Manny Ramirez returned to the big leagues as only he could. Wearing sunglasses and with his famous dreadlocks in a ponytail, the Los Angeles Dodgers' slugger apologized to fans and teammates during a news conference Friday afternoon. He refused to answer questions about steroids, laying off them as if they were pitches in the dirt.
Brian Moehler tried to remember the last time he was at the plate and three runs scored. "Not very often, I guess," the Houston Astros right-hander said. Moehler pitched six strong innings and hit a grounder that led to the Astros completing a six-run inning in a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.
The loss of Adrian Gonzalez dampened a comeback win by the Padres. Gonzalez left with a strained right knee during San Diego's 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night and it's uncertain whether the All-Star first baseman will miss any time. "We'll see how I wake up," said Gonzalez, the Padres' top hitter.
Roy Oswalt is rounding into form. The Houston Astros' ace dominated the San Diego Padres again, pitching a two-hitter and retiring his final 18 batters in a 3-1 victory Monday night. It was Oswalt's 17th career complete game and second in three outings. "I feel better than I did at the beginning of the season," Oswalt said.
Chad Gaudin is suddenly pitching like an ace for a battered San Diego pitching staff that can use the boost. Gaudin allowed one hit over eight scoreless innings, the first opposing pitcher to do that at Rangers Ballpark, and the Padres beat the stumbling Texas Rangers 2-0 on Sunday night to win their first series in a month.
Even without much help from slugger Adrian Gonzalez, the San Diego Padres had one of their best offensive games of 2009. Rookie Kyle Blanks drove in three runs and the Padres had a season-high 16 hits, beating the Texas Rangers 7-3 Saturday night. The Nos. 5-9 hitters were 12 for 22 and scored six runs for San Diego.