Braun’s four-HR bid barely short
SAN DIEGO - With an impressive display of power, Ryan Braun made Petco Park look downright cozy.
Braun had his first three-homer game and added a two-run triple in the ninth inning to tie his career high with six RBIs, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday.
The reigning National League Most Valuable Player became the first player to hit three home runs in a game at spacious Petco Park since it opened in 2004. It came several days after the Padres said they are studying bringing in the fences at the ballpark to make it more fair.
Braun came up again with two on and two outs in the ninth and nearly tied the major league record of four home runs in a game when he hit a triple that short-hopped the right-center fence. The slugger has seven homers and 17 RBIs.
"It was just one night," Braun said. "There's no doubt this is one of the more challenging if not the most challenging place to hit home runs in the league. ... So I think if they did (bring in the fences), it would make it more of a neutral ballpark. As of right now it certainly favors pitchers pretty substantially."
Petco Park's deep outfield, particularly in right and right-center field, swallows fly balls that would be homers in other yards, particularly on cool nights like Monday. Not on this night, though.
Braun hit a solo homer deep into the sandy play area beyond the right-center fence - one of the deepest parts of the park - with one out in the fourth.
He drove a two-run shot into the balcony on the fourth level of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner with one out in the fifth. Both were off rookie Joe Wieland (0-4). Rickie Weeks was aboard on a walk before Braun's second homer.
"He put some good swings on pitches. He's strong. You're talking about the MVP of the league," Padres manager Bud Black said. "After the first (home run), he really locked in after that."
Braun's third shot, to left, came on the first pitch he saw from Ernesto Frieri with two outs in the seventh.
Shortly after he won the MVP award last year, ESPN reported that Braun failed a drug test in October with a high testosterone level. But he won his appeal and avoided a 50-game suspension. Then he made his case to fans upon his arrival in spring training, saying that chain of custody issues with his urine sample cast doubt on the validity of the test.
That didn't end the controversy; baseball officials were unhappy with the arbitrator's decision, and a urine sample collector issued a statement saying he followed proper protocols and that there was no evidence of tampering. Braun also has hinted that there's more to the story than he's letting on, refusing to share those details.
AROUND THE MAJORS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
■ Rockies 6, Dodgers 2 - At Denver, Juan Nicasio (2-0) pitched six solid innings and Troy Tulowitzki snapped an early tie with a two-run double.
■ Diamondbacks 9, Marlins 5 - At Miami, lefty Patrick Corbin pitched 5 2/3 innings to win his major league debut, backed by Arizona's 7-0 lead in the fifth.
■ Phillies 6, Cubs 4 - At Philadelphia, Placido Polanco hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth after the Phils' bullpen was unable to hold a 4-1 lead.
■ Astros 4, Mets 3 - At Houston, Jed Lowrie hit the tiebreaking single in the eighth, and Matt Downs supplied a two-run homer to power the Astros.
■ Pirates 9, Braves 3 - At Atlanta, Pedro Alvarez and Yamaico Navarro each hit two-run homers to fuel Pittsburgh.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
■ Rangers 4, Blue Jays 1 - At Toronto, Japanese sensation Yu Darvish (4-0) struck out nine in seven innings, and Mitch Moreland and Craig Gentry homered as Texas finished April with a 17-6 record.
■ Yankees 2, Orioles 1 - At New York, Hiroki Kuroda (2-3) pitched seven neat innings and teamed with catcher Russell Martin to nab Nick Markakis at the plate in the seventh to preserve the one-run lead. Eric Chavez hit a two-run homer.
■ Red Sox 11, Athletics 6 - At Boston, David Ortiz finished the best April of his career with a pair of solo homers, and Mike Aviles hit a three-run shot. Ortiz hit .405 in April with six homers and 20 RBIs.
■ Angels 4, Twins 3 - At Anaheim, Calif., C.J. Wilson (3-2) pitched five-hit ball into the eighth, and Torii Hunter homered and drove in three runs.
■ Rays 3, Mariners 2 - At St. Petersburg, Fla., Elliot Johnson hit an RBI single with one out in the 12th after the teams swapped runs in the 11th.
■ Royals at Tigers, ppd., rain - At Detroit, the scheduled game was called off before it began and will be made up Sept. 24 on the teams' mutual off day.
