Pittsburgh, PA (My Sportsbook) - Adam LaRoche went 4-for-5 with three doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored, as the
Pittsburgh Pirates downed the Florida, 7-4, to sweep a three-game series from the Marlins for the first time since July 16-18, 2004. Andy LaRoche had a double and two RBI for the Pirates, who won 8-0 on Monday and 3-2 on Tuesday. Nyjer Morgan, Nate McLouth, and Jack Wilson had an RBI apiece. Morgan also stole a pair of bases in the tilt. Paul Maholm (3-0) lasted six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts for Pittsburgh. Maholm's earned run average is 2.02 through four starts, allowing six earned runs over 26 2/3 innings. He has won three straight starts. Matt Capps pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his fifth save of the year. Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the Marlins, who had won seven straight coming into the series. Wes Helms, Ronny Paulino, Cody Ross, and Ricky Nolasco each had an RBI. Nolasco (1-2) gave up six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in six innings for Florida. The right-hander fanned five and walked three to take the loss.
Final Score: Arizona 2, Colorado 0
Phoenix, AZ (My Sportsbook) - Ryan Roberts' pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning broke a scoreless tie, as Dan Haren was credited with his much- deserved first win of the season in Arizona's 2-0 decision over Colorado. Haren (1-3) came into the game with a sparkling 1.89 earned-run average but the Diamondbacks' anemic offense provided one run over his three previous starts. The ace was again masterful in the rubber match of the three-game set, scattering six hits and two walks while fanning nine in seven scoreless frames. Jorge De La Rosa (0-2) was on the short end of the decision this time around, surrendering two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out six in 6 2/3 frames. Ryan Spilborghs had four of the Rockies' nine singles, as the team went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in their fifth loss in six games.
Final Score: San Francisco 1, San Diego 0 (10 innings)
San Francisco, CA (My Sportsbook) - Pinch-hitter Bengie Molina knocked in the winning run with a ground-rule double in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the San Francisco Giants outlasted the San Diego Padres, 1-0, to sweep a two-game series at AT&T Park. Andres Torres reached base in the 10th on a single and stole second to set up Molina's clutch hit for the Giants, who beat the Padres 8-3 on Tuesday and have won three straight. Barry Zito pitched seven strong innings for San Francisco, allowing just six hits to go along with five strikeouts. The former American League Cy Young Award winner improved his ERA to 5.63 in the no-decision. Brian Wilson (1-0) tossed the final two innings to pick up the win. Scott Hairston went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double for the Padres, who finished an eight-game road trip with a 4-4 mark. Chris Young pitched a solid seven frames for San Diego, giving up just two hits with three strikeouts and four walks. The 6-foot-10 right-hander improved his ERA to 3.42. Edwin Moreno (0-2) allowed one run on two hits to pick up the loss.
Final Score: Milwaukee 3, Philadelphia 1
Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - J.J. Hardy went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, as the Milwaukee Brewers hung on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1, in the middle installment of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. Mike Cameron went 1-for-4 with a two-run double for the Brewers, who had lost three of their previous four outings. Corey Hart went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Braden Looper (2-0) allowed five hits in a scoreless six-inning start to collect the win for Milwaukee. He also walked two in his third start of the season. Todd Coffey gave up a solo shot in the ninth, but was able to get out of a jam to pick up his second save of the year. Jayson Werth went 2-for-4 and had the lone run of the game for Philadelphia with a solo homer. Joe Blanton (0-2) gave up three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts to take the loss for the Phillies, who won 11-4 in the opener of the series on Tuesday. Blanton dropped his ERA to 7.31.
Final Score: Atlanta 1, Washington 0
Washington, DC (My Sportsbook) - A pitching duel between Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens and Washington's John Lannan was decided by the Nationals' bullpen, as Garrett Mock and Mike Hinckley loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning, with the latter walking Kelly Johnson to force in the game's only run in a 1-0 Braves victory. Jurrjens went 7 2/3 frames without giving up a run, scattering six hits and two walks while fanning four. Lannan had an almost identical line, giving up five hits and a pair of free passes, fanning four in seven scoreless innings. Neither factored in the decision, as Mock (0-1) took the loss and Atlanta's Mike Gonzalez (1-0) got the win for recording the final out of the eighth. Rafael Soriano closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season, snapping the Nationals' two-game winning streak and giving Atlanta its second win in nine games.
Final Score: Houston 6, Los Angeles 5
Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - Lance Berkman hit a game-tying homer and Ivan Rodriguez singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hunter Pence hit a two-run homer and Jason Michaels added a two-run double for the Astros, who also won Tuesday in the first contest of this three-game series. Houston starter Roy Oswalt allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings, but did not factor into the decision. Chris Sampson (1-0) took the win despite allowing a potentially decisive run in two relief innings, while LaTroy Hawkins tossed a perfect ninth to nail down his second save. Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier and Casey Blake all homered in the sixth inning for the Dodgers, who have now lost two in a row following an eight-game win streak. Los Angeles center fielder Matt Kemp, who had gotten at least one hit in each of the season's first 14 games, went 0-for-4. Ronald Belisario (0-1) took the loss after allowing the two runs in the bottom of the eighth. He followed LA starter Randy Wolf, who gave up four runs on eight hits in seven frames of work.
Final Score: Cincinnati 3, Chicago 0
Chicago, IL (My Sportsbook) - Johnny Cueto was stellar on the hill and went 2-for-2 at the plate to help the Cincinnati Reds edge the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in the middle tilt of a three-game set from Wrigley Field. Cueto (1-1) went seven innings and gave up just four hits and fanned three batters in the process. Francisco Cordero gave up just one hit in the ninth to get his sixth save of the year. With the save he becomes just the 11th player in major league history to record 100 saves in each league. Jay Bruce went 2-for-4 with a solo homer for the Reds, who have won three of four overall. Willy Taveras and Joey Votto drove in the other runs in the win. Ted Lilly (2-1) was the hard-luck loser, as he went seven innings and gave up an unearned run on five hits with a pair of strikeouts. Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee had two hits each to account for the lion's share of the six hits from Chicago, which saw its three-game winning streak halted.
Final Score: St. Louis 5, New York 2
St. Louis, MO (My Sportsbook) - Joel Pineiro tossed eight-plus strong innings, as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Mets, 5-2, in the middle test of a three-game series from Busch Stadium. Pineiro (3-0) gave up six hits, two runs, walked two and earned a third straight win to start the season for his efforts, which were backed by Albert Pujols' two RBI and runs- scoring hits by Joe Thurston and Skip Schumaker. St. Louis opened a six-game homestand with Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Mets and made it two in a row overall on Wednesday. John Maine (0-2) dropped his second decision of the season, surrendering seven hits, five runs and five walks in 5 2/3 innings. Carlos Beltran was 3-for-4 with an RBI while Daniel Murphy drove in the other run for New York, which had lost its third in a row.