Maldonado’s homer in Game

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PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have been baseball’s best first-inning team and they added to those numbers with Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run homer Wednesday night.The way Clay Buchholz has been pitching http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-todd-frazier-jersey , it was more than enough.Goldschmidt homered to set the all-time mark at Chase Field, Buchholz pitched seven scoreless innings and the Diamondbacks earned a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.“It seems like every day. This team is pretty amazing when you look at the runs scored in the first inning,” Buchholz said.The Diamondbacks have a knack for jumping on teams early, leading the majors in first-inning runs with 109.Goldschmidt increased the total with his two-run shot off Odrisamer Despaigne (2-2), passing Luis Gonzalez with his 96th homer at Chase Field. Goldschmidt had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and has reached safely in 27 straight.Buchholz (7-2) yielded four hits and struck out seven with no walks for his eighth straight game of at least five innings and three runs or fewer allowed.David Peralta also hit a two-run shot to homer for the third straight game. The Diamondbacks have won six of seven to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL West over Colorado.“It all started with Clay tonight,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “He goes out and gives us seven scoreless and really set the tone for us for the course of this game.”The injury-depleted Angels had five hits — two by Rene Rivera — and lost for the fifth time in six games.“I thought we had some pretty good looks at him (Buchholz), hit some balls hard, but he got in his rhythm and started to change some speeds midway through David Wright Jersey ,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.Buchholz has been sharp the past two months, entering Wednesday’s game 5-1 with 2.00 ERA over seven starts, including his 10th career complete game against San Diego last Thursday. He kept the Angels off balance most of the night, allowing three singles and a double.Despaigne gave up five runs and seven hits in four innings against Texas on Friday in his second start since being acquired from Miami on Aug. 14 for cash. The right-hander served up Goldschmidt’s first-inning homer and a run-scoring single to Nick Ahmed in the fourth.Despaigne allowed three runs and five hits in four innings.“He made a couple of mistakes: One to Goldschmidt and the other one to Ahmed,” Rivera said. “Besides that he was OK. His pitch count was a little high but overall he did OK.”PUJOLS’ PLAYAngels 1B Albert Pujols made a spectacular play in the sixth inning to take a hit away from Steven Souza Jr. Souza hit a ball off the end of the bat down the line and Pujols made a diving stop, tossing the ball to pitcher Ty Buttrey as he was rolling over to get the out.PERALTA’S RUNPeralta has been one of the best hitters in baseball in August, going 21 for 51 with eight homers and 14 RBIs in his past 12 games. He has six homers in nine games and 25 on the season after going 2 for 4 against the Angels.“I keep saying it, he’s on his way to having a special year http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-wheeler-jersey ,” Lovullo said.TRAINER’S ROOMAngels: 2B David Fletcher was replaced by Kaleb Cowart in the fourth after fouling a pitch off his left knee in the top half. Scioscia said Fletcher is day-to-day with a bruise and hopes to have him back Friday against Houston.UP NEXTAngels: LHP Andrew Heaney is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts against the Astros going into Friday’s game.Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Godley is 4-0 with a 3.26 ERA over his last eight starts heading into Friday’s home game against Seattle. HOUSTON (AP) — Two Octobers after sparking a reliever revolution, Andrew Miller came up empty.Miller failed to get an out in relief of starter Carlos Carrasco, allowing a go-ahead double to Marwin Gonzalez as the Cleveland Indians lost to Houston 3-1 Saturday and fell into a 2-0 AL Division Series deficit.“I wasn’t good,” Miller said. “I wasn’t effective.”Miller’s ineffectual outing would have been a stunner two years ago, when manager Terry Francona leaned on him for as many as eight outs at a time while Cleveland played all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. It was game-changing when Francona called on Miller as early as the fifth inning that fall, but such aggressive bullpen management has become common around the majors since.Miller hasn’t been the same this year, a season that included three stints on the disabled list.Cleveland was clinging to a 1-0 lead with two on and one out in the sixth when Francona called on Miller. Gonzalez immediately drove a two-run double to deep right field.“With a one-run lead, and with Gonzalez coming up the way he had swung the bat against him prior and Andrew’s history Mookie Wilson Jersey , I felt really good about it,” manager Terry Francona said. “Didn’t work out the way we obviously planned.”Miller then walked Carlos Correa, let both runners advance on a wild pitch and intentionally walked Tyler White before Francona came for the ball.“It’s my job to get through that inning. I didn’t do it,” Miller said. “That’s what it boils down to. I got ahead, and then I didn’t get a fastball where I wanted to, and everything kind of spiraled from there. Not a good job, poor execution.”Miller had only allowed one previous inherited runner to score in his postseason career, when David Ortiz brought in Dustin Pedroia with a sacrifice fly for Boston during Game 3 of the 2016 AL Division Series. Cleveland won that game 4-3.The lanky lefty had a 4.24 ERA this season http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-lenny-dykstra-jersey , his highest since a 5.54 mark mostly as a starting pitcher for Boston in 2011. He was sharper down the stretch until getting hit around by the last-place Kansas City in his last regular-season appearance.“It’s frustrating,” Miller said. “I don’t know about the last couple appearances. Those were a week ago. I felt like I was throwing the ball well coming into this.”Francona’s other option in that spot was right-hander Trevor Bauer, an AL Cy Young Award contender as a starter before a line drive broke a bone in his right leg in August.Francona said he didn’t consider bringing in Bauer instead of Miller for Carrasco.“We wanted Andrew,” he said. “That’s what we wanted right there.”Bauer looked sharp in three abbreviated outings at the end of the regular season, and Francona had said Bauer could be a Miller-like long-relief option this October.That hasn’t worked out, either. Bauer entered in the seventh inning of the opening 7-2 loss and allowed an RBI single to Bregman, as well as a double to Yuli Gurriel. Bauer then relieved Miller on Saturday and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam before allowing a solo homer to Bregman in the next inning.Francona is running out of reliable options.Longtime closer Cody Allen allowed Martin Maldonado’s homer in Game 1, and Dan Otero gave up a run in the eighth inning of that game. On Saturday Gary Carter Jersey , closer Brad Hand allowed two baserunners before pitching out of the eighth. Only sidearmer Adam Cimber has managed to avoid trouble through two games.The bullpen was an issue all season, ranking 25th in the majors with a 4.60 ERA. Cleveland still cruised to its third straight AL Central title largely by leaning on its overpowering starting rotation; its relievers accounted for the fewest innings in the majors.Yet Francona was quick to yank Carrasco, after 77 pitches.Facing elimination in Game 3 on Monday, the Indians will be hoping for more from Mike Clevinger. Otherwise, this October may be a short one for the 2016 AL champs.