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Sunday, Apr. 16 1:35pm ET
Abreu clutch single lifts Phils past Expos | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Bobby Abreu gets pumped up with men on base. "I feel I have more concentration at the plate when there are runners in scoring position," Abreu said Sunday after his ninth-inning single over right fielder Vladimir Guerrero gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 win over the Montreal Expos. Abreu, batting .343 overall, led the major leagues last year by hitting .427 with runners in scoring position. He's 4-for-7 (.571) this season in that circumstance with four RBI. "I'm more relaxed and have more patience in that situation," he said. Pinch-hitter Rob Ducey, batting for Scott Aldred (1-0), singled leading off the ninth and advanced on Doug Glanville's sacrifice. Ron Gant followed with an infield single, but Ducey couldn't advance, setting the stage for Abreu. Anthony Telford (2-1) fell behind in the count at 2-1 and threw a slider. With a nice soft swing, Abreu lifted a ball over Guerrero, who appeared to take a step in at first and fell just inches short of making the catch. Trailing 4-2, Philadelphia tied it in the eighth. Steve Kline, who hadn't walked or hit a batter in eight innings this season, hit Abreu in the right arm leading off, then walked Scott Rolen. Rico Brogna followed with a two-run double to the left-center gap, just out of the reach of center fielder Peter Bergeron. "He put a nice swing on that pitch," Philadelphia manager Terry Francona said. "It's been backwards for him so far this season. He would hit a popup and it goes for a double or he'd hit a ball hard and it goes for an out. That was a ball that he stung." Kline was miffed by his poor outing. "To hit him was just stupid," Kline said. "If I had to do it all over again, I'd throw underhand. I'd had great success against Brogna. I'd struck him out the last nine times I'd faced him. He beat me this time around." Aldred allowed one hit in two scoreless innings as the Phillies bullpen continued their solid start. In 11 games, the relief corps, a major disappointment last season, has a 2.81 ERA. Montreal starter Hideki Irabu struck out eight in six innings, allowing two runs and four hits and retiring 10 of his final 11 batters. Irabu, uncomfortable with the Veterans Stadium mound, worked out of the stretch at all times. "It was a great effort," Montreal manager Felipe Alou said. "He threw a lot of pitches, and working out of the stretch all the time is like putting an extra inning on that arm. I was going to get him after five." Andy Ashby, in his first start at Veterans Stadium since the Phillies re-acquired him, gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. Michael Barrett's sacrifice fly put Montreal ahead in the second, and Jose Vidro made it 2-0 with a third-inning homer. Rolen hit a two-run double in the third, but Orlando Cabrera, in an 8-for-37 slump, made it 4-2 with a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth. "I made a couple of mistakes and one of them was the sinker I threw Cabrera," Ashby said. "It hurt even more because we had just tied the game up." Game notesGuerrero is 8-for-13 against Ashby in his career. He went 1-for-2 with an intentional walk on Sunday. ... Expos C Chris Widger threw out Glanville attempting to steal second in the fifth inning on a controversial call by umpire John Shulock. Replays showed Glanville clearly beat the throw and slid under the tag. It ended Glanville's streak of 16 consecutive stolen bases, dating to last season. ... Ashby has surrendered a team-high five homers in 19 innings. ... The Phillies have committed a NL-low two errors in 11 games. ... Saturday's postponement will be rescheduled as a part of a doubleheader Sept. 12 or 13. ... Philadelphia Eagles' first-round pick Corey Simon was in attendance. The defensive tackle from Florida State signed autographs in the stands. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Montreal Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 5 Oakland 4
Philadelphia 5
Colorado 14
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