MAJOR LEAGUES
Former Giants prospect Zack Wheeler pitched seven sharp innings and Marlon Byrd homered again as the New York Mets completed their first sweep in San Francisco since 1994 with a 7-2 win on Wednesday.
“I was drafted by the Giants and obviously wanted to pitch here,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t know how I was going to feel when I got out there. Honestly, I was relaxed.”
Daniel Murphy and John Buck each had two hits and drove in two runs as the Mets won their fourth in a row, including three straight over the slumping World Series champions. The Giants have lost 16 of 19.
Wheeler, selected by the Giants with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft, took a shutout into the seventh. He allowed one run and three hits, struck out five and walked three.
“That’s the best all-around stuff I’ve seen,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “He pounded the strike zone and got outs. He has a chance to be very good.”
San Francisco dealt Wheeler to the Mets in July 2011 for outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Matt Cain (5-6) lasted less than one inning for the first time in his career, giving up three runs and two hits while walking three and getting just two outs. He is 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in his last five starts.
“We needed a chance to win it, and I wasn’t giving them an opportunity right there,” Cain said. “I was walking guys. They got a couple of hits they needed and that was it.”
The Dodgers beat Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5, with Hanley Ramirez and A.J. Ellis hitting consecutive homers in the 14th inning to complete a three-game sweep.
Ellis tied the game with a two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth inning off Heath Bell and Ramirez hit the first pitch of the 14th off Josh Collmenter just over the wall in right field. Five pitches later, Ellis made it 7-5 with his fourth homer.
Kenley Jansen (3-3) pitched the final two innings for the Dodgers, who used all of their position players and had Zack Greinke, Monday’s starter, pinch-hit in the 10th inning.
Los Angeles have won 15 of 18 to move within 1.5 games of the National League West lead after their first sweep of Arizona since 2010.
In Philadelphia, Gio Gonzalez tossed seven sharp innings, as the Nationals hit two straight homers off Cliff Lee to beat the Phillies 5-1.
Elsewhere in the National League, Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run double to end a 10-game RBI drought as the Miami Marlins broke a five-game losing streak by beating Atlanta 6-2, while Cincinnati beat the Brewers by the same margin at Milwaukee and in San Diego, California, the Rockies edged the Padres 5-4.
The American League-leading Boston Red Sox had an 11-4 win over the Mariners, with David Ortiz doubling in his first at-bat to become baseball’s career leader in hits as a designated hitter.
In Detroit, Michigan, Prince Fielder homered and Rick Porcello pitched six solid innings as the Tigers bounced back with an 8-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
The Yankees beat the Royals 81 with Robinson Cano hitting a three-run homer and Lyle Overbay adding a grand slam, while the Blue Jays edged the Indians 5-4 in Cleveland, helped by Munenori Kawasaki’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
In St Petersburg, Florida, Ben Zobrist hit an RBI single with two outs in the 13th inning as Tampa Bay beat Minnesota to win their season-best seventh straight game.
Zobrist lined a 1-2 pitch from Ryan Pressly (2-1) into the gap in right-center field, ending a 4 hour, 47 minute game that featured 35 strikeouts — 19 for Rays pitchers.
In interleague play, Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run and Matt Holliday drove in two with a two-out hit to help the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 5-4 at home.
Carpenter’s ninth homer of the season in the seventh gave the win to Seth Maness (5-1). Tony Cruz got hit by starter Jordan Lyles’ first pitch of the inning and one out later Carpenter put a 2-1 pitch into the right field stands off reliever Wesley Wright (0-3).
Maness gave up two hits and a run in two innings of relief and struck out three.
Edward Mujica earned his 25th save in 26 tries. He has appeared in six consecutive games, going 1-1 with four saves.
In Chicago, Illinois, Josh Hamilton hit two home runs, Albert Pujols also connected and the Angelswent deep a season-high five times in a 13-2 rout of the Chicago Cubs.
Mark Trumbo and Brendan Harris also homered for the Angels. While Hamilton drove in five runs and Pujols drove in three.
After a nearly three-hour rain delay, the Pirates blanked the Athletics 5-0, with Francisco Liriano tossing seven scoreless innings.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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