Major League Baseball
Seven-run eighth lifts Braves past Brewers MILWAUKEE (AP) – Brian McCann hit a go-ahead, three-run double in a seven-run eighth inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat Milwaukee 9-3 Wednesday to send the Brewers to their seventh loss in eight games.
Tim Hudson (6-3) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings for the Braves, who trailed 2-1 before rallying.
Milwaukee, which had taken the lead in the seventh on a run-scoring wild pitch, has lost 14 of 19 following a 24-10 start. Derrick Turnbow (1-3) replaced starter Brewers starter Dave Bush to start the eighth and was charged with three runs in a third of an inning.
The NL Central-leading Brewers have dropped six consecutive series. Prince Fielder hit his league-leading 18th homer – his 12th of the month – for Milwaukee.
Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 3
PHILADELPHIA – Randy Johnson returned from tendinitis to toss one-hit, shutout ball over six innings, and Eric Byrnes homered twice to lead Arizona to its seventh straight win.
The 43-year-old Johnson (3-2) missed his last start with tendinitis in his forearm, though it was tough to tell anything was ever bothering h
im. He allowed Pat Burrell’s single in the second, walked none and struck out six.
The Phillies rallied off Arizona’s bullpen in the ninth, with a two-run triple by Jimmy Rollins and an RBI single by Burrell.
But pinch-hitter Ryan Howard lined into a double play to give Jose Valverde his 19th save.
Former Seattle teammates Johnson and the 44-year-old Jamie Moyer (5-4) combined to set a record for the matchup of the oldest lefties in history. At a combined 88 years, 90 days, Johnson and Moyer broke the record set the last time these two faced off in early May.
Giants 3, Mets 0
NEW YORK – Barry Zito outpitched Tom Glavine over seven sharp innings and San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak.
Pedro Feliz drove in three runs and Rich Aurilia tied a career high with four hits for the Giants.
Glavine (5-3) went seven innings but was denied in his second attempt at career win No. 296. Paul Lo Duca led off the seventh with a double for his 1,000th career hit.
Barry Bonds returned to the lineup for the Giants, went 1-for-3 with a walk and remains 10 shy of breaking Hank Aaron’s career record of 755 homers.
Marlins 9, Cubs 0
CHICAGO – Dan Uggla homered twice, and Miguel Cabrera and Josh Willingham went deep to lead Florida, but Marlins starter Sergio Mitre left early with a hamstring injury.
Uggla and Cabrera hit solo shots in the first inning, and Uggla added a two-run drive in the seventh off Cubs starter Ted Lilly (4-3). Willingham added a two-run homer off Angel Guzman in the eighth, but the good vibe of a three-game sweep was tempered by Mitre’s hamstring injury.
Reds 4, Astros 3
HOUSTON – Aaron Harang pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game of the season, and Cincinnati handed Houston its 10th consecutive loss.
Alex Gonzalez had three hits and two RBIs for the Reds, who’ve won three in a row for the first time in a month. The Reds scored three runs in the first inning off Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez (2-5).
Harang (6-2) improved to 6-0 in his last seven starts against the Astros. He struck out seven, retired 14 in a row between the second and seventh innings and pitched a scoreless ninth to finish his ninth career complete game.
Twins 7, White Sox 6
MINNEAPOLIS – Torii Hunter walked with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, forcing in the winning run and lifting the Minnesota Twins over the struggling Chicago White Sox 7-6 on Wednesday for a three-game sweep.
The Twins handed the White Sox their fourth straight loss and moved past Chicago into third place in the AL Central after rallying from a 6-1 deficit after 21/2 innings against starter Jon Garland.
Facing Mike MacDougal (1-2) in the ninth, Jason Tyner drew a one-out walk and moved to second when Nick Punto hit a chopper to Paul Konerko for a possible double play. Konerko’s throw appeared to graze Tyner before hitting shortstop Alex Cintron in the right knee for an error on the first baseman.
Athletics 6, Rangers 1
OAKLAND, Calif. – Dan Haren won his sixth straight decision and Dan Johnson drove in three runs for Oakland.
Haren (6-2) lowered his ERA to an AL-leading 1.64. He gave up four hits in eight innings and kept Sammy Sosa in check, too.
Sosa went 0-for-4 and remained two home runs from becoming the fifth player to reach the 600 mark.
Devil Rays 5, Tigers 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – James Shields settled after a shaky first inning to throw the second complete game of his career, Elijah Dukes and Brendan Harris backed the right-hander with solo homers for Tampa Bay.
Shields (4-0) yielded three runs and five hits in the opening inning, then allowed just three runners to reach base over the next eight innings. He earned his first win in nearly four weeks.
Dukes hit his 10th homer of the season in the fifth and Harris snapped a 3-3 tie against left-hander Nate Robertson (4-5) in the sixth. Jorge Cantu, Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton also drove in runs for the Devil Rays, who have come from behind in 19 of their 22 victories.