Atlanta Braves starter Mike Hampton left Saturday night’s game against the Montreal Expos in the fifth inning because of a strained left knee.
Hampton was scheduled for an MRI exam Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
He gave up four hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings and left with a 2-0 lead. Hampton almost beat out a sacrifice bunt in the fourth and appeared to grimace in pain as he crossed first base. Limping slightly, Hampton was replaced by Juan Cruz after Jamey Carroll lined out opening the fifth.
Repentant Furcal homers
Atlanta shortstop Rafael Furcal returned to the starting lineup after issuing a public apology for his second DUI arrest in four years.
“I want to say I’m sorry to (manager) Bobby Cox and also all my teammates and all the fans, the baseball fans who follow me in my career and follow the Atlanta Braves,” Furcal said before Saturday’s game.
Furcal hit his 13th homer of the season in the third inning.
He was charged Thursday with driving under the influence, speeding and reckless driving. Furcal was arrested after he was clocked at 88 m.p.h. in a 55 m.p.h. zone on Interstate 85. He registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.127, above the legal Georgia limit of 0.08.
Furcal faces a potential sentence of 90 days to 12 months in jail. Part of the sentence could be served on probation. According to Georgia law, anyone convicted twice of DUI within five years must spend at least 72 hours in jail, perform a minimum of 30 days’ community service and complete a course on the dangers of alcohol abuse. Furcal also could lose his driving license.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
RESULTS, SYNOPSIS
Philadelphia 11 at N.Y. Mets 9
W: Hernandez (3-5)
L: Darensbourg (0-1)
S: Rodriguez (1)
David Bell’s 2nd HR of game broke 13th-inning tie. New York (8), Philadelphia (10) combined to tie major-league record for pitchers used. Philadelphia matched NL record for 1 team.
Houston 2 at Pittsburgh 5
W: Vogelsong (5-12)
L: Backe (3-3)
S: Mesa (39)
Jason Bay homered, drove in 4 runs. Ryan Vogelsong limited Houston to 1 run over 6 innings. Astros suffered 3rd loss in 4 games. They have scored only 4 runs in the losses.
San Diego 2 at Colorado 13
W: Francis (2-2)
L: Eaton (9-13)
Matt Holliday, Clint Barmes had 3 RBIs each. Jeff Francis was winner in his Coors Field debut as Rockies had 18 hits in rout. Rockies have won 7 of 10–all against teams still in playoff race.
Montreal 1 at Atlanta 8
W: Cruz (5-2)
L: Hernandez (10-13)
Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal homered. Julio Franco capped 6-run 7th with 2-run double. Livan Hernandez gave up 10 hits, 7 runs, 4 walks in 6 1/3 innings. He set season high with 143 pitches.
Milwaukee 0 at Cincinnati 9
W: Hudson (3-1)
L: Santos (10-10)
Adam Dunn hit grand slam in 7-run 3rd inning. Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez had 3 hits each. Luke Hudson gave up 3 hits in 6 innings to improve to 3-0 in his last 5 starts
San Francisco 5 at Arizona 3
W: Lowry (4-0)
L: Randolph (2-5)
S: Hermanson (12)
Barry Bonds walked 3 times running season total to 201, topping record 198 he set 2 seasons ago. Marquis Grissom was 2-for-4 with 2-run double. Ray Durham went 2-for-4 with RBI double.
St. Louis 5 at Los Angeles 6
W: S. Stewart (1-2)
L: C. Eldred (3-2)
S: E. Gagne (40)
Cesar Izturis put Dodgers ahead with 2-run single in 8th inning. Steve Finley homered for 4th time in 3 games, his 33rd, had RBI single. Cardinals’ Jim Edmonds got 41st HR with 2 aboard.
