National League teams still can't get control of this interleague thing -- they're well on their way to an eighth consecutive season with a losing record against the AL -- but taking advantage of the rules differences would be a start.
Like letting their pitchers hit: Atlanta's Tim Hudson and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw both had as many RBI as hits allowed (two of each) in victories Monday.
Or taking advantage of the designated hitter: Jason Giambi started a game for only the sixth time since May 1 and his three-run homer as the DH was the key hit in Colorado's 8-7 win at Cleveland.
But the AL still had the edge -- 6-4 in Monday's games to take a 56-38 lead in this season's interleague games -- and one of the AL winners found a new way to work the rules to its advantage.
Tampa Bay had an 8-1 lead in the eighth inning at Milwaukee and there was outfielder Sam Fuld on the mound for the Rays. Fuld has become something of a legend this season with his diving, wall-crashing defense. The team replaced a planned Manny Ramirez bobblehead giveaway after the DH's drug-testing induced retirement and went with a Fuld Superman Cape night.
But even Fuld was surprised that he was warming up with a seven-run lead. Yes, the AL continues to dominate, but these were the first-place Brewers with the likes of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. It hardly could be considered enough of a laugher to let a position player pitch.
Oh, no j0ke here. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon found and used a rules loophole that would make his NL, "Hey, we really manage over here" counterparts blush.
Fuld pinch-hit for reliever J.P. Howell in the top of the eighth. Maddon, who said he was having trouble hearing and communicating via the bullpen phone, wanted Cesar Ramos to pitch the bottom of the eighth rather then Joel Peralta, who was ready.
So, Fuld -- already in the pitcher's spot in the batting order -- went to the mound as if he were going to pitch the bottom of the eighth. He was ready.
"I was throwing strikes," he said. "I was hitting the zone. I was ready to get a guy out."
"He had no chance to throw a pitch that inning," Maddon said.
Fuld, who last pitched as a high school junior, later owned up that, "I wasn't quite sure what the heck I was doing out there."
It was all a ploy, of course, to buy time for Ramos to warm up. After Fuld took his allotted warmups, Maddon made the switch.
There was some postgame confusion about whether Maddon was within the rules or if Fuld needed to satisfy the rule the calls for a reliever to pitch to a batter.
Umpire crew chief Jerry Layne told MLB.com that the Rays told home plate umpire Bob Davidson that Fuld "was sore or couldn't pitch or something."
Neither Maddon nor Fuld mentioned bringing up an injury issue, which would allow for a pitching change.
"If they're going to buy time, they're going to buy time," Layne said. "There's no way around it."
It probably didn't hurt that Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and coach Dale Sveum, who has plenty of minor league managing experience, weren't around to raise any pertinent points. Both were ejected two innings earlier with Davidson trotted out another infrequent ruling, not allowing Brewers outfielder Nyjer Morgan to take first base when hit with a pitch. Davidson ruled Morgan turned into the pitch rather than try to avoid it.
Maddon said his biggest fear was how the Brewers might react.
"All the infielders were begging for one pitch (from Fuld)," Maddon said. "But you can't do that. You don't want to incite the other team."
Ramos turned out to be a welcome sight for the Brewers after six shutout innings from Jeff Niemann. Ramos didn't retire any of the three batters he faced before Peralta and Kyle Farnsworth finished an 8-4 victory.
The more conventional pitchers did plenty of inciting Monday.
Hudson's two-run homer took care of the scoring in Atlanta's 2-0 victory. It was the first homer by a Braves pitcher since Hudson hit one at St. Louis in 2009.
Kershaw struck out 11 in a complete-game 4-0 victory against Detroit, providing a brief respite for a team trying its best to ignore its ownership situation on the day Commissioner Bud Selig rejected a television deal that would provide owner Frank McCourt the money he says he needs to keep operation the franchise.
And the NL got all that extra offense without its best extra bat. Carlos Zambrano, the active leader among pitchers with 22 home runs, started and won the Cubs' 6-3 decision at the White Sox, where Zambrano didn't get to bat.
The NL trots out its next-best choice and a secret weapon tonight.
In Washington. Livan Hernandez, second to Zambrano with 10 homers, is the Nationals starter against Seattle. And Milwaukee has Zack Greinke facing Tampa Bay. Though he's been in the AL until this year, Greinke's .375 slugging percentage trails only Zambrano and Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo among active pitchers with at least 40 at-bats.
The next the AL can offer is Minnesota's Carl Pavano, who takes two career homers into his start at San Francisco.
See photos of: Tampa Bay Rays, Carlos Zambrano, Tim Hudson, Zack Greinke, Sam Fuld
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/PzGHcK9msuw/1
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