European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 17, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday april 17 2007 stars and stripes Page 3 Bostons hot bats Back Beckett As red sox finish sweep of Angels Ben new York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera walks off the Field after giving up a three run Walkoff Homer to the Oakland athletics Marco Scutaro on sunday in Oakland Calif the athletics beat the Yankees 54 the associated press Boston the Boston red sox wasted no time after More than 24 hours of rain to resume their hot hitting the red sox scored six runs in the first inning and beat the los Angeles Angels 72 monday be Hind Josh becketts third straight Strong Outing the game began two hours 13 minutes after its scheduled Start ing time of am and Julio Lugo started Bostons rally with the first of the teams four Dou Bles in the first the red sox scored five runs before Ervin san Tana 12 recorded an out Beckett 30 showed no rust from having his Start delayed one Day because of sundays rainout he allowed a Solo Homer to Orlan do Cabrera the Angels second Batter of the game then settled Down in six innings he gave up six hits struck out five and walked one Howie Kendrick homered against red sox reliever Kyle Snyder in the ninth Boston outscored los Angeles 253 in sweeping the three games As the Angels lost for the sixth time in seven games Beckett also got plenty of defensive help shortstop Lugo made two Tough catches going into left Field then threw out Reggie Willits from deep in the Hole with runners at first and second and two outs in the fifth Willits entered the game As a Pinch runner in the top of the first after Vladimir Guerrero was hit on the right wrist by a pitch rays of his bruised wrist were negative in the sixth with Garret Ander son on second and two outs Cen Ter fielder wily to Pena charged Kendricks single and fired the Ball to cutoff Man Kevin Youkilis Anderson stopped at third and Kendrick was tagged out after rounding first the Start of the game on Patri ots Day a state Holiday was pushed Back two hours because of heavy rain that had fallen since sunday morning it started at pm an official delay of 13 minutes becketts Era remained at 150 in three games Hes allowed three runs and 10 hits with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 18 innings Santana continued his Strug Gles on the Road where he entered the game at 912 with a 665 Era in his career at Home he is 205 with a 307 Era on sunday athletics 5 Yankees 4 at Oak land Calif Marco Scutaro hit a three run Homer with two outs in the ninth inning off Mariano Riv Era to give Oakland its first series Victory of the season Scutaro shot spoiled a Strong Start by Andy Pettitte who Al Lowed five hits and two runs one seven innings Rivera 11 blew his first save Chance of the season despite retiring the first two batters in the ninth Todd Walker singled for Oakland first hit since the third inning and Jason Kendall then walked bringing up Scutaro Oakland right hander Rich Harden struck out seven through six innings then left with tight Ness in his pitching shoulder Jay Marshall 10 pitched Ullh score less innings for his first major league Victory indians 2 White sox 1 at Cleveland cd Sabathia pitched eight overpowering innings and the indians got Only one hit Grady size mores Lead off double in the first Sabathia 30 allowed five hits struck out 10 walked three and improved to 143 20 this season in 22 starts against Chicago Blue lays 2 tigers 1 at Toron to John Mcdonald drove in the godhead run with a seven thin Ning single and Josh towers 11 allowed three hits Over innings to win a Start for the first time since last May 14 at Tampa Bay Devil rays 6 twins 4 at min Neapolis dinner Navarre hit a tie breaking double off Ace closer Joe Nathan in the ninth inning and Tampa Bay earned a split of the fou game series Navarros second hit of the game snapped a 4all tie and sent Nathan 11 to his first loss since september 6 2005 Akinori Iwa Mura greeted Nathan with a Dou ble and scored on Navarros Dou ble Carlos Penas rib single made it 64 mariners 14 rangers 6 at Seattle Jose Vidro homered in his first two a bats and Ichiro Suzuki had four hits Suzuki hit a Lead off Homer and scored four times Vidro finished with three hits and four Bis Adrian Beltre also homered for Seattle and drove in four runs s cardinals Pujols Breaks out of slump in big Way the associated press Albert Pujols want concerned about his slow Start the cardinals slugger came into sundays game with a 158 average and 2 Bis before Homer ing twice and driving in five runs in St Lotus 102 Victory Over the Milwaukee Brewers after the game he said he was never worried obviously this year Hast been working out Early Pujols said but just because i Haven found myself at the plate i dont want to go crazy Pujols teammates were glad to see his performance its a Good Day Preston Wil son said anytime you have a Day where the superstar in your lineup kind of starts Healing up it makes the whole team feel Good the cardinals offence which has struggled in the Early going had 13 hits Chris Duncan had a career High four of them including his third Homer of the season the cardinals who had scored four runs during an 04 Start at Busch stadium got their first Home Victory against Brewers Ace Ben sheets who Feu to 414 in 22 career starts against St Louis i dont think i always Strug Gle said sheets who has a 436 career Era against the Cardi nals i dont come out on the win Ning end All the time but Ive had plenty of Good games against these Guys and Ive had plenty of games like today Pujols lined a 20 sheets fast Ball into the Brewers bullpen to give the cardinals a 32 Lead in the first inning and then connect ing off Elmer Dessens leading off the eighth it was Pujols 17th Ca reer Multi Homer game Braden Looper 21 allowed two runs and five hits in six innings and has won two of his first three major league starts after making 572 consecutive Relief appearances sheets allowed a single and two walks to Load the bases in the sixth and then hit Pinch hitter Scott Spiezio to Force in a run that chased the Brewers Ace whose Start was pushed Back two Days after he warmed up before Jeff Albert Pujols who came into sundays game with a 158 Bat Ting average homered twice and drove in five runs As the St Louis cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 102 in St Louis Friday night s game was postponed by rain dodgers 9 padres 3 at los Angeles san Diego starter Chris Young had a string of 25 consecutive Road starts without a loss snapped Young was 90 on the Road dating to june 25 2005 at Houston when he was with Texas Young allowed five runs in two plus innings Andre Ethier homered and drove in his first four runs of the season for the dodgers Randy Wolf 21 allowed six hits and three runs in six innings and struck out seven braves 8 marlins 4 at Atlanta Chipper Jones hit a three run Homer and Andrew Jones added a two run shot to Back Tim Hud sons Strong pitching in a Victory Over Florida it was the third Home run in four games for Chipper Jones who has seven Bis during that stretch his drive in the third in Ning off Scott Olsen 21 capped a five run inning Andrew Jones hit his third of the season in the fifth off Rick Vanden Hurk Hudson 20 allowed one run and six hits in seven innings the right hander who was helped by three double plays has allowed Only two earned runs in three starts and has an Era of 086 reds 1 cubs 0 Kyle Lohse struck out a career High 12 in eight innings and Jeff Conine hit an rib single leading Cincinnati past Host Chicago Lohse 10 allowed four hits and one walk out pitching Ted Lilly Ryan Theriot had three hits for the cubs but they  Muster much else Conine singled Home the Lone run in the fourth Chicago wasted another solid Outing by Lilly who allowed two hits while striking out 10 and walking one in six innings it was his ninth game with 10 or More strikeouts and his first since june 10 Vith Toronto David Weathers got two outs for his fifth save in five chances diamondbacks 6 Rockies 4 at Phoenix Tony Clark homered twice and drove in three runs leading Arizona Over Colorado it was the 22nd Multi Homer game for the 34yearold Clark Orlando Hudson went 2for3 for Arizona for his eighth Multi hit game this season he pushed his average to 412 the diamondbacks jumped on Byung Hyun Kim 12 for four runs in the first inning after the Rockies had scored two off Doug Davis who allowed four runs nine hits and four walks in five innings