Game 143: Sep 11, 1999 (L: 9-6)
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My Commentary

Ugh.  No commentary again.

-- Joe Siegler

Game Recap

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (TICKER) -- Sal Fasano recorded his first multi-homer game and drove in a career-high four runs as the Kansas City Royals handed starter Rick Helling a rare loss in a 9-6 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Fasano, who spent most of this season at Triple-A Omaha, staked the Royals to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when he drilled Helling's 2-0 pitch over the left-center field wall for his second home run of the year.

"It was a 2-0 fastball up in the zone. I was able to get good extension on it," Fasano said.

The Rangers pulled within 6-5 in the top of the fifth but Fasano struck again in the bottom half, following Jeremy Giambi's single with another homer for an 8-5 lead.

"The second one was a 1-1 curveball that was down in the zone and I made a good pass on it," Fasano said. "I think I can be an everyday player. I'm young enough that I can get an everyday job catching. It's not how you hit, it's how you handle the staff that counts."

Jeff Suppan (9-9) earned the win despite getting hit hard for the third straight start. He gave up six runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out four.

"Suppan's command wasn't good. He quit pitching inside," Royals manager Tony Muser said. "Texas is a great offensive team if you pitch to just one side of the plate."

Chris Fussell pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and Jeff Montgomery worked the ninth for his second save in as many nights and 11th in 17 chances this season.

"It seemed like forever that we've had three straight save opportunities," Montgomery said. "The more I'm able to pitch, the better. I was able to spot my fastball tonight."

Helling (13-8) was tagged for season highs of eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He had a personal seven-game winning streak snapped, suffering his first loss since June 21.

Texas had its lead over second-place Oakland in the American League West cut to 6 1/2 games with 19 remaining. Despite two straight losses, the Rangers are a league-best 37-19 since the All-Star break.

"It's just one of those nights where they got on top of us," Texas manager Johnny Oates said.

The Royals scored twice in the third for a 4-0 lead on Rey Sanchez's RBI single and Giambi's bases-loaded walk.

Texas got to Suppan in the fourth. Ivan Rodriguez's first triple since July 29, 1998 scored Mark McLemore and Greer plated Rodriguez with a double. Todd Zeile singled in Greer two outs later.

Kansas City got back two runs in the bottom of the inning. Johnny Damon singled in Mendy Lopez and scored on Carlos Beltran's double.

Damon's run was his 100th, making him the first Royal to score 100 runs in consecutive seasons sine Willie Wilson in 1979-80.

Damon also stole his 24th consecutive base, increasing his team-leading total to 36 steals.

The Rangers made it a one-run game in the fifth on an RBI single by Rodriguez and Greer's second run-scoring double.

Recap #2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A thumb injury hasn't diminished Sal Fasano's power. 

The Kansas City Royals catcher hit a pair of two-run homers in a 9-6 victory over Texas on Saturday night to give Rangers starter Rick Helling his first loss in almost three months. 

"It's very satisfying," said Fasano, who had his first multihomer game in the majors and drove in a career-high four runs. "Any time you hit a couple out, it's a great feeling. It makes your day." 

Fasano missed a month at Triple-A Omaha after breaking his thumb in late July. He played three games in the minors before being called up on Sept. 1. 

He homered in his second game back in the majors and added two Saturday. The first was a 406-foot shot in the second inning. The second, a 425-foot drive on a low curveball, splashed the water fountain behind the left-field wall in the fifth. 

"It took a while to get my timing back after the thumb injury," Fasano said. "Except for that first home run, I struggled the first few games back. Now I'm hitting the ball well." 

Home runs don't excite him as much as defense, though. He and starting pitcher Jeff Suppan (9-9) struggled to get in sync in their first game together. 

"It's exciting for me to hit balls out, but I'd still rather have (Suppan) throw a shutout," Fasano said. "To me that's better than hitting two home runs, which may sound crazy to some people." 

Helling (13-8), who won his last four starts and a career-best seven straight decisions, struggled. The Royals tagged him for a season-high eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. 

Helling had not lost since Boston beat him 5-4 on June 21. 

"Rick has earned the right to go a couple extra hitters," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. "But unfortunately tonight those couple of hitters both scored. 

"Rick usually has success pitching up, and he was up a lot tonight. I don't know about his velocity, though. The first home run was chest-high right down the middle." 

Ivan Rodriguez and Rusty Greer drove in two runs each for AL West-leading Texas. 

Suppan went 5 2/3 innings and allowing 10 hits and six runs. Chris Fussell pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and Jeff Montgomery worked the ninth for his 11th save. 

The Royals had eight extra base hits, including two triples. 

"We came out of our doldrums offensively tonight," Royals manager Tony Muser said. "It was nice to see us score some runs. Offense was definitely the key tonight to staying ahead." 

Texas cut Kansas City's lead to 6-5 in the fifth on Rodriguez's RBI single and Greer's second RBI double. Fasano hit his second homer in the bottom half of the inning. 

The Royals scored twice in the third for a 4-0 lead. Johnny Damon, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI, tripled and Rey Sanchez singled off Helling's leg. 

Helling then walked three batters, the last to Jeremy Giambi to force in a run. 

Texas scored three times in the fourth. Rodriguez, who has 99 RBI, drove in Mark McLemore with a triple and scored on Greer's double. Todd Zeile then hit a two-out single. 

GAME NOTES: The Royals released infielder Steve Scarsone and optioned infielder Jed Hansen to Triple-A Omaha. ... Sanchez went 1-for-5 in his first game since being sidelined Aug. 25 with a torn right hamstring. ... With two triples, the Royals lead the AL with 46. Texas also had two triples in the game. ... Damon has nine triples, tied for second in the AL with teammate Carlos Febles. The Royals have four players ranked among the AL's top 10 in triples. The last team to accomplish that was the 1966 Pittsburgh Pirates. ... Damon got his 24th straight stolen base in the fourth. He has a career-high 36. He also scored his 100th run of the season to become the first Royals player with consecutive 100-run seasons since Willie Wilson in 1979-80. ... Rodriguez is just one RBI short of becoming the eighth catcher in major league history to compile 100 RBI and 100 runs in a single season. The last to do it was Mike Piazza in 1997. 

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image)

Mac freaks out over a safe at second call	Rusty scores in the 4th

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
TEXAS               0  0  0   3  2  1   0  0  0     6 14  1
KANSAS CITY         0  2  2   2  2  0   1  0  x     9 13  1   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  TEX - RICK HELLING, DANNY KOLB (5TH), MIKE MUNOZ (7TH),
                  DANNY PATTERSON (7TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ
            KAN - JEFF SUPPAN, CHRIS FUSSELL (6TH), JEFF MONTGOMERY (9TH)
                  AND SAL FASANO

             WP - JEFF SUPPAN (9-9)
             LP - RICK HELLING (13-8)
           SAVE - JEFF MONTGOMERY (11)

HOME RUNS:  TEX - NONE
            KAN - SAL FASANO (2) OFF HELLING IN THE 2ND, 1 ON
                  SAL FASANO (3) OFF HELLING IN THE 5TH, 1 ON

     TIME:  3:02     ATT:  24,683

PROBABLES:  TEX - AARON SELE (16-7, 4.93)
            KAN - JAY WITASICK (6-11, 5.88)

Box Score
TEXAS (6) AT KANSAS CITY (9) - FINAL

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             4  2  2  1   1  0   2  .281
I Rodriguez c           5  2  2  2   0  1   2  .328
Greer lf                5  1  2  2   0  1   1  .301
J Gonzalez rf           5  0  0  0   0  2   3  .309
R Palmeiro dh           5  0  2  0   0  0   2  .337
 Sc Green pr            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .500
Zeile 3b                5  1  2  1   0  2   3  .299
L Stevens 1b            4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .286
Clayton ss              4  0  2  0   0  1   2  .279
T Goodwin cf            4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .241

Totals                 41  6 14  6   1  8  18

BATTING: 2B - Greer 2 (39, Suppan 2). 3B - I Rodriguez (1, Suppan);
Mclemore (7, Suppan). RBI - I Rodriguez 2 (99), Greer 2 (95),
Zeile (89), Mclemore (42). 2-out RBI - Zeile, Mclemore. Runners
left in scoring position, 2 out - Clayton 1, R Palmeiro 1,
I Rodriguez 1, Zeile 1. GIDP - Mclemore.  Team LOB - 9.

FIELDING: E - Mclemore (9, ground ball).

KANSAS CITY            ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Damon lf                5  2  3  2   0  0   0  .306
R Sanchez ss            4  1  1  1   0  0   3  .292
Beltran cf              3  0  1  1   2  1   2  .288
Dye rf                  5  0  0  0   0  1   2  .293
Sweeney 1b              3  0  1  0   2  0   1  .313
Randa 3b                5  1  1  0   0  0   4  .319
Je Giambi dh            3  2  2  1   2  1   1  .292
 Pose pr                0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .307
Fasano c                5  2  2  4   0  0   6  .261
M Lopez 2b              4  1  2  0   0  1   0  .421

Totals                 37  9 13  9   6  4  19

BATTING: 2B - Randa (32, Helling); Beltran (23, Helling); Je Giambi (13,
Kolb); Sweeney (38, D Patterson). 3B - Damon (9, Helling);
M Lopez (1, Helling). HR - Fasano 2 (3, 2nd inning off Helling 1 on,
2 out, 5th inning off Helling 1 on, 1 out). S - R Sanchez.
RBI - Fasano 4 (9), R Sanchez (48), Je Giambi (30), Damon 2 (75),
Beltran (95). 2-out RBI - Fasano 2, Je Giambi. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - Fasano 3, Sweeney 1, Beltran 1.
Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - R Sanchez (10, 2nd base off Helling/I Rodriguez);
Damon (36, 2nd base off Helling/I Rodriguez).

FIELDING: E - Sweeney (9, bobble). DP: 1 (R Sanchez-M Lopez-Sweeney).

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Helling (L, 13-8)             4 1/3   9   8   8   4   3   2   4.63
Kolb                          2       2   1   1   1   0   0   4.39
M Munoz                       0       1   0   0   0   0   0   3.65
D Patterson                   1 2/3   1   0   0   1   1   0   5.37

KANSAS CITY                  ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Suppan (W, 9-9)               5 2/3  10   6   6   1   4   0   4.42
Fussell (H, 1)                2 1/3   3   0   0   0   3   0   6.84
J Montgomery (S, 11)          1       1   0   0   0   1   0   6.46

M Munoz pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

WP - Suppan. BALK - Suppan.  Pitches-strikes: Suppan 90-60;
Fussell 38-24; J Montgomery 15-13; Helling 89-51; Kolb 29-19;
M Munoz 1-1; D Patterson 26-13.  Ground balls-fly balls: Suppan 4-9;
Fussell 2-2; J Montgomery 0-2; Helling 3-7; Kolb 4-2; M Munoz 0-0;
D Patterson 4-0.  Batters faced: Suppan 28; Fussell 9; J Montgomery 5;
Helling 26; Kolb 10; M Munoz 1; D Patterson 7.

UMPIRES: HP--Mike Everitt. 1B--Mike Dimuro. 2B--Bill Welke. 3B--Rick Reed.
T--3:02.  Att--24,683.   Weather: 77 degrees, clear.   Wind: 10 mph,
right to left.

Game Log

Texas Starting Lineups -- Mark Mclemore 2B, Ivan Rodriguez C, Rusty Greer LF, Juan Gonzalez RF, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Royce Clayton SS, Tom Goodwin CF, Rick Helling RHP.

Kansas City Starting Lineups -- Johnny Damon LF, Rey Sanchez SS, Carlos Beltran CF, Jermaine Dye RF, Mike Sweeney 1B, Joe Randa 3B, Jeremy Giambi DH, Sal Fasano C, Mendy Lopez 2B, Jeff Suppan RHP.

Umpires -- Everitt (HP), M Dimuro (1B), B Welke (2B), Reed (3B).

Gametime Weather: 77 degrees, Clear, wind right to left at 10 mph.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore grounded out to third. I Rodriguez flied out to right center. Greer struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 1ST: Damon flied out to right. R Sanchez grounded out to third. Beltran walked. Dye lined out to right center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 0.

TEXAS 2ND: J Gonzalez popped out to shallow right. R Palmeiro lined out to second. Zeile flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 0.

KANSAS CITY 2ND: Sweeney fouled out to first. Randa doubled to right center. Je Giambi struck out looking. Fasano homered to left center, Randa scored. M Lopez struck out looking. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 2.

TEXAS 3RD: L Stevens struck out swinging. Clayton struck out swinging. T Goodwin flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 2.

KANSAS CITY 3RD: Damon tripled to right. R Sanchez singled to left center, Damon scored. R Sanchez stole second. Beltran walked. Dye flied out to center, R Sanchez to third, Beltran to second. Sweeney walked. Randa popped out to second. Je Giambi walked, R Sanchez scored, Beltran to third, Sweeney to second. Fasano flied out to left. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, KANSAS CITY 4.

TEXAS 4TH: Mclemore walked. Mclemore to second on balk by Suppan. Mclemore to third on Suppan wild pitch. I Rodriguez tripled to center, Mclemore scored. Greer doubled to right, I Rodriguez scored. J Gonzalez struck out looking. R Palmeiro flied out to left. Zeile singled to right, Greer scored. L Stevens singled to center, Zeile to second. Clayton grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, L Stevens out at second. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 4.

KANSAS CITY 4TH: M Lopez tripled to right. Damon reached on infield single, M Lopez scored. Damon stole second. R Sanchez sacrificed Damon to third. Beltran doubled to left center, Damon scored. Dye struck out looking. Sweeney fouled out to third. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 3, KANSAS CITY 6.

TEXAS 5TH: T Goodwin grounded out to second. Mclemore tripled to deep right. I Rodriguez singled to left, Mclemore scored. Greer doubled to deep left center, I Rodriguez scored. J Gonzalez flied out to shallow right center. R Palmeiro grounded out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 5, KANSAS CITY 6.

KANSAS CITY 5TH: Randa grounded out to third. Je Giambi singled to left center. Fasano homered to left center, Je Giambi scored. Danny Kolb relieved Rick Helling. M Lopez grounded out to third. Damon safe at first on 2nd baseman Mclemore's fielding error. R Sanchez grounded out to second. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 5, KANSAS CITY 8.

TEXAS 6TH: Zeile reached on infield single. L Stevens flied out to left. Clayton singled to right, Zeile to second. T Goodwin fouled out to left. Mclemore singled to left, Zeile scored, Clayton to third. Chris Fussell relieved Jeff Suppan. I Rodriguez struck out swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 8.

KANSAS CITY 6TH: Beltran flied out to right. Dye grounded out to shortstop. Sweeney walked. Randa grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 8.

TEXAS 7TH: Greer fouled out to third. J Gonzalez struck out swinging. R Palmeiro singled to left. Zeile struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 8.

KANSAS CITY 7TH: Je Giambi doubled to deep left. Fasano popped out to second. M Lopez singled to right, Je Giambi to third. Mike Munoz relieved Danny Kolb. Damon singled to right, Je Giambi scored, M Lopez to second. Danny Patterson relieved Mike Munoz. R Sanchez grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, M Lopez to third, Damon out at second. Beltran struck out looking. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 9.

TEXAS 8TH: L Stevens flied out to deep left. Clayton singled to right. T Goodwin singled to right, Clayton to third. Mclemore grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, T Goodwin out at second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 9.

KANSAS CITY 8TH: Dye grounded out to third. Sweeney doubled to left. Randa grounded out to shortstop, Sweeney to third. Je Giambi walked. Pose ran for Je Giambi. Fasano grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 9.

TEXAS 9TH: Jeff Montgomery relieved Chris Fussell. I Rodriguez lined out to left. Greer safe at first on 1st baseman Sweeney's fielding error. J Gonzalez fouled out to first. R Palmeiro singled to right, Greer to second. Sc Green ran for R Palmeiro. Zeile struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) TEXAS 6, KANSAS CITY 9.