They say the triple is the most exciting play in baseball, something I'm inclined to agree with, but there's something pretty thrilling about the inside-the-park home run as well. It's less about the skill of the batter and more about the compound pratfalls that befuddle the defense for one to happen. A ball hit in the right spot, bouncing into oblivion because of odd ballpark dimensions and overzealous fielders make for plays that go so perfectly wrong that they're almost beautiful. Kevin Youklis hit such a ball into the Bermuda Triangle of Fenway Park's centerfield last night and by the time Trot Nixon found the ball the not-speedy first baseman was already crossing the plate and headed for the oxygen tanks in the Red Sox dugout. Curt Schilling struck out 10 to make it stand up and the Sox topped the Tribe 5-3.
- Ron Washington was part of the Oakland A's resurgence in the 90's as a coach and the Texas Rangers hired him to be their manager to help spur one in Arlington. That's not going so well after the A's sent the Rangers to a sixth straight loss 5-3 in Washington's return to Oakland. Eric Chavez hit a three-run homer off Robinson Tejeda, the Texas starter who Washington says is running out of chances. "Tejeda has to be better than he was tonight and the last time, or pretty soon the scholarships will end," Washington said. "It's time to start growing up and throw the ball in the strike zone. He showed me no guts."
- You go away for 10 days and you miss some things but I really wish that there was some kind of notification service that got word to Europe that a player named Norris Hopper was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Perhaps it was his splendidly unlikely name that captivated Ryan Freel and his imaginary friend yesterday because the centerfielder collided with Hopper while pursuing a ball, which he caught, in the Reds' 4-0 win against Pittsburgh. Freel was stretchered from the field, although he was coherent and moving his extremities, and missed Kyle Lohse's first win in eight starts. No word was available on Farney's health.
- A.J. Pierzynski's former Minnesota teammates got upset with him after it looked like he spiked Justin Morneau while running out a double play to end Chicago's half of the sixth. Ron Gardenhire argued with all four umpires after they warned the Minny dugout to stop riding Pierzynski. The crowd may not have known what was going on but it seemed to inspire the Twins nonetheless. Down 4-3 entering the bottom of the frame the emotionally agitated Twins exploded for five runs en route to a 10-4 win. Those runs bailed out a shaky Johan Santana who pitched through the eighth for his sixth win.
- Andruw Jones hit his 350th career home run and Chuck James struck out eight in six innings as the Braves beat their Milwaukee replacements 2-1. The Brewers, darlings of baseball a few weeks ago have come spiraling back to earth. Monday's loss was their sixth straight and 13th in 17 games, a bad stretch but not bad enough to knock them out of first place in the NL Central.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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