Weaver completed his gem by getting Alexi Casilla to fly out to right fielder Torii Hunter, who caught the ball on the warning track.

“Spiderman out there,” said Weaver of Hunter. “Casilla put a charge in it and Spiderman tracked it down.”

Weaver, a California native who played at Long Beach State, struck out nine and didn’t allow a walk, throwing 121 pitches. Only one Twins batter reached base through the first seven innings, on a passed ball by catcher Chris Iannetta on strike three to Chris Parmelee. Josh Willingham drew the only walk in the seventh.

“I was locked in for the most part,” Weavers said. “I’m at a loss for words. Couldn’t have done it without the defense. The guys were picking me up left and right.”

It was the second no-hitter by an Angels’ pitcher in less than a year. Ervin Santana threw a no-hitter July 27 at Cleveland. And it was the 10th no-hitter for the Angels franchise. Nolan Ryan threw four of them.

Weaver had a chance to make it two straight no-no’s against the Twins on Monday night. But this time he allowed three hits over six innings with two strikeouts, two walks and one run allowed in the Angels 8-3 win.

“To have it happen once is pretty special,” Weaver said. “But to do it twice in a row, I don’t see it happening ever again.”

Weaver (5-0) was too tired the second time around.

“I just felt a little gassed out there towards the end of the game,” he said.

Old school: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels said he was just trying to bring back the tradition of throwing at batters when he beaned Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper on Sunday night.

But because Hamels talked about it, he received a five-game suspension along with a fine from Major League Baseball on Monday for intentionally throwing at Harper in the Phillies’ 9-3 win at Washington.

“I was trying to hit him,” Hamels said on Sunday night. “I’m not going to deny it. I’m not trying to injure the guy.”

Hamels threw a fastball that hit Harper in the first inning. Harper, 19, has enjoyed some early success since being called up to the majors.

“That’s something I grew up watching, that’s kind of what happened,” Hamels said. “So I’m just trying to continue the old baseball because I think some people are kind of getting away from it. I remember when I was a rookie the strike zone was really, really small and you didn’t say anything because that’s the way baseball is. But I think unfortunately the league’s protecting certain players and making it not that old-school, prestigious way of baseball.”

Harper paid Hamels back by stealing home. Nationals’ starter Jordan Zimmerman hit Hamels with a pitch in the third inning and both dugouts were warned by home plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

Nationals’ general manager Mike Rizzo told the Washington Post that Hamels hitting Harper was “classless.”

“Cole Hamels says he’s old school? He’s the polar opposite of old school,” Rizzo said. “He’s fake tough. He thinks he’s going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year-old rookie who’s eight games into the big leagues? He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”

Diamond Notes: San Francisco Giants reliever Guillermo Mota was suspended for 100 games on Monday for testing positive on a drug test for a second time. MLB said Mota tested positive for Clenbuterol, a stimulant that also has anabolic effects. Mota also was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2007 season. Manny Ramirez and Eliezer Alfonzo are the only other players to twice test positive. Mota was 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in nine games this season…Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, who had surgery on his broken left wrist, will be out for up to 12 weeks. Werth is in the second year of a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Nationals. Washington has been hurt by injuries to key offensive players this year, with Michael Morse, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche all missing time…Albert Pujols snapped his homerless streak at 110 at-bats on Sunday with a two-run shot in the Angels 4-3 win over Toronto.

Copyright © 2012 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

Fight fans got their money’s worth on Saturday when Miguel Cotto put his WBA Junior Welterweight belt on the line against Floyd Mayweather.

On the under card was a bout between up-and-coming Junior Middleweight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and former champ “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

Mosley was in great shape. His speed and endurance were up, and he came to win … it just wasn’t enough.

Alvarez looks like he is right off the streets of Dublin. His red hair and freckles brought him the nickname “Canelo” which means “cinnamon” (“ginger” if he were Irish).

His youth (twenty years younger than Mosley) and power proved to be too much.

Alvarez won a unanimous decision victory.

The main event proved to be better than the hype.

Mayweather had to dig deep into his skill set during this fight.

He put together complicated combinations and threw from odd angles to get around Cotto’s guard and land uppercuts on target.

Floyd did a near perfect job of measuring the distance, using his reach advantage, and keeping Cotto at the end of his punches.

But Cotto is tough as a two-dollar steak. He just kept coming, chopping away at Mayweather’s ribs and bloodying his nose.

The judge’s scorecards seemed a bit biased, but they called it right.

Mayweather took the unanimous decision win along with the title, and remains undefeated.

Mayweather hadn’t even stopped sweating after the fight before he was asked about a possible bout with Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather has been ducking that fight for years and his excuses are like a game of “Wack-a-Mole” … as soon as one goes away, two more pop up.

Floyd wanted Manny tested for PED’s (performance enhancing drugs). Manny not only acquiesced, he filed a defamation claim against Floyd.

Mayweather stated he would not give Manny a 50/50 split of revenue.

A fight was announced, but it was carefully timed so that an impending jail sentence “got in the way.”

After the Cotto fight, Floyd said it was a promoter that was responsible for a deal not being signed.

Let me put you wise to what’s going on.

Mayweather doesn’t want this fight.

Manny said he’d take the blood test, and with his court case hinging on him being “PED free,” it wouldn’t be in his best interest to make that offer or file the suit if he’s been “juicing.”

Mayweather can’t use money as an excuse.

The Cotto fight guaranteed him $32 million, plus a share of the PPV.

The jail term is for domestic violence.

During an argument with his ex-girlfriend he allegedly pulled her hair, twisted her arm, and hit her in front of their kids … then he threatened them.

Nice parenting skills.

Mayweather’s misconduct could have netted him 34 years in state prison. But the judge that accepted the bargain gave him a paltry six months, and immediately suspended half of that sentence.

Floyd could reduce his stay by several weeks if he is on his best behavior.

Let’s recap.

The potential sentence was 34 years … he got 90 days.

And he’ll only serve a fraction of that.

So that doesn’t give Mayweather a lot of time to come up with a new excuse.

Juan Rivera had three hits including a two-run homer in the third inning, and pitcher Aaron Harang had a run-scoring fielders’ choice in the second.

Left-hander Chris Capuano helped the Dodgers post a 5-1 victory on Saturday, and extended his scoreless inning streak to 18 and two-third.

Capuano (4-0) worked seven innings, gave up three singles while striking out seven with two walks, and lowered his earned-run average to 2.21.

Capuano’s two-run stand-up double in the second inning made it 3-0, while Dee Gordon singled and doubled with a run, and also produced a run batted in.

Paul Maholm (3-2) surrendered one run (earned), three hits with four strikeouts and no walks over six innings as the Cubs came away with a 5-4 win on Friday.

The Dodgers made it close with a run in the seventh inning, and two in the eighth as Jerry Hairston Jr. (three hits) belted a two-run homer.

Right-hander Chad Billingsley (2-2) worked six frames and allowed four runs (earned), eight hits, along with four strikeouts and three walks.

Matt Kemp had an RBI triple, while Andre Ethier contributed an RBI double, and each scored a run.

Clayton Kershaw was roughed up on Wednesday at Coors Field as Colorado tallied five runs (earned) on seven hits in seven and one-third innings as the Rockies claimed an 8-5 win.

It was tied at 5-5 until pinch hitter Jason Giambi cracked a three-run blast in the ninth.

A four-run first inning by the Dodgers held up during Tuesday’s 7-6 slugfest against the Rockies.

Mark Ellis had four hits with a run, and Ethier homered, singled and drove in three runs.

The Dodgers led 5-0 after three, and 7-0 through five, which offset the Rockies’ late outburst.

Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run double in a three-run fourth was the key blow of Monday’s 6-2 blowout by the Rockies.

Carlos Gonzalez dropped two hits with two runs scored and two RBIs for the Rockies.

Kemp’s 12th homer to right field was a solo shot in the first inning, and Juan Uribe added an RBI.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

Darvish, who is 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA, has allowed just two earned runs in his last 21 2/3 innings in earning wins over the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Blue Jays. He is the first starting pitcher in Rangers’ history to win four of his first five games (one was a no-decision).

“I don’t expect him to go 32-0,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “But the thing about him is he will keep us in ballgames, and that’s what we want.”

In his first major league start on April 9, an 11-5 win over Seattle, Darvish was shaky, giving up four runs on 42 pitches in the first inning. But he settled down later, retiring 10 straight.

“It was pretty much a battle all night,” said Darvish, who speaks through a translator. “At the beginning of the game, my mind and body kind of weren’t on the same page.”

Since then, the 6-foot-5-inch, 216-pound Darvish went from pitching 5 2/3 innings in each of his first two starts to throwing 6 1/3, 8 1/3 and 7 on Monday. After allowing 13 walks and striking out 14 in his first three starts, Darvish has walked four and fanned 19 in his last two outings.

Monday’s win at Toronto came against the team that had shown interest in Darvish before he came to the major leagues from the Hokkaido Nippon-Han Fighters.

“Honestly, it was kind of an awkward feeling because rumor has it that this was a team that might have posted for me and there was some chance that I might have played for this team,” Darvish said. “Facing the Blue Jays, they could have been my teammates.”

Darvish, 25, was born in Habikino, Japan, to an Iranian father and Japanese mother. His talent was evident early on, and major league teams showed interest in him before the 2004 draft. But Darvish expressed his desire to play professionally in Japan.

He played on Japan’s national team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In the WBC, Darvish went 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 13 innings. He got the last outs as Japan won its second straight WBC championship.

Darvish is so popular in Japan that he had to hold a press conference at the Sapporo Dome before 10,000 fans in January to tell them why he was leaving for the major leagues.

That popularity has made a seamless transition to Arlington, where a sellout crowd chanted “Yuuuuu!” in a 2-0 win over the powerful Yankees last week. His 10 strikeouts in that game were the most for a Rangers pitcher this season.

“After my last start, I mentioned my command is starting to come together,” Darvish said after that game. “Stuff-wise, there wasn’t much difference. I still like to think that there’s still more in me.”

Washington said after the Yankees game that Darvish keeps getting better every time he starts.

“Tonight, he used everything he had, and he was effective, very effective,” Washington said. “He’s getting more and more comfortable. He was pounding the strike zone. That’s what you have to do against that team. He threw everything but the kitchen sink at them.”

Darvish had the longest scoreless game by a Rangers pitcher against the Yankees since Bob Tewksbury threw a complete game shutout in 1995.

“You hear a lot of guys get hyped and he was everything that you’d heard,” Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said.

Darvish’s success includes his ability to throw a variety of pitches. He has a 94 to 97 mph four-seam fastball, an 80-84 mph slider, a 90-91 mph cutter, a 75 mph curveball, a two-seam fastball, change-up and splitter. He used to throw a screwball, and recently tinkered with a knuckleball while playing catch before a game.

While it’s doubtful that he’ll introduce a knuckleball anytime soon, Darvish might just be thinking ahead to later in his career.

“I’m very aware that all these hitters are seeing me for the first time,” Darvish said. “It’s only April. So I’m not thinking about how I did this month or being satisfied. Right now all I’m thinking about is preparing well for the next start.”

Darvish proved that he is human on Monday night, allowing his first home run of his major league career to Edwin Encarnacion. But his win over the Blue Jays made him only the sixth rookie pitcher since 1957 (when first rules for rookie status began) to go 4-0 or better in April, including the Los Angeles Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela (5-01) in 1981.

Darvish has set a couple of marks in his first month in the big leagues, and it appears the sky will be the limit before his career is over.

Copyright © 2012 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

That’s heady stuff, but “Newk’’ maintains his off-the-field achievements are just as important.

For several decades, Newcombe was the Dodgers’ Director of Community Affairs, and was recently appointed special advisor to the Chairman of the Board.

When Newcombe’s 10-year playing career came to a close after the 1960 season, he started drinking heavily and became an alcoholic.

After ups and downs, Newcombe finally won, and has been sober since 1967.

Newcombe talks to groups about the dangers behind the bottle.

“What I have done after my baseball career, and being able to help people with their lives and getting their lives back on track, and they become human beings again, means more to me than all the things I did in baseball,’’ Newcombe said.

At a time when race truly mattered, the Brooklyn Dodgers were miles ahead of every team in baseball, and it began with the signing of infielder Jackie Robinson, who made his debut on April 15, 1947. Robinson was later joined by Newcombe, catcher Roy Campanella, and infielder Jim Gilliam.

Newcombe compiled a 149-90 record with a 3.56 earned-run average, 24 shutouts and 136 complete games after missing 1952 and 1953 due to military service.

Newcombe’s career kicked off in 1949 when he put together a 17-8 mark with a 3.17 ERA, 19 complete games, five shutouts, 149 strikeouts and 73 walks.

Brooklyn faced the vaunted New York Yankees in the World Series, and fell to the Bronx Bombers.

Though Newcombe was roughed up in that Series to the tune of two losses without a victory, and would absorb single setbacks in 1955 and 1956, he was thrilled to be the first African American to pitch in the Fall Classic.

Newcombe had a winning record seven seasons, three 20-win campaigns, and a 19-win outing in 1950.

In 1951, Newcombe went 20-9 with a 3.28 ERA, 18 complete games and three shutouts, in 1955 was 20-5 with a 3.20 ERA and 17 complete games, and in 1956 finished 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA, 18 complete games and five shutouts.

At a fundraiser for California Senator Barbara Boxer in 2010, President Barack Obama had a few words to say about Newcombe, who was present.

“Don was someone who helped America become what it is,’’ he noted. “I would not be here if it were not for Jackie [Robinson] and it were not for Don Newcombe.”

Fifteen years ago I had dinner with Newcombe, and the late Dodgers’ closer Joe Black in the stadium press box.

At one point, I told Newcombe his career numbers were similar to Dodgers’ legend Sandy Koufax, and that they seemed worthy of the Hall of Fame.

He thanked me. “Sandy and I have been great friends for a long time,’’ he said, “and I don’t want to say he doesn’t deserve to be there, because he does. But if our numbers are similar, then maybe I also belong.’’

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

Chris Capuano (3-0) threw a three-hitter over six and two-third innings for the Dodgers (16-6), and struck out nine with two walks.

Kemp’s 11th homer, a solo blast in the 10th inning gave the Dodgers a 4-3 win on Saturday over the Nationals, who scored two runs in the ninth when 19-year-old Bryce Harper, who made his big-league debut, lifted a scoring fly, and Wilson Ramos added a run-scoring single.

In the bottom of the ninth, Juan Uribe’s run-scoring, ground-rule double to left plated Mark Ellis. Uribe came around on a wild pitch that tied it at 3-3.

Clayton Kershaw (2-0) was masterful across eight innings of Friday’s 3-2 win over Washington as he allowed three hits, two runs (earned) with six strikeouts and one walk.

Kemp (two hits) scored two runs, and Ethier single with a homer (fifth), drove in two runs with one run scored as the Dodgers opened a 3-0 edge after five innings.

On Wednesday, closer Javy Guerra (1-3) was hit in the face by a batted ball and gave up five singles with three runs (earned) in the ninth as visiting Atlanta rallied for a 4-2 win.

Ted Lilly toiled seven innings and gave up one run (earned) with three hits before Guerra’s second blown save.

Dee Gordon’s run-scoring hit in the fifth knotted it at 1-1, and Kemp’s solo homer an inning later made it 2-1.

Dan Uggla (two hits) had two runs batted in for the Braves, and Chipper Jones, who announced this would be his final season, added an RBI, as did Jason Heyward.

Martin Prado’s run-scoring triple in the ninth brought in Tyler Pastornicky (three hits) that lifted Atlanta to a 4-3 triumph on Tuesday.

The Dodgers led 2-0 in the first on Juan Rivera’s home run, but Atlanta tied it with a two-run fifth that saw Jones drill a solo blast.

Mark Ellis had two hits with a run, Rivera two hits and a run, and A.J. Ellis and Jerry Hairston Jr., each chipped in with two hits.

Uribe had four hits with three RBIs and two runs as the Dodgers rolled to a 7-2 pasting of the Braves on Monday.

In seven frames, Capuano fanned five, walked four and gave up six hits with one run (earned).

Humber, who was claimed off waivers by the White Sox from the Oakland A’s in January 2011, was making his second start of the season. He flirted with a no-hitter in April 2011, taking it into the seventh against the New York Yankees.

But this time he got that and more, finishing it off on a 3-2 slider that ticked off catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s glove on a check swing by pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan. Pierzynski chased after the ball and threw to first to make it official.

It was the first perfect game since Roy Halladay threw one on May 29, 2010 for Philadelphia, and the third by a White Sox pitcher, including Mark Buehrle’s gem on July 23, 2009.

Others, like Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, Don Larsen and Randy Johnson, have also thrown perfect games.

“I don’t know what Philip Humber is doing in this list,” Humber said. “I have no idea what my name is doing there. But I’m thankful it’s there.”

Humber got some help from left-fielder Brent Lillibridge, a defensive replacement, who caught a liner down the leftfield line by Kyle Seager in the eighth inning. He went to a 3-0 count against Michael Saunders to lead off the ninth before striking him out, then got John Jaso to fly out to right.

“I was more nervous than I was in the World Series,” Pierzynski said. “There was no build up to this. It just happened. And you want it so bad for the guy on the mound, and you want him to have that achievement forever. It’s a special thing that Phil did.”

Yankees comeback: Down 9-0 at Fenway Park on Saturday, the New York Yankees brought out their bats and started to hammer away. They scored sevens runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings, and ended up winning 15-9.

Mark Teixeira lashed a pair of home runs, one from each side of the plate, with six RBIs, and Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and drove in six.

It was the 13th time in his career that Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate.

“That was pretty cool,” Teixeira said. “I’ve played a lot of games and that maybe was the most fun regular-season game I’ve ever been a part of.”

It wasn’t fun for Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, who was booed upon returning to the dugout after a pitching change. After that game, Boston’s record was 11-30 since Sept. 1.

“I think we’ve hit bottom,” Valentine said. “If this isn’t bottom, we need to find some new ends of the earth.”

“Pudge” retires: Ivan Rodriguez officially announced his retirement at The Ballpark in Arlington on Monday before the Texas Rangers game against the Yankees. Rodriguez, 40, was unable to catch on with a team in spring training.

Rodriguez, who played with the Rangers, Florida, Detroit Houston, Washington and the Yankees, hit .296 in his career with 311 home runs and 1,332 RBIs. He played on the World Series champion Marlins in 2003 and in the World Series for the Tigers in 2006.

“Today is a very hard day for me,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been a great, great run, 21 years has been beautiful.”

Rodriguez was a 14-time All-Star and won 13 Gold Gloves. He leads all catchers in games caught (2,427) and threw out 41.7 percent of attempted base stealers, the best since that stat started being kept in 1974.

StatsWatch: Teams with the most runs scored (through Monday) –

• Rangers, 98 runs
• Yankees, 97
• Braves, 93
• Cardinals, 84
• Blue Jays, 82
• Red Sox, 76
• Astros, 76
• Rays, 76
• Dodgers, 75
• Indians, 74

Quotable: “Huge win tonight, time for a sweep of the Royals. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period.” – Indians pitcher Chris Perez on his Twitter account after a game against Kansas City on April 14 in which three players were ejected. He was fined $750 by MLB for his tweet.

Diamond Notes: Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A pitcher Angel Guzman has been suspended 50 games for a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment program…After Curtis Granderson went 5-for-5 with three homers and 4 RBIs in a 7-6 win over Minnesota last week, the New York Yankees improved their dominance over the Twins to 30-7 since 2002…Cincinnati’s 9-4 win over the Chicago Cubs last Friday at Wrigley Field was the 10,000th victory in franchise history…Alex Rodriguez passed Ken Griffey Jr. for fifth-place on the all-time home run list with his 631st last Friday at Boston. He had 632 going into Tuesday’s game…Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman is on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf…The Los Angeles Angels signed shortstop Erick Aybar to a four-year extension. He had career highs in homers (10), runs (71) and doubles (33) last year.

Copyright © 2012 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

This is startling given the Dodgers needed a closing kick to finish 82-79 a season ago.

Two good things came out of 2011: Center fielder Matt Kemp’s second-place finish in the Most Valuable Player voting after swatting 39 homers with 126 runs batted in and a .324 batting average, and pitcher Clayton Kershaw winning the Cy Young.

Kemp’s off to another impressive start. Through this past weekend, he’s ripped nine homers with 22 RBIs and has a .450 average.

Right fielder Andre Ethier had an off-year in 2011 in which he struck 11 home runs with 62 RBIs. Ethier has four homers and 21 RBIs.

If the Dodgers make the playoffs, Kemp and Ethier will need to play at a high level, and so far Mattingly’s calm demeanor has allowed them to flourish.

After Sunday’s 12-0 road setback to the Houston Astros, Mattingly, a six-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glover with a .307 career batting average, was upbeat.

“You just kind of chalk it up as one of those days,’’ he said. “These games don’t happen to us very often.”

Even though, some managers would have panicked. Not Mattingly, who is a player’s manager.

In this regard, Mattingly, who smashed a career-best 35 homers with 145 RBIs in 1985 and was named MVP, is similar to Joe Torre, who spent three seasons in Los Angeles, and a dozen more as the New York Yankees’ skipper where he directed the club to six World Series appearances and four titles.

Mattingly is a laid-back, straight-shooter from Evansville, Indiana, but during his 14-year career with the Yankees that began in 1982, he was intense, but always cool.

During the mid-1980’s, Mattingly was considered the best all-around player in baseball.

Mattingly won the batting crown in 1984 with a .343 average, and set the big league record since tied with six grand slams in 1987, and tied the mark with homers in eight straight games that same season.

Beginning in 1984 and running through 1986, Mattingly bagged 200 hits with a high of 238, smacked 40 doubles with a best of 53, and from 1984 through 1987 drove in 100 runs.

A left-handed power hitter who drove the ball into the gap with regularity, Mattingly finished with 442 doubles, 222 homers, 1,099 RBIs, and 2,153 hits, but sadly played in one postseason.

True to form, Mattingly hit .417 with six RBIs and four doubles in a five-game loss to the Seattle Mariners in 1995, but clouted the go-ahead homer in Game 2 of the Divisional Series at Yankee Stadium.

A bad back forced Mattingly to retire at 34, and it’s a shame because he was deprived the opportunity to be part of a team that won multiple World Series.

Mattingly was New York’s batting coach under Torre, held the same post with the Dodgers, but had his eye on the Yankees’ managerial job that went to Joe Girardi in 2008.

Mattingly was left out in the cold. That is until the Dodgers hired him.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

Wandy Rodriguez handcuffed the Dodgers (12-4) on three hits over seven innings of Sunday’s 12-0 blanking, and Carlos Lee ripped a two-run homer to left field in the first, and Jordan Schafer’s grand slam to right in the second inning made it 6-0.

Jason Castro tripled and scored on Dee Gordon’s fielding error in the fourth inning for a 7-0 lead, and Castro’s run-scoring hit in the fifth pushed Houston’s lead to 10-0.

Chad Billingsley (2-1) was tagged for nine runs (five earned) in three and one-third innings with four hits, four walks and two strikeouts.

The Dodgers were 5-1 winners on Saturday as James Loney homered to right in the second inning, Matt Kemp lined his major league-leading ninth round tripper, a two-run smash to left-center in the sixth, and Andre Ethier’s two-run single to right in the eighth inning made it 5-0.

Clayton Kershaw (1-0) blanked Houston over seven innings, striking out nine with two walks and three hits.

Ted Lilly (2-0) tossed a six-inning, four-hit, one-run (earned), five-strikeout, six-walk outing on Friday as the Dodgers scored all their runs in the first three frames of a 3-1 victory.

The Dodgers opened a 2-0 lead on Kemp’s two-run blast in the first, and Ethier’s run-scoring base hit in the third inning made it 3-0.

Kemp homered and singled with two runs scored and had a run batted in during Thursday’s 4-3 triumph over the Brewers at Miller Park.

Ethier (single and double) scored and chipped in with an RBI, while Matt Treanor had a run-scoring triple for the Dodgers, who scored a run in the second, two in the third and one in the fifth.

Aaron Harang (1-1) went six effective innings and held Milwaukee to eight hits and three runs (earned) with one walk and four strikeouts.

Ryan Braun had a sacrifice fly, Mathew Gamel a run-scoring hit and Aramis Ramirez (two hits) a homer as the Brewers edged the Dodgers 3-2 on Wednesday.

The Dodgers led 1-0 in the first, Milwaukee tied it 1-1 in the second inning, and the Dodgers made it 2-1 with a run in the fifth.

Milwaukee pushed across two runs in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory on Tuesday after the Dodgers forged a 4-3 lead on Ethier’s two-run homer to left-center in the eighth.

Ethier also doubled and scored two runs, while Loney singled, doubled and had an RBI.

“I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason,” Valentine said after Sunday’s game, his comments aired by WHDH-TV.

Youkilis, a career .288 hitter, was batting .200 with no homers, three RBIs and eight strikeouts in 30 at-bats going into Tuesday’s game. He was limited to 112 games last season due to a number of injuries, and hit a career low .258 with 17 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Valentine said on Monday that he apologized to Youkilis.

“I don’t know if he accepted my apology. It was sincere,” Valentine said.

Youkilis spoke with reporters about Valentine’s comments before Monday’s game.

“Everyone here knows I go out and play with emotion,” Youkilis said. “The only time there has ever been a question is because I’ve been too emotional. I go out every day and play as hard as I can – take every ground ball in the morning, take every at-bat like it’s my last. I don’t think my game has changed at all. I still get upset with myself. I still get mad.”

Valentine tried to explain himself in his pregame news conference.

“I think the question was ‘It’s not Youk-like the way he’s playing,’” Valentine said. “I think that was the question I answered. I should have answered that his swing is not where he wants it to be, his swing is frustrating, it affects the emotion.”

Valentine’s original comments got the attention of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

“I really don’t know what Bobby is trying to do,” Pedroia said on Monday. That’s not the way we go about our stuff around here. He’ll figure that out. The whole team is behind Youk. We have each other’s backs here.”

Youkilis, 33, is in the last year of a four-year, $41.25 million contract.

Verlander gets first win: Justin Verlander pushed his manager’s patience on Monday night, but in the end, Jim Leyland had to be glad to let his ace pitcher finish.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth and the Tigers leading 3-2 at Kansas City, Verlander hit Alcides Escobar to load the bases. But Verlander struck out Alex Gordon to get his first win of the season.

“You’re either going to win it or lose it. I’m not taking you out,” Leyland said he told the Cy Young Award winner after the eighth inning.

Verlander threw 131 pitches, fanned nine and retired 11 straight at one point in the game. Brandon Inge hit a two-run homer in the fifth for the difference.

The Tigers star pitcher, who won 24 games last year, suffered a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay and had a no decision against Boston in his two previous starts.

“I told everyone my goal this season is to be a better pitcher, even if my numbers might not be as good,” Verlander said.

Never say never: Just when things looked bleak for the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night at Chicago, they got back into the game thanks to the long ball.

The Orioles rebounded from a 4-1, eighth-inning deficit to defeat the White Sox 10-4.

Matt Wieters homered in the eighth to make it 4-2. Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones went deep in the ninth to tie it and send the game to extra innings. In the 10th, a three-base error by White Sox center fielder Alejandro De Aza on a dropped fly ball at the wall led to the go-ahead run. Wieters hit a grand slam later in the inning to put the game away.

It was Baltimore’s first win in extra innings after dropping a pair of those contests to the New York Yankees last week. The win gave the Orioles six wins in their first 10 games.

“We’ve been battling every game pretty close,” Wieters said. “It’s nice to have a big inning to kind of put some things together.”

Jones’ home run was his third in four games.

“We didn’t’ quit,” Jones said. “Once we went to extra innings, we knew that this was our game.”

The Orioles entered the game hitting .179 with runners in scoring position.

“Once you get some runs going, you stop squeezing the bat as tight and it starts to come a little bit easier,” Wieters said.

StatsWatch: A number of players have jumped out of the gate with double-digit RBIs. Here’s the list (through Monday):

• Matt Kemp, Dodgers, 16
• Andre Ethier, Dodgers, 15
• Chris Young, Diamondbacks, 13
• Adam LaRoche, Nationals, 12
• Carlos Pena, Rays, 11
• Nick Swisher, Yankees, 11
• David Freese, Cardinals, 11
• David Ortiz, Red Sox, 10
• Yadier Molina, Cardinals, 10
• Matt Carpenter, Cardinals, 10
• J.D. Martinez, Astros, 10

Diamond Notes: In a match-up of two-time Cy Young Award winners, Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay beat San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum on Monday night. Halladay (3-0) struck out six and gave up seven hits in eight innings in the Phillies 5-2 win. Lincecum (0-2) allowed four runs in the first inning, five runs overall and eight hits in six innings. Lincecum has struggled, giving up more runs in the first inning this season (nine) than he did all of last year (eight). He has a 10.54 ERA and has allowed 16 runs and 22 hits in 13 2/3 innings…Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz will have his uniform retired on June 8 before the game against Toronto. Smoltz, 44, pitched 20 years for the Braves, winning the NL Cy Young Award in 1996. He won 213 games in his career.

Copyright © 2012 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.