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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
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| Klesko |
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Ryan Klesko continues to amaze even his
teammates.
Klesko lined a two-run homer to straightaway center field and
drove in three runs to tie the club record for RBI in a month with
38 as the San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros 5-4 Tuesday
night.
"That might have been the hardest ball I've ever seen hit,"
winning pitcher Kevin Jarvis said of Klesko's homer. "It was like
a Titleist -- that thing was rising."
"It's hard to walk up there after watching Ryno hitting balls
500 feet," joked Phil Nevin, who followed Klesko's two-run shot
with a homer of his own.
Klesko homered in the fifth and drove in another run on a
groundout in the seventh to tie Ken Caminiti's club record for RBI
in a month, set in August 1996.
Klesko has 10 homers this month and 13 this season. His shot off
Kent Bottenfield (2-4) was his first since he connected twice on
both May 21 and May 22 at Houston. Mark Kotsay was aboard on a
leadoff single.
Klesko ranked the homer in the top 10 hardest-hit shots of his
career.
"I didn't think it was going to go out," he said. "The ball
just kept going up a little bit. I hit it good. The ball doesn't
carry to center very well here; I guess you've got to hit a ball
like that to get it out in center."
Said Bottenfield: "He's going through a streak where he's
pounding just about every mistake. I was just trying to throw it
down. It was up and he did what you'd expect, the way he's swinging
the bat."
Nevin followed with an opposite-field shot to right, his 10th.
They were the first set of consecutive homers by the Padres
since Klesko and Nevin did it against Milwaukee on Sept. 5.
The Padres snapped a three-game losing streak and handed the
Astros their eighth straight loss. That losing streak includes a
sweep by the Padres at Enron Field last week.
Houston, down four runs in the ninth, made it close against
Trevor Hoffman. Craig Biggio drove in three runs with a two-out,
bases loaded double but Hoffman struck out Tony Eusebio for his
11th save in 13 opportunities.
Jarvis (3-4) and relievers Jay Witasick, David Lee allowed five
hits before Lee left with two outs in the ninth after being hit in
the cheek by a liner off the bat of Julio Lugo.
Lee needed two stitches to close a cut. He will be examined
Wednesday morning by an ear, nose and throat specialist.
The homers made Jarvis a winner for the first time in four
starts. He allowed one run -- unearned because of his error -- on
three hits in six innings, struck out five and walked two.
"There's only so much you can do," Houston manager Larry
Dierker said. "I feel like we had a lot of pitches to hit off the
first guy. Judging by their reactions, they were frustrated because
they weren't hitting pitches that they normally do."
Jarvis, who had a bout with food poisoning after eating a steak
Monday night, let the Astros take a 1-0 lead on an ill-advised
throw for an error in the fifth. But he redeemed himself with a
suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the inning that scored
Donaldo Mendez. Mendez was aboard on a triple to the right-center
field gap.
Jarvis has seven RBI in 23 at-bats.
In the Astros' fifth, Jarvis dove to try to catch Bottenfield's
bunt, but short-hopped it. He rolled over and threw to third base
from his back to try and get Vinny Castilla at third, but the ball
went past Nevin and Castilla scored.
Bottenfield allowed four runs and five hits in six innings,
struck out seven and walked three.
Game notes
The Astros are on their longest losing streak a nine-gamer
in September 1996. ... They have lost 11 of 13 to the Padres dating
to the start of the 2000 season. ... Kotsay, the Padres' CF, made a
leaping catch to deny Richard Hidalgo a homer in the fifth. ...
Rookie Cesar Crespo, the younger brother of San Francisco
outfielder Felipe Crespo, made his major league debut after being
promoted by the Padres. The Padres purchased Crespo's contract from
Triple-A Portland after designating infielder Adam Riggs for
assignment. Crespo started at second base against the Houston
Astros and walked in his first at-bat. Crespo was obtained along
with Kotsay from Florida on March 28.
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RECAPS
Cleveland 6
Detroit 4
Toronto 4
Chi. White Sox 0
Texas 8
Kansas City 2
Minnesota 6
Anaheim 5
Tampa Bay 5
Oakland 1
Seattle 3
Baltimore 2
Chicago Cubs 10
Cincinnati 5
Florida 5
Pittsburgh 0
Philadelphia 7
NY Mets 3
Atlanta 7
Montreal 4
Milwaukee 7
St. Louis 0
San Diego 5
Houston 4
Colorado 7
Los Angeles 2
Arizona 1
San Francisco 0
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