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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- Randy Johnson started his career with the
Montreal Expos. Now if he could only beat them.
In a loss that hurt as much as any all season, Arizona's bullpen
failed to hold a lead for Johnson in the eighth inning and the
Expos beat the Diamondbacks 4-3 Wednesday night.
Montreal is the only team Johnson hasn't beaten.
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| Guerrero |
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"The thing that disappoints me is I'd be happy if we had just
won the game today," Johnson said. "I was pleased with
everybody's effort. Everybody left it out on the field."
Johnson, winless in his last four starts, left after seven
innings with a 3-2 lead, but Vladimir Guerrero tied it with his
29th home run of the season, off reliever Geraldo Guzman, leading
off the eighth.
"He was outstanding. He gave us a great chance to win. I don't
know what else he can do," manager Buck Showalter said of Johnson.
Terry Jones' one-out single off reliever Greg Swindell, his
second RBI of the night, drove across the winning run two batters
later. Guzman (3-3) got the loss in his first big-league relief
appearance.
"Our guys kept pushing Randy, like they have every time we
faced him, making it real tough on him," Montreal manager Felipe
Alou said.
Johnson is 0-2 in four starts against the Expos.
Montreal took two of three from Arizona as the Diamondbacks fell
three games behind San Francisco in the NL West, the most they have
been out of first in more than a year. The Diamondbacks finished
their homestand 4-5.
Johnson, who hasn't won since getting his 15th victory July
20, struck out 11, the 17th time this season he's reached double
digits in strikeouts. He allowed a season-high 11 hits, four of
them infield singles, but walked only one.
Johnson picked runners off first twice, and with runners on
second and third and one out in the seventh, he fanned Jose Vidro
on a 3-2 pitch. He struck out Fernando Seguignol on three pitches
to end the inning.
There was no doubt Johnson wouldn't return for the eighth.
"It was a push to put him out there for the seventh,"
Showalter said. "He gave us all he had to get us through that. We
just needed to pitch that eighth inning."
With Byung-Hyun Kim, Arizona's best right-handed setup man, not
rejoining the team from the minors until Thursday, Showalter chose
to go with Guzman in an attempt to get the game to closer Matt
Mantei.
"He's our best option down there at that point," Showalter
said of Guzman. "We're going to get Kim back day after tomorrow,
and he's our best option down there."
Scott Strickland (4-1) pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief to get
the victory. He left after Luis Gonzalez doubled off the glove of
Wilton Guerrero in left with two outs in the eighth. Anthony
Telford replaced Strickland and got Matt Williams on a one-bouncer
to shortstop to end the inning.
Williams was so upset after the loss that he slammed his hand
against the door as he left the clubhouse, then could be heard
yelling angrily in the next room.
Telford finished for his second save in four chances.
Montreal starter Javier Vazquez allowed three runs on seven hits
in six innings.
Arizona rallied from a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the fifth.
Greg Colbrunn led off with a double down the left-field line,
then scored on Jason Conti's double down the right field line.
Craig Counsell followed with a pop fly to short left field that
fell in front of left fielder Wilton Guerrero for a double as third
baseman Mike Mordecai and shortstop Geoff Blum watched.
Kelly Stinnett singled Conti home, then Tony Womack drove in
Counsell with a fielder's choice grounder to second.
Lenny Webster, just 2-for-21 against left-handers going into the
game, had a two-out RBI double and Jones followed with a
run-scoring single to put Montreal up 2-0 in the fourth.
"With Johnson, you just have to be ready to hit," Jones said,
"be ready for a fastball and don't think about anything else. I
missed a couple of times tonight and one of them I guessed
right."
Game notes
Johnson allowed double-digit hits for the first time in 46
starts. ... Montreal placed left-hander Scott Downs on the 15-day
disabled list with a sprained ligament in his elbow. Downs was
injured while throwing a curveball in the fourth inning of Tuesday
night's 9-3 victory. ... Arizona was without center fielder Steve
Finley, second baseman Jay Bell and catcher Damian Miller. Finley
had an epidural injection for chronic pain in his lower back, Bell
was slightly injured when he was kicked when Lee Stevens slid into
him to break up a double play Tuesday and Miller rolled an ankle
playing table tennis in the clubhouse before Tuesday's game.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Montreal Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
Jeff Kent -- ever shy -- blasts grand slam for 102 RBI
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