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Thursday, May 25 8:05pm ET
Astros lose Cedeno in 10-6 victory | |||||
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GAME LOG
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Astros didn't blow a big lead. They even won the game. But Thursday night was still a loss. Roger Cedeno broke two bones in his right hand sliding into first base during Thursday night's 10-6 win over Philadelphia and will be sidelined six-to-eight weeks. Cedeno, trying to beat out a slow grounder to first in the fourth inning, fractured the fourth and fifth metacarpels on his left hand and also ruptured a tendon on his ring finger. He will not need surgery, but his hand was placed in a temporary splint and will be put in a cast Friday. "I'm very disappointed," Cedeno said. "But at least we scored two runs on the play." As for the game, the Astros' bullpen came through for a change. Houston relievers had five blown saves, a 5-12 record and a 5.22 combined ERA coming in. And they had blown a pair of seven-run leads in the previous three days. But Joe Slusarski retired six straight batters in the seventh and eighth inning, then allowed one hit in the ninth to record the first save of his career. "To me, Slusarski was the biggest story of this game," said Houston's Larry Dierker, who won his 300th game as a manager. "For him to come in and put up those three zeros was huge for us. "He has really been a pleasant surprise. When you bring a guy up just because someone's hurt, he starts out at the bottom of the pecking order. But he has been so consistent, he has been moving up steadily." Slusarski came up May 5 after going 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA at Triple-A New Orleans. He has appeared in 10 games since then and has a 2.70 ERA, best on the team, allowing four earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. "I'm just happy to get the job done," Slusarski said. "Hopefully, this will pick us up and make us believe in ourselves a little. We've got as lot of talent in this bullpen, a lot of good arms." The Astros thought it was a big deal. "He kept them off balance," catcher Mitch Meluskey said. "He throws a lot of pitches and he throws them all well. That's Joe. He's not going to blow you away but he's been around a long time and he has good stuff." Starter Scott Elarton (3-1) allowed six runs and seven hits in six innings. He agreed Slusarski was key. "He did a great job for us," Elarton said. "I kept going out and giving up runs and the offense kept coming back." The Phillies were also impressed. "I've known him for a long time," Mickey Morandini said. "I've known Joe since my Olympic days. He's always been a battler and a competitor. He keeps the ball down. He's been around a long time. He was good tonight. He threw well and got ahead of the hitters and that's what you have to do here." Phillies manager Terry Francona and coach Chuck Cottier were ejected for arguing with umpires at different times. They were the first ejections of the year for Philadelphia. "I try to respect the game," Francona said. "And I get upset when umpires don't show you respect. Sometimes you don't have to say things you don't want to say. I just wanted him to talk to me and he wouldn't talk to me. I didn't curse or anything until after he threw me out. I wasn't trying to fire up the team and it had nothing to do with frustration except maybe for him." Jeff Bagwell, Ken Caminiti and Mitch Meluskey each hit two-run homers, and Richard Hidalgo had a solo shot to lead the Astros. Pat Burrell, who made his major league debut a night earlier, hit his first career homer, and Bobby Abreu and Desi Relaford also connected for the Phillies. Burrell, the No. 1 pick in the 1998 amateur draft, went 1-for-4. A total of 84 home runs have been hit in 22 games at Enron Field, 42 by the Astros. Last year, 118 were hit all season in the Astrodome, 65 by Houston. Andy Ashby (2-5) was tagged for eight runs, seven earned, and nine hits in five innings. Philadelphia, which wasted 2-0 and 4-3 leads, went ahead in the first on Abreu's two-run homer, his third home run in two days. Houston took a 3-2 lead in the bottom half on Bagwell's two-run shot and Hidalgo's sacrifice fly. Relaford's two-run triple gave Philadelphia a 4-3 lead in the fourth, but the Astros went ahead for good in the bottom half. Hidalgo's 15th homer tied it, Cedeno hit a run-scoring infield single to third, and another run scored on Burrell's throwing error at first. Caminiti homered in the fifth to make it 8-4. Burrell and Relaford hit solo shots in the sixth. Meluskey homered in the eighth. Game notesBurrell is 3-for-9 with a home run, a triple and three RBIs in two games. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Philadelphia Clubhouse Houston Clubhouse RECAPS Anaheim 3 Minnesota 1
Houston 10
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