BECKETT FLIRTS WITH NO-NO

Arizona—Josh Beckett, dealing like no other, walked two batters but otherwise held the Elims without a hit going into the ninth, where (with one out), Hanley Ramirez hit a clean single over short to break up Beckett’s bid for immortality. Beckett, undeterred, came back to strike out both Grady Sizemore and Derek Jeter for a truly dominant one-hit shutout on just 99 pitches!

Offensively, the D-Backs would’ve needed only one run the way Beckett was dealing, easily the Arizona ace’s best start of the season after being mired with a second-division Oakeyland club to start the campaign. Beckett (9-5, 3.43) had to be thrilled, though, to get three early runs courtesy of a sac fly off the bat of David Wright and Ordonez’s 14th homer of the season, all in the third. When, later on, the Arizona flamethrower saw his teammates cash in a leadoff double for an extra run in the seventh, he might’ve allowed himself a moment of understandable relaxation----except for the fact that he was going for history. With a 4-0 lead, and having thrown only 86 pitches, Beckett took the mound in the ninth and while he didn’t get the no-no, he definitely inspired his teammates, for the win pulled Arizona within 2 ½ games of division-leading Yuma!

As for the Elims? Truly, if this was not the low point of the season for this franchise, then I don’t know what could be. Worcester, the pride of the East for nearly three months, had the misfortune of running into the D-Backs, who are playing their best ball of the season. In a flurry of moves, Arizona placed Cole Hamels on the DL, moved Zack Greinke into the rotation and promoted RHP Brandon Morrow (acquired in trade with division rival Yuma) to fill the club’s setup role. Worcester, meanwhile, was reduced to mulling which extra starter they would pull up from AAA to try to fill the shoes of injured staff ace Eric Bedard.

In other BARB news:

DARWIN 8, YUMA 7 (10 innings)
WP: Jonathan Broxton (3-7, 3.22)
LP: Francisco Cordero (6-5, 3.24)

Two blown saves, lots of poor play, but at the end of ten frames the Finches emerged with a ‘W’, pulling into a virtual tie for second in the volatile East thanks to a incredible finish by their bench. The Unnatural Selections came up smelling like a rose, but earlier they stank the place up. They blew leads of 2-0 and 5-3 in the ballgame thanks to Travis Hafner (who hit a tying homer in the sixth off Kelvim Escobar), Nick Markakis (an RBI double off recently-activated Mark Mulder) and Shane Victorino (whose fly ball was misplayed by Berkman, and which allowed the tying runs to score in the ninth off Trevor Hoffman.

Wow...can’t waste many more opportunities that that! In the top of the tenth, Yuma went up 7-5 thanks in part to an RBI single by Miguel Tejada and Broxton being unable to fan Hafner, who hit a slow roller to third to score the seventh run. With a two-run lead and new closer Francisco Cordero on the hill, things looked bleak, but then...

Chipper Jones walked with one out. Chone Figgins ran for Jones.

Mike Jacobs pinch-hit for Rowand with two out and drew a walk, and Corey Patterson pinch-ran for Jacobs.

That left the free-swinging Jeff Francouer needing a hit to extend the game with two runners on and two out, but Francouer. . . .walked!. . . .

With the bases loaded against Cordero and two out, Darwin pinch-hit Jarrod Saltalamacchia for free-swinging Johnny Estrada. ‘Salty’. . . DOUBLED over the head of Vernon Wells in center, easily scoring the fleet Figgins and Patterson, but could Francouer. . .BEAT THE TAAAAAG.....Yes! Francouer scored, a walk-off, bases-loaded double for the Finches, and a clutch win to pull them in a tie for second in the East with sagging Worcester.

BLACK MESA 7, BROOKLYN 5
WP: Curt Schilling (6-4, 4.92)
LP: Mark Buehrle (12-8, 4.61)
SV: Papelbon (19)

Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns both had big home runs, and Schilling nursed a 6-2 lead into the sixth before scuffling, and the Anomalies held on to frustrate the visiting Moabs. Brooklyn pulled within one with a three-run seventh courtesy of back-to-back doubles by McCann and Howard, but Jonathan Papelbon restored order for Black Mesa, fanning three of the six hitters he faced to nail down the win.

S-MART 8, LAS VEGAS 4
WP: Jake Westbrook (6-4, 4.22)
LP: Brett Myers (4-6, 5.26)
SV: Rodney (4)

Alex Rodriguez went deep twice to become the fourth to reach the 40-HR plateau this season (the others being Pujols, Ortiz and Berkman), and the Boom Sticks gave Jake Westbrook and their pen enough runs to win their 55th game, assuring that they would not lose 100 games this season despite the slew of injuries that crippled their club most of the season.

OAKEYLAND 10, POTTSYLVANIA 0
WP: Dontrelle Willis (10-7, 5.90)
LP: David Wells (4-17, 5.32)

It’s about time that Boomer hung it up. The Ballers took advantage of David Wells early and often, scoring seven times off the portly southpaw, with young Howie Kendrick collecting three hits and four ribbies to raise the rookie’s average to .326 in limited duty. Dontrelle Willis, meanwhile, had the best start of his yo-yo season, scattering six hits and no runs and going all the way for the shutout....but wouldn’t you, with ten runs of support?