TORONTO, 6 May 2005 — Cliff Floyd slammed a home run, extending his hitting streak to 20 games, and made a run-saving catch to lead the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in National League play at Shea Stadium.
Floyd did the job at the plate, going 2-for-4, and in the field robbing the Phillies’ Jason Michaels of a two-run homer with a spectacular catch in the seventh inning.
Victor Diaz also homered as the Mets won for the third time in four games. Jae Seo (2-1) delivered seven shutout innings of one-hit ball, matching his career-high eight strikeouts and two walks for the well-deserved win.
In Atlanta, Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones homered and Adam LaRoche hit three doubles driving in three runs to help the Braves to a 5-2 win over the Florida Marlins.
In Cincinnati, Scott Rolen clubbed a two-run homer and Mark Mulder tossed seven shutout innings to guide the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 win over the Reds. Mulder (4-1), obtained in the off season from the Athletics, scattered three hits, all singles, struck out three and walked none as the Cardinals improved to a National League best 18-8.
In Phoenix, Chris Snyder had an RBI double to key a four-run fourth inning while Brandon Webb worked six solid innings to stay unbeaten, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. Webb allowed two runs on four hits, striking out seven and walking four to improve to 4-0 as the Diamondbacks won for the third time in four games.
In San Diego, Ryan Kelso clubbed two home runs and Miguel Ojeda singled in the winning run with two in the bottom of the 12th inning, lifting the Padres to an 8-7 win over the Colorado Rockies.
In Milwaukee, Damian Miller was issued a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning as the streaking Brewers collected their sixth straight win with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Roberto Novoa (0-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up the game-winning walk.
In Houston, Jason Bay and Daryle Ward both cracked ninth-inning homeruns, powering the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Astros 6-4. Houston roared to a 3-0 lead after two innings before the Pirates began to chip away at the lead, scoring a single run in each of the fourth, seventh and eight innings.
In Los Angeles, Nick Johnson homered and Livan Hernandez pitched a complete game to guide the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 win over the Dodgers.
Lopez and Sosa Lift Orioles to Win Over Blue Jays
Javy Lopez crushed a three-run homer and Sammy Sosa smacked a two-run double as the Baltimore Orioles exploded for five runs in the eighth inning to steal a 5-1 win from the Toronto Blue Jays in an American League match at Camden Yards on Wednesday.
Scoreless in 22 innings, Sosa ended the Orioles drought when he doubled down the left field line, scoring Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts to push Baltimore in front 2-1.
Lopez then added some insurance when he took Toronto ace Roy Halladay (4-2) over the left field wall to close out the scoring.
In St. Petersburg, rookie Damon Hollins had a solo home run and four RBIs as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays stung the slumping New York Yankees 11-8. It was another crushing loss for the 11-17 Yankees as Major League Baseball’s best-paid lineup at over $200 million slipped six games under .500 for the first time since 1995.
In Detroit, Kevin Youkilis slapped a game winning RBI single in the eighth inning as the Boston Red Sox slipped past the Tigers 4-3. The hit made a winner of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (3-1), who allowed three runs on 10 hits over seven innings to record his 117th victory with the Red Sox — tying him for fifth place with Pedro Martinez and Smoky Joe Wood on the franchise’s all-time list.
In Oakland, Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira smacked two-run homers and Richard Hidalgo added a solo shot as the Texas Rangers crushed the Athletics 16-7. Trailing 3-0, the Rangers exploded for a season best seven runs in the fourth inning that started with Soriano’s sixth homer of the season and finished with Teixeira going to deep center.
In Seattle, Vladimir Guerrero cracked a two-run homer and Paul Byrd tossed six-plus strong innings as the Los Angeles Angels stretched their win streak to four games with a 5-2 victory over the Mariners. Byrd (2-3) allowed just two runs on nine hits, struck out three and walked none in 6 2/3 innings of work while Francisco Rodriguez collected his seventh save.
In Minneapolis, Josh Bard crushed a ninth-inning game winning homer as the Cleveland Indians rallied to slip past the Minnesota Twins 5-4. Casey Blake also homered and drove in three runs as the Indians battled back from a 4-1 deficit to record their second straight win.
In Chicago, A.J. Pierzynski smacked a two-run homer, Joe Crede added a solo and Freddy Garcia pitched 6 1/3 solid innings leading the White Sox to a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Garcia (3-1) gave up two runs on eight hits as Chicago won their fourth straight and 12th in 15 games.
