel has played 2,582 games at shortstop during his 20-year career. Because of Saturday’s downpour that caused the postponement of a game at Dolphin Stadium for the first time since Hurricane Frances hit in September 2004, Vizquel can use Sunday’s doubleheader to surpass the record total of Aparicio - a fellow native of Venezuela who played from 1956-73 with the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox. While it’s assumed Vizquel will break the record within the next few days, there’s a possibility the 41-year-old won’t do it Sunday. Vizquel said he plans to play in opener of the twin bill, and then would talk to Giants manager Bruce Bochy before deciding whether or not to play in the second game. He even suggested he could start the second game and come out after an inning.
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Valverde hit by line drive, saves Astros’ win
Jose Valverde walked into the Houston Astros clubhouse with an ice pack pressed against his right cheek and a smile that told everyone he was OK after getting struck by a line drive. Valverde shook off the scary moment in the ninth inning to earn a shaky save and the Houston Astros got two solo homers from Hunter Pence to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Friday night. The Houston closer earned his 15th save in 18 chances after Pedro Feliz smacked a liner off his face. Valverde allowed four hits and two runs in an eventful ninth, before Shane Victorino flew out to center with runners on second and third to end it. “I wanted to throw a strike for my team,” Valverde said. “I wanted to finish the game and do a celebration after that.” Pat Burrell led off the ninth with a single and went to second when center fielder Michael Bourn misplayed it. One out later, Valverde got drilled by Feliz’s hit and the Astros right-hander immediately went down. Burrell scored on the play to make it 4-2.
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Lidge earns save as Phillies beat Astros 7-5
Brad Lidge could hardly wait to face the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. He couldn’t have imagined it going any better than this. Lidge returned to Houston on Thursday night and looked like his old, overpowering self while earning his 12th save in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-5 victory over his former team. But there was more to it than that. He heard an odd mix of boos and cheers when he trotted out from the visitors’ bullpen. He struck out Michael Bourn, one of the players the Astros acquired for him in a big trade last November. And he got Lance Berkman, one of baseball’s top hitters, to pop out on the first pitch for the final out. “It was a lot of fun for me, a lot of adrenaline,” Lidge said. “Coming in a situation like that, it doesn’t get much better than that. That’s what we play this game for, to have situations like that. It felt great.”
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Arizona lefty Davis activated
Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Doug Davis, who has been recovering from thyroid cancer surgery, was activated Thursday and will return to the rotation for a weekend series against Atlanta. Davis’ cancerous thyroid gland was removed April 10. He was declared cancer-free this month and rejoined the Diamondbacks for this week’s series at Florida, and manager Bob Melvin has said he’ll start Friday night against the Braves. To make room for Davis, Arizona designated right-hander Brandon Medders for assignment. He was 1-0 with a 4.58 ERA in 18 games pitching out of the bullpen. Davis, who has missed 36 games this season, made two rehab starts for Triple-A Tucson. The cancer was discovered before the season, but he made two starts before undergoing surgery April 10. He is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA.
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Sheets’ 11-hitter beats Pirates 4-1
This won’t be remembered as one of the best games of Ben Sheets’ career, hardly. Not an 11-hitter in which every Pirates position player had at least one hit. No matter, Sheets said the Brewers’ 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night was something special, if only for one reason. He was the pitcher at the start of the game, and the finish. “They’re all special to me,” Sheets said of his 15th career complete game and second of the season. “They’re all tough to get.” Rickie Weeks homered and scored twice as the Brewers, who began the three-game series Tuesday with a 20-42 record at PNC Park, put themselves in position to sweep a series there for the first time since the ballpark opened in 2001. Milwaukee lost nine in a row on the road before the series began. Sheets (5-1), the Brewers’ ace, gave up 13 earned runs over 19 2-3 innings during his three previous May starts, losing once while getting two no-decisions. He was sharper in this start despite all the base runners, with the Pirates scoring only on Xavier Nady’s leadoff homer—his sixth—in the fourth.
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Iron man Francoeur sits out Game 2 of twin bill
Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur did not play in the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets on Tuesday night, ending the majors’ longest current streak of consecutive games played at 370.Francoeur started every game of the streak, which began on Oct. 1, 2005. But manager Bobby Cox decided to give his slumping outfielder the night off, hoping it will help turn things around. Just 1-for-14 on the homestand, Francoeur’s average has slipped to .258. “It was weird,” he said. “But I needed tonight mentally, more than anything. It was best to take the night off and just enjoy it. It’s more important that I get back on track than keeping the streak going.” Francoeur has talked his way into the lineup before, but he didn’t even try this time. He knew he needed some time off. “It’s been a mental grind,” Francoeur said. “The game hasn’t been fun. I hope I can get back out there tomorrow night and get another (streak) going.” Cox called him aside after Francoeur went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the opener, a 6-1 win for the Braves. “It was definitely the right decision,” Francoeur said. “I knew I needed it more than he did.” He started the streak at the end of his brilliant rookie season, in which he .300 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs and made the cover of Sports Illustrated. He played every game the last two years, totaling 48 homers and 208 RBIs. After bulking up over the winter, looking to improve on his 19 homers from 2007, Francoeur is off to a sluggish start. A fourth of the way through the year, he’s got 26 RBIs but just three homers. With Francoeur watching from the dugout, the Braves completed the sweep with a 6-2 victory in the nightcap. “He said he was going to sit next to me, but (pitching coach Roger) McDowell beat him to that seat,” Cox joked. “He needed the rest.”
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The first rainout at Dolphin Stadium in nearly four years may have frustrated baseball fans in Miami, but it also set the stage for a historic Sunday for San Francisco Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel.
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