Hart celebrates with homer as Bush, Brewers rip Rockies
When Dave Bush takes the mound on the road for the Milwaukee Brewers the results often are brutal.
It's exactly the opposite when he pitches at Miller Park.
Bush had a career-high 13 strikeouts, Corey Hart celebrated making the all-star team with his 15th homer and the host Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-1 on Thursday.
"That's as good as it gets," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said.
Bush (5-8) allowed 1 run and 4 hits over 8 innings, improving to 4-2 with a 2.64 ERA at home. He retired 23 of his final 24 batters after allowing a first-inning run.
Hart connected in the seventh to make it 8-1 and was told by Yost as he walked into the Miller Park interview room with his two young children that he beat out four other players in Internet balloting for the final spot on the NL all-star team. A couple minutes into his news conference, about a dozen of his teammates rushed into the room and sprayed Hart and his children with beer, loudly cheering the news.
Hart said it was difficult concentrating on playing during the vote.
"It was a frustrating experience, but it paid off with all the campaigning," he said. "Now, it's worth it."
Bush's strong home record and 6.94 road ERA is such a dramatic difference that Yost is considering using the right-hander as the team's fifth starter at Miller Park and right-hander Seth McClung as the fifth starter on the road when injured Jeff Suppan returns to the rotation after the All-Star break.
"I've always been better at home throughout my career, for whatever the reason," Bush said. "I wish I knew the answer. I'd take it on the road with me."
Jorge De La Rosa (3-5) allowed 7 runs in just 3 2-3 innings for Colorado. The left-hander gave up 9 hits and dropped to 0-4 on the road.
Milwaukee pushed across 6 runs in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead. All-star Ryan Braun had a 2-run single and Prince Fielder added a 2-run triple.
"He gets that one inning that unravels on him and he's not been able to stop it," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "His mechanics fall out of line."
Phillies 4, Cardinals 1: Ryan Howard homered twice and drove in 3 runs to help host Philadelphia beat St. Louis.
Howard lined a 2-run shot off Braden Looper (9-7) in the first and connected again in the sixth. He leads the National League with 27 homers, 2 more than teammate Chase Utley, and has 83 RBI.
Mets 7, Giants 3: Fernando Tatis homered, doubled twice and drove in 4 runs, and host New York won its sixth straight game by beating San Francisco. The Mets' winning streak is their longest since a seven-game string in August 2006.
American League
Indians 13, Rays 2: Host Cleveland snapped out of one of the worst losing streaks in franchise history by beating a team that is suddenly trying to find answers of its own.
Ben Francisco had a career-high 4 RBI and hit one of Cleveland's 4 home runs as the Indians snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating Tampa Bay that extended the Rays' skid to four.
Cleveland last dropped 10 in a row in 1979 and avoided its longest streak in 77 years by overcoming a 2-0 deficit.
Blue Jays, Orioles: Adam Lind drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, and host Toronto rallied to beat Baltimore to complete a three-game sweep.
Twins 7, Tigers 6 (11): Justin Morneau hit an 11th-inning homer, tying a career high with his fifth hit, and Minnesota overcame a four-run deficit to beat host Detroit.
Athletics 3, Mariners 2 (11): Jack Cust and Kurt Suzuki hit solo homers in the ninth inning, and Emil Brown hit another solo shot in the 11th as host Oakland beat Seattle.