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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
notes
Burrell is 3-for-9 with a home run, a triple and three RBIs
in two games.
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