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Friday, Jun. 9 7:05pm ET
Jones nabs major-league best 18th save | |||||
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GAME LOG
DETROIT (AP) -- Todd Jones figured he was in trouble, judging from the sound of the ball leaving Mark McGwire's big bat. But Jones got a break. The monster shot hooked foul, Jones struck out McGwire, then got a double-play grounder to end the game and the Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 before a crowd of 39,081 Friday night, second-largest of the season at Comerica Park. "Big home runs off me have a very distinct sound," Jones said. "This one had that. It was like 'zzzzzt' -- like a golf ball off a driver. I knew I'd gotten away with one when it went foul. I got lucky." Jones, tied for the major league lead in saves with 18 in 19 opportunities, started the ninth, attempting to preserve the second straight win for Jeff Weaver (3-5) who pitched eight strong innings. But Shane Halter, inserted as a defensive replacement at third base for Dean Palmer, misplayed Jim Edmonds' leadoff grounder for an error. That brought up McGwire, who missed the previous two games with a sore hamstring, to the plate. "That's the best part about the game, when you're facing their stopper," McGwire said. "He went right at me." Jones got two quick strikes, then McGwire put his classic big swing on the next pitch. Slightly shaken, Jones then ran the count full before getting McGwire on a called third strike. "He struck me out," said McGwire, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. "But you look forward to those kinds of situations. Sometimes it turns out good, and sometimes it doesn't." McGwire has one home run since May 24. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him tomorrow," Jones said. "I threw him everything I had tonight." Because Jones was successful, however, Garrett Stephenson, who won his first eight decisions, lost for the second straight time as Palmer homered and Jeff Weaver pitched eight strong innings for Detroit. "That's the way they pitched McGwire all night," Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said. "They were mean and nasty. I give them credit." Stephenson (8-2), was never in command, allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings. Weaver (3-5) allowed four hits -- including Thomas Howard's two-run homer -- in eight innings. He struck out five and walked none. A two-out single by Deivi Cruz drove in Palmer for a 1-0 Detroit lead in the second. With two outs in the third, Juan Gonzalez singled and scored when Bobby Higginson drilled a 3-0 pitch off the screen-fence facing the right-field bullpen for an RBI double and 2-0 lead. The Tigers went up 3-0 in the fourth when Robert Fick tripled and scored on an RBI grounder by Brad Ausmus. Palmer made it 4-0 with his 12th homer, leading off the sixth. "My location wasn't great, but I never felt like I struggled," Stephenson said. "I made a dumb pitch to Cruz, and Palmer hit a homer down the line. So, I tip my hat to Palmer." Edmonds singled to start the St. Louis seventh, yet Weaver seemed in control, striking out McGwire for the second time. But Howard followed with his fifth homer, a high fly into the right-field seats, cutting the Tigers' lead to 4-2. Except for a hit batter in the Cardinals second, Weaver faced the minimum number of batters for the first 4 1-3 innings until Larry Sutton lined a one-out single to right in the fifth. But Weaver struck out J.D. Drew and got Eli Marrero on a flyball to left to end the inning. Game notesWeaver got all three outs on strikeouts in the second. He got McGwire looking, hit Howard on the ankle, then struck out Larry Sutton and Drew. ... Higginson made a good running catch in left field, snagging McGwire's sinking liner just above his shoe tops to end the St. Louis fourth. ... Fernando Vina, who went 0-for-4, is hitless in his last 15 at-bats. ... Weaver, who has gone seven or more innings in seven of his 10 starts, became the first Detroit starter to win three games. Relievers Matt Anderson and C.J. Nitkowski also have three wins. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard St. Louis Clubhouse Detroit Clubhouse RECAPS Cleveland 7 Cincinnati 4
Detroit 4
Chi. White Sox 6
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