Royals' Greinke extends shutout streak in 2-0 win

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Most pitchers dread a trip to Rangers Ballpark. Not Kansas City's Zack Greinke. He kept posting zeros.

Greinke did not allow a run for his third straight start this season, pitching a seven-hitter for his first career shutout as the Royals beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 Saturday night.

The Rangers averaged nine runs in the first four games of the current homestand and were batting .350 as a team in their previous three games. But they couldn't get much going against Greinke, who's thrown 34 consecutive scoreless innings, 20 over his three outings this year.

"I just heard about it," Greinke said of the shutout streak. "It kind of blew me away. I think it's almost impossible to do 34 scoreless innings in these days. I would have taken the 20 as a career high."

Greinke (3-0) prevailed in a matchup of aces who started the day with the two lowest ERAs in the AL -- Greinke at 0.00 and Texas' Kevin Millwood at 0.64.

"You figure you give up two runs in this ballpark with this offense, it's a win," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Greinke struck out a season-high 10 and didn't issue a walk while getting his fourth career complete game in 106 starts. He used a variety of pitches to keep the Rangers off-balance, including a fastball in the mid-90s and an effective changeup.

"A lot of my pitches were working," said Greinke, who has a 2.00 ERA in 27 career innings at Rangers Ballpark. "My pitches were all complementing each other. Usually I don't have the slow curve working like I did tonight."

With a runner on third in the ninth, Greinke struck out Chris Davis looking to end the game, wrapping up the second shutout in the AL this year.

"I've got to swing at that (pitch)," Davis said. "It was too close to take. My performance tonight was pathetic. It was ridiculous."

Millwood (1-1) also turned in a strong effort, allowing two runs and five hits in nine innings for his 18th career complete game. He struck out three and walked three.

"It was tough. It was one of those nights," Millwood said. "You've just got to tip your hat to him."

Kansas City has won five of six. Texas has lost seven of eight.

The Royals took the lead in the sixth on Billy Butler's two-out RBI double. Miguel Olivo's two-out solo homer in the seventh extended Kansas City's lead to 2-0.

The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the second but Millwood retired Olivo on a fly ball to straighaway center field and got Willie Bloomquist on a grounder.

Greinke escaped a jam of his own in the second, allowing a leadoff triple to Hank Blalock before retiring the next three batters including strikeouts of Nelson Cruz and Davis.

Texas put a runner on third with one out in the third, but Greinke struck out Ian Kinsler and set down Michael Young on a grounder.

With a runner on first in the fifth, Millwood made a barehanded stop of Bloomquist's hard grounder and threw a one-hopper to second for the forceout. Manager Ron Washington and team trainer Jamie Reed ran to the mound to check on Millwood, who threw a couple of warmups pitches before waving Washington and Reed back to the dugout.

Millwood said the ball lodged between his index finger and thumb and that the fingers on his right hand went numb for a little while, accounting for the one-hop throw to second.

Notes: Earlier Saturday, the Rangers purchased the contract of LHP Derek Holland, their top pitching prospect, from Triple-A Oklahoma. Texas also designated RHP Josh Rupe for assignment. The Rangers see Holland's future as a starter but he'll begin his major league career in long relief. Texas relievers have an 8.63 ERA. ...Young had his 5,000th career at bat in the first, becoming the fourth player in team history to reach the milestone. ...Olivo broke a 1-for-19 slide with his homer. ...Texas had multiple homers in its first seven home games this season, matching its longest such spell in Rangers Ballpark history, before the streak ended on Saturday night. ...The condition of Royals RF Jose Guillen, who went on the DL April 10 due to a partially torn right hip flexor muscle, has improved enough that he could be ready for an injury-rehab assignment. Manager Trey Hillman said he wasn't sure whether Guillen would go to the minors or continue to rehab without playing in games.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 5, 11 innings; Optional.

Ramirez homer gives Cubs 7-5 win over Cardinals

CHICAGO (AP) -- When the Chicago Cubs are in need of a big hit late in a game, Aramis Ramirez is the man they want at the plate.

Ramirez was 0-for-5 before hitting a game-winning, two-run homer in the 11th inning to give the Cubs a 7-5 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

"It seems like every time there is a big moment in the game and Rammy is up he is winning the game for us," Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot said. "He definitely has the flare for the dramatics and a knack to win games."

Dennys Reyes (0-1), a left-hander normally used to face lefties, was forced to face to some right-handed batters with the Cardinals bullpen worn thin in the 11th inning.

He walked Alfonso Soriano leading off, then Kosuke Fukudome bunted into a fielder's choice.

With two outs, Ramirez hit a 1-0 pitch from Reyes into the left-center bleachers for his third homer.

"It wasn't fair, but if a guy can pull it off it's him," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa about putting Reyes in a tough spot. "He's got a ton of experience."

Khalil Green homered for the Cardinals, who have dropped the last two games after winning the opener of a four-game series against the Cubs.

On Friday, trailing 7-6, Soriano hit a two-run home run to help give the Cubs a 8-7 victory.

"Execution has to improve. Same thing yesterday," said La Russa. "They (Cubs) walked the leadoff man in the 10th and 11th inning and got away with it. That's where our execution has to improve. Their execution was better than ours."

Angel Guzman (1-0) pitched a scoreless 11th inning for his first career victory and Theriot had three hits for the Cubs.

The win ties Cubs with the Cardinals for first place in NL-Central.

"You win now, you have less to worry about in September. One win now counts the same as a win in September," Ramirez said.

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse couldn't hold a 4-1 lead.

Theriot tripled to leadoff the fifth and Aaron Miles drove him in with a grounder back to Lohse.

With two outs, Lohse walked Soriano and Fukudome, and Derrek Lee doubled down the left-field line to tie the score at 4.

The Cubs took the lead in the sixth inning off Cardinals reliever Kyle McClellan. With two outs, Geovany Soto walked, Theriot singled and Miles followed with an RBI single off his former team to break a 4-all tie.

But the lead didn't last long for the Cubs.

Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol retired the middle of the Cardinals order when he entered with two on and none out in the seventh, but allowed consecutive doubles to Chris Duncan and Yadier Molina in the eighth to tie the score.

Fukudome's double in the third drove in Soriano for the Cubs' first run.

Lohse was unable to back up a career-best three-hitter in a 3-0 win to Houston on Sunday. He allowed four runs on five hits in a no-decision. He had four strikeouts and walked two.

"It was one of those games where he (Lohse) had trouble finishing guys," La Russa said.

Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, who was 14-3 and a 2.86 ERA at Wrigley Field last season, had a so-so first home start of 2009.

He gave up back-to-back walks to start the third inning, and after Lohse popped up a bunt attempt, Skip Schumaker singled in a run.

With two outs, Dempster walked Albert Pujols to load the bases and Ryan Ludwick extended his hitting streak to 21-games with a two-run single to put the Cardinals up 3-0.

Greene led off the fourth inning with his second homer of the season.

Dempster eventually settled down and retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced.

Notes: Cubs OF Milton Bradley has been suspended two games for arguing balls and strikes and making contact with umpire Larry Vanover. The discipline announced Saturday by Major League Baseball stems from an outburst in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals. Bradley was caught looking at a called third strike with the bases loaded while pinch hitting in the sixth inning. Bradley, who was out of the starting lineup for the fifth straight game, will appeal the suspension. He grounded out in a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth. ... Newly acquired Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw the ceremonial first pitch and sang the seventh-inning stretch. ... Pujols went 0-for-4 with a walk.

Dodgers 9, Rockies 5. Optional. RESTORES dropped quote mark in 4th graf.

Manny hits first two HRs, Dodgers beat Rockies 9-5

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Manny Ramirez is really back now, and that will make the Los Angeles Dodgers' potent offense even more dangerous.

The enigmatic slugger hit his first two home runs of the season -- and dropped a flyball for his first error -- as the defending NL West champions extended their winning streak to seven games with a 9-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.

"I'm just happy to get that out of the way," said Ramirez, who was presented with a magnum of champagne from clubhouse manager Mitch Poole after the game.

"I know it's a long season and I knew it was going to come around, so I was just being patient," Ramirez said. "But I've got to go and keep finding myself out there. What we did today don't mean anything. It's not how you start, but how you finish. We've got to keep battling and keep winning."

Andre Ethier also homered twice and drove in four runs while batting second for the first time this season. Manager Joe Torre shuffled the lineup to give shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman Casey Blake and catcher Russell Martin the day off after Friday night's come-from-behind win.

"Ethier's such a good hitter," Torre said. "Even though he gets angry and all that stuff, I see a difference in him where every at-bat is different -- which is good, because he doesn't carry it over. And no matter where he bats, he's in a significant spot in the lineup. He certainly took advantage of hitting in front of Manny today."

Chad Billingsley (3-0) allowed three runs and four hits over six innings with six strikeouts. The right-hander was staked to a 5-0 lead before the Rockies got on the board in the sixth with Brad Hawpe's two-run triple past a diving Ramirez in the left-field corner and Ian Stewart's sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers increased their lead to 9-3 with four runs in the seventh, the first on Ethier's second homer of the game and fourth this season. Matt Kemp added an RBI single that extended his season-opening hitting streak to 12 games, Juan Castro hit a sacrifice fly and Will Ohman had an RBI single -- using Ramirez's bat.

Aaron Cook (0-1) lasted just four innings, allowing five runs and eight hits -- three of them homers. The right-hander, who beat the Dodgers twice last year, has given up five homers in his first 12 1-3 innings this season. Last year he allowed just 13 in 211 1-3 innings last year.

"He left the ball up in the zone a lot today," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Flyballs, home runs -- it's uncharacteristic. It's wasn't a good start."

Both of Ramirez's homers came with the bases empty and increased his career total to 529, five behind Jimmie Foxx for 16th place all-time and seven shy of Mickey Mantle's total.

The 12-time All-Star, who signed a two-year, $45 million deal on March 4 after weeks of protracted negotiations, snapped his season-opening drought of 11 games and 36 at-bats without a home run. The longest stretch the 17-year veteran has gone from the start of the season before hitting his first homer was in 2006 (16 games, 55 at-bats). He also came out of that drought with a pair of homers -- against Toronto.

"He probably got through this thing easily because we've been winning," Torre said. "I mean, we rely on him so much. And to have him break out like that today was a big lift for everybody. It was great to have them all contribute the way they did."

The multihomer game was the 54th for Ramirez, tying Frank Robinson for ninth place in that category. The two RBIs tied Honus Wagner for 19th place on the career list at 1,732.

"Manny's one of those guys who you never worry about how they start, because his numbers are always going to finish up in the same place. And it makes him a little bit more dangerous if he's cold," said Colorado reliever Alan Embree, Ramirez's teammate in Boston for four seasons including 2004, when Ramirez was named World Series MVP.

Ramirez drove a 3-2 pitch to left-center with two outs in the first to open the scoring. In the third, he deposited Cook's 1-0 delivery into the lower seats in the left field corner.

Ethier increased the margin to 5-0 in the fourth with a three-run shot. He and Ramirez became the first pair of Dodgers to each homer twice in the same game since Aug. 19, 2004, when Shawn Green and Adrian Beltre did it in a loss to Atlanta.

Ramirez's error on Hawpe's routine fly followed a leadoff walk to Garrett Atkins. Both runners advanced on Stewart's groundout, but Billingsley got Ramirez off the hook by striking out Troy Tulowitzki and retiring Yorvit Torrealba on a fly to center.

"I just dropped it," Ramirez said after his third error in 65 games with the Dodgers. "Torii Hunter, he's got 10 Gold Gloves and he misses sometimes. What about me? I don't even got a silver one."

Torre added: "When he came in after he dropped the fly ball, he says: 'Well, no Gold Glove this year.'"

Notes: Ramirez has now homered against every team in the majors. ... When Cook retired Castro on a fly to left for the first out of the fourth, he broke RHP Jason Jennings' franchise record of 941 innings pitched. ... The Dodgers placed RHP Cory Wade on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 12, because of bursitis in his shoulder. He is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. LHP Scott Elbert was recalled from Double-A Chattanooga. ... The Dodgers have scored 59 runs over their last eight games.