Sampson allowed 3 hits over 7 innings, Astros beat Dodgers 5-0
Associated Press | May 11, 08 12:10 AM CDT in
Sports
Chris Sampson pitched three-hit ball over seven innings, Darin Erstad and Miguel Tejada each drove in two runs and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 on Saturday night.
Sampson (2-3) struck out three and walked one in his Dodger Stadium debut, matching his longest outing of the season. The right-hander, who began his professional career as a shortstop, had given up 18 earned runs in 15 1-3 innings over his previous four starts.
Chad Billingsley (2-5) allowed five runs _ four earned _ and six hits in five innings.
The Dodgers have fallen behind 12-0, 7-0 and 5-0 in their last three games, avoiding a shutout with a ninth-inning run in each of the first two. During that stretch, their starting pitchers have allowed 14 runs over the first three innings.
Los Angeles' Rafael Furcal, third in the majors with a .366 average, missed his fourth straight game with a sore lower back.
The Dodgers' best scoring chance came in the fifth with runners at second and third and no outs. But Chin-lung Hu grounded out to third and pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney lined out to first baseman Lance Berkman, who then made a diving stop of Juan Pierre's grounder in the hole and tossed to Sampson for the third out.
Billingsley threw two wild pitches and hit a batter during the Astros' three-run first. The second wild pitch put two in scoring position and led to an intentional walk to Berkman. Carlos Lee followed with a sacrifice fly, and Erstad hit a two-run double to right-center with two outs.
The Astros increased the margin to 5-0 in the second on Tejada's two-run single with the bases loaded, and probably would have tacked on more that inning had they not run themselves into a pair of outs.
Kaz Matsui tried to advance two bases on Tejada's hit, but was erased in a rundown between second and third after first baseman James Loney cut off right fielder Matt Kemp's throw toward the plate. Tejada attempted to score on Berkman's double into the right-field corner, but second baseman Jeff Kent took Kemp's relay and threw to Russell Martin for the tag on Tejada.
Notes:@ Actress Pamela Anderson threw out a ceremonial first pitch, then posed for pictures with Dodgers manager Joe Torre by the dugout. ... Berkman was 2-for-3. He has 20 hits in his last 27 at-bats, raising his average from .295 to .386. ... Astros pinch-hitters are 6-for-46 with one RBI. Erstad is 2-for-17 with a walk in that role, while Jose Cruz Jr. is 1-for-15 with five walks. ... Astros CF Michael Bourn stole his major league-leading 17th base in the seventh. He has yet to be caught. ... 3B Blake DeWitt became the seventh different hitter to bat in the second spot for the Dodgers this season, and the fifth in as many games.
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