PITTSBURGH (AP) -Thanks to Alfonso Soriano’s hitting and Jason Marquis’ pitching, the Chicago Cubs got two wins in one day.
Marquis (4-1) limited the Pirates to four hits over eight innings to win his fourth consecutive start and Soriano homered for the second time in two days after not connecting all season, leading Chicago to a 7-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
A half hour before that game started, the Cubs completed an 8-6 win in a game suspended by a persistent rain with Chicago ahead 6-5 in the middle of the seventh Tuesday night. Soriano, the $136 million free agent, led off that game with his first Cubs homer and Cliff Floyd’s two-run shot off Jonah Bayliss (2-2) keyed a four-run rally just before the rain came.
Soriano was 8-for-15 in the three-game series with homers in each of the final two games, including a go-ahead drive Wednesday in the third inning off Ian Snell (2-2). Derrek Lee also doubled in a run during the first, his eighth consecutive game with a double, and had six hits in the final two games of the series.
In the suspended game, Rocky Cherry (1-1) earned his first career win and Ryan Dempster got four outs for his fifth save. Lee had four hits, including two doubles and a run-scoring single, and Jacque Jones also homered.
Brewers 4, Cardinals 0
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Carlos Villanueva pitched four scoreless innings of relief for injured starter Chris Capuano, helping Milwaukee complete a sweep of the dazed St. Louis Cardinals.
With three consecutive wins over the reigning World Series champions, who still seem to be reeling after the death of reliever Josh Hancock, Milwaukee has won nine of 11 overall and has the best record in baseball at 18-9.
Prince Fielder hit a two-run single off Anthony Reyes (0-5) for the Brewers, who finished their first home sweep of St. Louis since taking four games in April 2002.
St. Louis has lost five in a row. The Cardinals are off Thursday, but players will travel to Tupelo, Miss., to attend a memorial service for Hancock, killed in a highway wreck early Sunday.
The Brewers won despite getting only three innings from Capuano, who took a sharp comebacker off his right calf in the second and pitched one more inning before he was taken out of the game.
Villanueva (2-0) allowed two hits and walked two. Matt Wise tossed two scoreless innings to complete the five-hitter, Milwaukee’s first shutout of the season.
Mets 6, Marlins 3
NEW YORK (AP) – Oliver Perez struck out a season-high 10 and singled twice to start New York rallies, helping the Mets beat Florida to avoid a three-game sweep.
Jose Reyes scored two runs and Endy Chavez had two RBIs. Perez (3-2) went 2-for-2 at the plate with a sacrifice bunt and scored twice.
The left-hander allowed three runs – one earned – and three hits in 5 2-3 innings. He walked three in his 17th career double-digit strikeout game, and second with the Mets. The other one also came against Florida on Sept. 12, when he whiffed 11.
The Mets chased Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez (2-1) in the fourth. Every New York batter had been on base by the end of the fourth.
Billy Wagner worked the ninth for his fifth save in five chances.
Dodgers 2, Diamondbacks 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Mark Hendrickson allowed three hits over six-plus innings and Juan Pierre hit an RBI single after a costly error by rookie center fielder Chris Young in Los Angeles’ victory over Arizona.
Hendrickson (2-0) struck out seven, walked one and allowed only one runner as far as second base. The left-hander has allowed just two earned runs over 16 2-3 innings in three starts since Jason Schmidt went on the disabled list with bursitis in his shoulder.
Chin-hui Tsao and Jonathan Broxton each pitched a scoreless inning for the Dodgers. Takashi Saito allowed Eric Byrnes’ RBI single in the ninth before earning his eighth save in eight chances.
Doug Davis (2-3) was the hard-luck loser, allowing an unearned run and five hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts and three walks.
MORE
Add A Comment