Paul legged out an infield hit with one out against St.
Louis reliever Jason Motte (3-2), then stole second and advanced to third when
catcher Gerald Laird’s throw rolled into center field.
D’Arnaud lined to center and the speedy Paul easily beat the
throw from center fielder Colby Rasmus as the Pirates snapped a three-game
losing streak.
Joe Beimel (1-1) retired the Cardinals in order to pick up
his first victory as a Pirate in more than eight years.
Ronny Cedeno and Eric Fryer had two hits apiece for
Pittsburgh.
In Los Angeles, Chad Billingsley overcame a shaky first inning to pitch seven
innings of two-hit ball, Aaron Miles drove in two runs and the Dodgers beat the
Nationals.
Both of Washington’s hits came in the first inning on
singles by Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse , who drove in Washington’s run.
Billingsley (9-8) allowed only one baserunner after that, issuing a leadoff
walk to Jayson Werth in the fourth.
Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect eighth, and rookie Javy
Guerra did likewise in the ninth for his seventh save in as many attempts.
In Phoenix, Justin
Upton went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs, and the Diamondbacks
took two of three from Colorado with a victory in what might have been Ubaldo
Jimenez’s last start for the Rockies.
Upton, who reached base five times, has nine RBIs in his
last two games.
The Diamondbacks, finishing a 6-4 home stand, scored five
times on eight hits in five innings against Jimenez (6-9), reportedly available
for the right offer before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Micah Owings (4-0), in a spot start as the Diamondbacks
search for a reliable fifth starter, blanked the Rockies on two hits through
five innings, striking out two and walking three.
In
Chicaog, pinch-hitter Jeff Baker’s game-winning single in the 10th inning
helped Chicago complete its first three-game sweep at Wrigley Field in nearly
two years as the Cubs beat the Astros.
It’s Chicago’s first three-game winning streak this season.
Marlon Byrd led off the 10th inning with a deep fly ball to
right-center. Astros right fielder Hunter Pence was in the area to catch it but
apparently lost it in the sun. Byrd ended up on third with a triple.
Astros reliever David Carpenter (0-1) then struck out
Geovany Soto, after intentional walks to Tony Campana and Darwin Barney, Baker
ended the game with a liner down the left-field line.
In Philadelphia, Roy Halladay bounced back from his shortest stint of the
season to strike out eight in eight innings and lead the Phillies to a win over
the Padres.
Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz each had two RBIs to lead the
Phillies to their fifth straight win.
Halladay (12-4) had trouble pitching in the heat and
humidity in his last start at Chicago and left after four-plus innings. It was
94 degrees for the first pitch Sunday, and Halladay allowed three runs and
eight hits and didn’t get the side in order until the sixth.
In
Miami, John Buck doubled for his first career pinch-hit RBI to drive in the
go-ahead run with two out in the eighth inning, and the Marlins rallied past
the Mets.
The Marlins trailed 4-3 going into the eighth against Bobby
Parnell (3-2). Logan Morrison led off with a game-tying homer, and Mike Stanton
singled. A sacrifice advanced the runner, and Buck put Florida ahead.
Buck, the Marlins’ regular catcher, was pinch-hitting for
only the third time this season.
In San Francisco, Madison Bumgarner pitched into the eighth inning and the San
Francisco Giants survived another one-run game, beating the Brewers.
Mike Fontenot and Jeff Keppinger each drove in runs for the
Giants, who have won seven of 10 games since the All-Star break. Aubrey Huff had
three hits and Brandon Belt added two.
Ryan Braun homered for the Brewers, who lost for the third
time in four games.
In
Cincinnati, Drew Stubbs led off the ninth with a first-pitch homer, sending the
Cincinnati Reds to a victory over the Atlanta Braves and their first set of
back-to-back victories in more than five weeks.
The defending NL Central champions hadn’t won consecutive
games since June 14-15.
Stubbs went the opposite way on the first offering from
Scott Linebrink (3-2), completing the Reds’ all-power night. Brandon Phillips hit
a two-run homer, and Miguel Cairo added a solo shot off rookie Brandon Beachy,
giving Cincinnati a 3-0 lead.
