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Home | Sports | Twins

No-hitter lost, then so is game

The Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Sunday before the Astros collected seven hits and six runs in the eighth.

Associated Press

Last update: May 12, 2008 - 7:28 AM

LOS ANGELES – The Houston Astros had as much difficulty getting a hit against Hiroki Kuroda as the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen did in getting outs.

Kuroda took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Sunday before the Astros collected seven hits and six runs in the eighth on the way to an 8-5 victory. The win completed Houston’s first three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium since Sept. 25-27, 1992.

"You go from being no-hit to getting eight runs. That just shows what kind of guys we have in this locker room," Houston manager Cecil Cooper said. Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence and Brad Ausmus singled in runs and Michael Bourn hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to give Houston a 7-3 lead.

"It’s tough," Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said. "A guy goes six innings and doesn’t give up any hits, and you take him out after one hit and the bullpen gives it up for him. Everyone feels bad. You want to win every game you can when a guy throws his heart out like that."

Kuroda allowed a run and one hit in 6 innings in his eighth big league start after 11 seasons with Hiroshima of the Japanese Pacific League.

Hideo Nomo is the only Japanese-born pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the majors. He threw two, for the Dodgers Sept. 17, 1996, and for Boston April 4, 2001.

The no-hit bid ended in the seventh when Pence slapped a clean single to left. Kuroda walked Ty Wigginton and had a 1-0 count on pinch hitter Geoff Blum before manager Joe Torre replaced him.

"He was tired," Torre said. "There was a lot of emotion. When you are pitching a close game with a no-hitter on top of it, it takes a lot more out of you."

Houston starter Shawn Chacon ended up with his eighth consecutive no-decision to start the season. He and Dick Stigman of the 1965 Twins are the only pitchers to have no-decisions in their first eight starts of a season.

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