No-hitter lost, but Phillies still win game

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jul 26, 2004 by Associated Press

Eric Milton turned his head, saw center fielder Doug Glanville stumble and knew his bid for a no-hitter was over.

Two outs later, Milton lost his shutout and a chance for his 12th win. Pat Burrell made sure the Philadelphia Phillies didn't lose the game.

Milton pitched eight hitless innings before Michael Barrett blooped a double just in front of Glanville's outstretched glove, and the Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 Sunday on Burrell's run- scoring single in the ninth.

"I thought it would be trouble," Milton said of Barrett's hit. "I saw Dougie stumble there. I had a pretty good idea it would drop. I still had three outs to get. That's a tough task. I'm seeing the replay in my head."

Philadelphia led 2-0 when Barrett was jammed by an 0-1 fastball leading off the ninth, Milton's 98th pitch of the game. Glanville, who entered as a defensive replacement for Ricky Ledee in the eighth, at first broke back on the ball, then charged in and just missed an attempt for a diving catch.

"I think I froze," said Glanville, who was booed by the sellout crowd of 44,539 as he came off the field in the ninth and when he batted in the bottom of the inning. "It hung up there a little bit. I thought I had a chance. Unfortunately, I fell short."

Milton then fanned pinch-hitters Jose Macias and Alex Gonzalez, giving him a season-high 12 strikeouts, but Mark Grudzielanek singled and Corey Patterson doubled off the wall in left-center, tying the score and chasing the left-hander.

Ryan Madson (7-2) relieved and retired Sammy Sosa on a grounder. Milton received another standing ovation as he walked off the mound, but put his head down and didn't acknowledge the crowd. He watched the rest of the game while icing his shoulder and arm in the clubhouse.

"I was upset, but I'm happy we got the win," Milton said.

LaTroy Hawkins (2-3) walked Jim Thome leading off the bottom of the ninth and Glanville sacrificed. Burrell then drove the next pitch to deep right-center, giving the Phillies their second straight win and keeping them a half-game behind NL East-leading Atlanta.

"This game had a lot of lows, some highs at the end, and then back to lows," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said.

Mark Prior, pitching for the first time since leaving a game July 15 because of a tender elbow, allowed two runs and five hits in six innings for Chicago, which fell 10 games behind first-place St. Louis in the NL Central.

"I felt really good. I threw the ball well," Prior said. "In the third inning, I made a few bad pitches."

Milton, who pitched a no-hitter for Minnesota against Anaheim on Sept. 11, 1999, faced the minimum 24 batters through eight innings. After Grudzielanek walked leading off the game, Patterson flied out to Bobby Abreu at the right-field wall, and Abreu doubled up Grudzielanek at first.

That was Chicago's only runner before the ninth. In the eighth, Derrek Lee had one of the few hard-hit balls against Milton, a drive into the left-field upper deck that was foul by about 50 feet.

Milton, acquired from Minnesota in a trade last December, threw 108 pitches in his first outing of more than seven innings since Aug. 1, 2002, when he shut out the Chicago White Sox for Minnesota. He hasn't had a decision in four starts since beating Baltimore 5-2 on July 4 to improve to 11-2.

"He had extra life on his fastball. It was kind of exploding," catcher Mike Lieberthal said. "He had a great changeup and his location was outstanding."

Chase Utley drove in Philadelphia's first two runs with a sacrifice fly in the third and a home run leading off the sixth.

EXPOS 6, MARLINS 4: At Montreal, Livan Hernandez threw six hitless innings and came within two outs of his second straight complete game, leading Montreal past Florida.

Hernandez (7-10) was perfect through two outs in the sixth, retired the first 17 batters he faced before walking pinch-hitter Josh Willingham. He didn't allow a hit until Mike Lowell's double on the first pitch of the seventh.

Hernandez then gave up two more hits in that inning -- including Hee Seop Choi's RBI single -- to lose his shutout. Hernandez allowed three more hits in the ninth, leaving to a standing ovation from the crowd of 9,688 after allowing Choi's run-scoring single with one out in the ninth.

The right-hander allowed four runs on six hits, and struck out six and walked two. Hernandez, who leads the majors with five complete games, also got a standing ovation when he doubled over right fielder Miguel Cabrera with two outs in the eighth.

BRAVES 4, METS 3: At New York, fielding errors by rookies David Wright and Kaz Matsui led to three unearned runs for Atlanta, and Mike Hampton threw six strong innings to lead the Braves over New York.

J.D. Drew hit his 24th homer for the Braves, who have taken over first place in the NL East with 12 wins in their last 16 games.

Wright, called up Wednesday from Triple-A Norfolk, made his second error in four games at third base and the Braves took advantage by scoring twice in the second against Steve Trachsel (9-7). Matsui's 20th error in the fifth allowed the Braves to score another run.