Diamondbacks’ Johnson Feeling Snakebit

When Randy Johnson walks to the mound these days, he has never been more alone. He knows that he won’t be guaranteed a win even if he throws a shutout. His Arizona teammates are providing him with no offensive help.

It happened again Saturday in Phoenix. For the fourth consecutive game, the Diamondbacks didn’t get Johnson a run, this time as Tim Hudson and Billy Taylor combined on a three-hitter to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 2-0 victory.

Johnson struck out 11 and allowed three hits in seven innings, but left trailing, 2-0. Arizona hasn’t scored a run in the last 34 innings Johnson has pitched.

Johnson said he has never experienced anything like it, but he resisted any criticism of his teammates.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m pitching as good as I can,” Johnson said. “I know the guys are trying as hard as they can. We’re just going against some pitchers who are throwing some goose eggs up there and pitching well.”

Tim Raines led off the game with a home run for the only earned run for the A’s. They added an unearned run after Johnson’s throwing error in the fourth.

Johnson (9-7), a leading candidate to start in Tuesday’s All-Star game, is 0-4 in his last four starts though allowing only five earned runs and striking out 54 batters.

In those games, Diamondbacks batters have had a total of six hits. The scores were 1-0, 2-0, 1-0 and 2-0.

Hudson, a rookie who started the season at double-A Midland of the Texas League but is already 5-1, gave up three hits and struck out nine in 8 1/3 innings.

Cleveland 11, Cincinnati 10--Omar Vizquel’s two-run, two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth inning barely cleared the wall as the Indians rallied from a five-run deficit at Cleveland.

The Indians trailed, 9-4, in the fifth inning before posting their 34th come-from-behind win. Cleveland, which has twice overcome eight-run deficits this year, has won 13 times in its final at-bat, 10 of those at home.

Manny Ramirez homered twice for the Indians and increased his major-league leading runs-batted-in total to 94.

Atlanta 2, Boston 1--Andruw Jones scored from first base with the winning run in the 11th inning at Atlanta when pitcher John Wasdin threw away a bunt.

Jones, who homered earlier, drew a leadoff walk from Wasdin (7-3). Pinch-hitter Brian Hunter followed with a sacrifice, putting the ball in front of the mound.

Wasdin’s throw was to the foul side of the bag and nicked Hunter in the helmet. The ball eluded first baseman Mike Stanley and rolled down the line, bouncing off the tarp. Jones slid head-first to beat right fielder Darren Lewis’ throw.

Chicago Cubs 10, Chicago White Sox 2--Jon Lieber (8-3) had a shutout until the eighth inning and Jose Hernandez and Glenallen Hill hit home runs at Comiskey Park as the Cubs finally beat the White Sox.

The White Sox had won the first four games in the spirited cross-town matchup, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last month.

San Diego 5, Texas 4--Eric Owens singled in the tying run with two out in the ninth inning at San Diego, and the winning run scored on the same play when Texas reliever John Wetteland missed a throw at first.

With runners on second and third, Owens it a grounder that first baseman Rafael Palmeiro knocked down with a dive. The tying run scored on the infield single, and when Wetteland was late covering the bag and given an error for missing Palmeiro’s throw, Damian Jackson also scored.

Toronto 7, Montreal 6--Carlos Delgado hit a three-run homer and drove in the decisive run in the ninth inning at Montreal.

With runners at second and third, Delgado hit a one-out grounder to first baseman Ryan McGuire, who made a dive to his right to field the ball. But McGuire could only get an out at first as a run scored.

Detroit 9, Milwaukee 3--Justin Thompson allowed five hits in eight innings and Bobby Higginson had three hits and two RBIs at Detroit.

Three of the Brewers’ hits were by Jeromy Burnitz.

Jim Abbott (2-8), a native of Flint, Mich., was tagged for five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Tampa Bay 9, Florida 8--Fred McGriff went four for five with a double, triple and four RBIs and the Devil Rays held on at Miami after allowing five runs in the ninth inning.

Houston 3, Kansas City 2--Jack Howell hit his first home run in more than a year and Mike Hampton improved his record to 11-3 as Astro relievers worked out of jams in the final two innings at Kansas City, Mo.

Minnesota 5, Pittsburgh 4--Pinch-hitters Terry Steinbach and Ron Coomer had one-out RBI singles off Mike Williams in the ninth inning at Minneapolis as the Twins posted a rare come-from-behind victory.

The Twins were previously 0-45 when trailing after eight innings.