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GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- For the second time in three games, Luis Alicea
finished what a string of Texas pinch-hitters started.
Alicea delivered an 11th-inning triple that sent the Rangers to
a 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. It was a
virtual encore of Texas' 6-4 win on Thursday, which Alicea capped
with a two-run single after pinch-hitters brought the Rangers back
from a 4-1 deficit.
|  | | Diamondbacks ace Randy Johnson delivers during the first inning against the Rangers on Saturday. After allowing five runs in a no-decision, Johnson's ERA rose to 2.01. |
This time, the Rangers trailed Randy Johnson 5-1 after six
innings but found a way to win for the seventh time in nine games.
"I think this was a bigger win, because we were facing a guy
that's very hard to beat," Alicea said. "To come back and tie the
game like that, this win was something special."
John Wetteland pitched a scoreless 11th for his 23rd save in 27
opportunities, preserving a victory for Jeff Zimmerman (3-4), who
worked 2 1-3 scoreless innings.
Greg Swindell (1-3) allowed a one-out single to Mike Lamb and
retired Dave Martinez before Alicea lined his second hit of the
game to the left-center field gap, scoring Lamb from first.
Bill Haselman, making only his 11th start at catcher in place of
All-Star Ivan Rodriguez, had two RBI doubles off Randy Johnson.
Johnson struck out 12 to pass the 200-strikeout mark for the
ninth time in 10 years, but also allowed five runs, three walks and
seven hits in 7 1-3 innings in one of his shakiest performances
this season.
Johnson, who ranks second to Roger Clemens (10) in 200-strikeout
seasons among active pitchers, gave up the most hits in eight
starts since a season-high nine against St. Louis on May 31, and
the most runs since a season-high five by the Mets at Shea Stadium
on May 21.
"I need to go out there and pitch better," Johnson said.
"After the eighth inning, it was deflating that we let them back
in the game."
Johnson had a two-run double, backing up a two-run homer by Matt
Williams -- his first in three games since returning from the
disabled list. But Haselman's second double scored David Segui, who hit a two-out
single, to cut Arizona's lead to 5-3 and chase Johnson.
"He's definitely one of your harder pitchers to hit," Haselman
said. "There's no question about it. He's got great stuff, but you
just try to battle, and hopefully you'll hit something."
Vicente Padilla relieved Johnson and gave up an RBI groundout to
pinch-hitter Rusty Greer and an RBI single to pinch-hitter Lamb,
scoring Haselman.
Johnson, 21-3 in his last 32 regular-season starts, struck out
two batters in each of the first five innings on the way to his
14th game with 10 or more strikeouts this year. He has 139 in his
career, behind only Nolan Ryan's 215.
He struck out Texas starter Matt Perisho looking for the second
out in the fifth for his 2,900th career strikeout and finished with
2,903.
Williams, who had one single in each of his first two games
back, went 3-for-5 Saturday. He broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth when
he lined a 2-2 pitch 385 feet into the left-field grandstand with
Luis Gonzalez on board.
It was only his third homer of the year and the fifth and sixth
RBIs for Williams, who missed the first 43 games with a broken
right foot, and the last 15 after straining his quadriceps on June
25. His last homer was June 14 off Carlos Perez in Los Angeles.
"It's getting there," Williams said. "Some days it's going to
be good and some days bad, but I haven't had a whole lot of
at-bats."
Johnson made it 5-1 with his two-run double in the sixth. But Kelly Dransfeldt, pinch-hitting for the first time in the
majors, tightened it with an RBI double in the seventh. "I've been here a long time, and I don't think I've seen a
streak like this where guys are coming off the bench and getting
multiple hits," manager Johnny Oates said.
The Diamondbacks scored without a hit in the first inning when
Tony Womack led off with a walk, stole second, moved up on a
groundout and scored on Gonzalez's sacrifice fly.
Texas tied it in the fourth when Chad Curtis led off with a
double -- the first hit off Johnson -- and scored one out later on
Haselman's first double. Perisho allowed five runs, nine hits and two walks in 5 2-3 innings.
Game notes
Texas pinch-hitters are averaging .457 (21-for-46), with
three homers and 12 RBIs. ... Johnson reached 200 strikeouts when
he got Segui swinging to end the first inning. ... Perisho is 1-0
against Arizona in his career. His first win this year came out of
the bullpen, a scoreless seventh inning against the Diamondbacks on
June 4. ... Johnson's two RBIs gave him seven, improving on his
franchise record of six for pitchers set last year.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Randy Johnson was upset he let the Rangers back in the game.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Buck Showalter credits the Rangers for continuing to go after Randy Johnson.
wav: 143 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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