Gritty Giants battle past wild Cubbies
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
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AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO — With a record number of wild pitches in the middle of the game and a balk near the end, the San Francisco Giants sure got plenty of help from the Chicago Cubs.
They’ll take it.
Edwin Jackson and Michael Bowden tied a major league record by combining to throw five wild pitches in an inning, and the Giants got another big assist from a Cubs pitcher in a three-run 10th Sunday that led to their 10-7 victory over Chicago.
The Cubs matched the record for wild pitches by a team in an inning during a four-run sixth that put San Francisco ahead 5-4, but the Giants had to rally again.
Chicago led 7-6 before Hunter Pence’s solo homer on a 2-2 pitch off Shawn Camp (0-1) with two outs in the ninth.
One-out singles by Hector Sanchez and Brandon Crawford put runners at the corners in the 10th. With Buster Posey batting, Camp was called for a balk as he stepped off the rubber to try to throw to first, giving San Francisco an 8-7 lead. Posey followed with an RBI single and, one out later, Marco Scutaro added a run-scoring double.
Camp had no issue with the balk call, saying, “I got a little caught, and I just froze up.”
George Kontos (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and Sergio Romo worked the 10th for his seventh save in eight chances.
Starlin Castro and Nate Schierholtz hit two-run homers in the first off Tim Lincecum for a 4-1 lead.
Jackson got in trouble in the sixth when he threw two wild pitches and Bowden added three more. The Cubs matched the mark set by Bert Cunningham of Buffalo in a Players League game in 1890 and matched by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Rick Ankiel in the 2000 NL division series against Atlanta. Jackson and Bowden also combined to walk four in the inning, with Jackson starting the inning with free passes to Pence and Brandon Belt.
Gregor Blanco doubled in a run and Jackson allowed another run with his second wild pitch of the inning.
Bowden came in when Nick Noonan pinch hit for Lincecum, and he threw a wild pitch. Noonan hit a two-run single for a 5-4 lead.
Bowden threw two more wild pitches, walked Angel Pagan and got Scutaro to hit into an inning-ending double play.
“The guy was throwing well and throwing hard, great stuff,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “You get some breaks there and you take them. You’re hoping someone comes through with a big hit, Noonan’s was huge.”
Blanco hit another RBI double in the seventh against Hector Rondon, and Alberto Gonzalez pulled the Cubs to 6-5 when he homered off Chad Gaudin in the bottom half. Chicago went ahead in the eighth when on Jeremy Affeldt’s bases-loaded walk to Luis Valbuena and Gonazalez’s sacrifice fly off Santiago Casilla.
Lincecum, 1-0 after three starts, allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. He settled down after the early homers, but his ERA rose to 5.63.
“It just comes down to focus, executing your pitches when you need to,” said Lincecum, who gave up six runs in his previous start against Colorado. “I could have ended that inning with two runs maybe. I guess I just didn’t focus the way I should have.”
Jackson gave up five runs — four earned — five hits and four walks in 5 1-3 innings. He’s walked nine in his last two starts.
BRAVES 9, NATIONALS 0
WASHINGTON — Justin Upton and Andrelton Simmons homered and the Atlanta Braves won their ninth in row as Paul Maholm beat the Washington Nationals 9-0 to complete a three-game sweep.
Upton hit his seventh home run of the season. Chris Johnson had four hits and two RBIs for the Braves, who took a 7-0 lead in the third inning against Gio Gonzalez (1-1).
In sweeping their NL East rivals and compiling the best record in the major leagues, Atlanta (11-1) has outscored the opposition 62-23.
Washington has lost seven straight to Atlanta since last year.
Maholm (3-0) allowed four hits in 7 2-3 innings. He has not permitted a run this season in 20 1-3 innings over three starts.
PHILLIES 2, MARLINS 1
MIAMI — Roy Halladay earned his 200th career victory, bouncing back from consecutive poor outings to pitch eight innings and help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 2-1.
Laynce Nix broke a 1-all tie with his second pinch-hit homer of the season in the ninth.
Halladay (1-2) allowed five hits, walked one and lowered his ERA from 14.73 to 7.63. He’s the 109th pitcher to reach the 200-win milestone, and the first to do so in a Phillies uniform since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in 1978.
Nix batted for Halladay with one out in the ninth and homered into the upper deck in right field off Jon Rauch (0-2).
Jonathan Papelbon pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his second save.
D-BACKS 1, DODGERS 0
PHOENIX — Paul Goldschmidt hit a game-winning single off Josh Beckett with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Diamondbacks starter Trevor Cahill pitched six-hit ball for 7 1-3 innings. J.J. Putz (1-0) walked one in the ninth.
Beckett (0-2) gave up a one-out double to A.J. Pollock in the ninth. Beckett ran the count to 3-0 before intentionally walking Miguel Montero, and Goldschmidt singled to right field.
ROCKIES 2, PADRES 1
SAN DIEGO — Todd Helton had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh inning and Jorge De La Rosa and three relievers combined on a two-hitter to carry the Colorado Rockies over San Diego.
Colorado also swept San Diego at Coors Field last weekend.
Helton’s homer off Dale Thayer (0-1) broke a scoreless tie. It was Helton’s first homer this season and his third career pinch homer.
De La Rosa (1-1) held the Padres scoreless on two hits in six innings. Rafael Betancourt gave up a run in the ninth before getting his fifth save.
BREWERS 4, CARDINALS 3 (10)
ST. LOUIS — Jonathan Lucroy hit a solo home run in the 10th inning as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied past the St. Louis Cardinals and avoided a sweep.
The Brewers had gone a team-record 32 innings without scoring before Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer off reliever Trevor Rosenthal in the eighth. Braun’s second home run of the season snapped a 39-inning shutout streak for St. Louis pitchers.
Milwaukee tied it in the ninth on a leadoff single by Carlos Gomez and a double by Yuniesky Betancourt off Mitchell Boggs. Lucroy’s first homer this year came off Fernando Salas (0-2).
Brandon Kintzler (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth. Burke Badenhop got his first save.
Matt Adams homered for the third straight game for St. Louis.PIRATES 10, REDS 7
PITTSBURGH — Backup catcher Michael McKenry had the first two-homer game of his four-year major league career, Starling Marte hit a tiebreaking two-run drive in a six-run eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates sent Cincinnati to its fifth straight loss.
The Pirates swept the Reds for the first time since April 2010 in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh trailed 5-0 when McKenry homered off Mat Latos leading off the seventh. McKenry hit a tying homer in the eighth.
Jared Hughes (1-0) got the win and Jonathan Broxton (0-1) took the loss.RED SOX 5, RAYS 0
BOSTON — Clay Buchholz didn’t allow a hit until Kelly Johnson’s broken-bat single leading off the eighth inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0.
Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter in just his second career start in 2007, allowed two hits and four walks in eight innings and struck out a career-high 11.
Johnson singled with an 0-1 count on Buchholz’s 101st pitch, sending the ball over first baseman Mike Napoli while the top part of the bat landed near the front edge of the infield between first and second.
Buchholz (3-0) lowered his ERA to 0.41, allowing one earned run in 22 innings He left after 109 pitches, and Andrew Miller finished with a one-hit ninth.
Alex Cobb (1-1) allowed four runs — three earned — and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings, and Tampa Bay lost for the fifth time in six games. The Rays have eight runs in their last six games.
TIGERS 10, ATHLETICS 1
OAKLAND, Calif. — Austin Jackson had four hits, homered and drove in three runs, Torii Hunter added two doubles and a triple, and the Tigers routed the Athletics.
Miguel Cabrera drove in two runs for the Tigers, who had 14 hits and won for the third time in four games. The first eight batters in the Tigers batting order had at least one hit, and seven players drove in runs.
Anibal Sanchez (2-0) overcame a sluggish start to pitch seven innings, winning his second straight outing and giving Detroit’s bullpen a needed rest. He allowed one run, three hits and four walks, matching his season-high of eight strikeouts.
Jarrod Parker (0-2), who lost to Detroit in Games 1 and 5 of last year’s AL division series, gave up a career-high eight runs and nine hits in 3 1-3 innings.
WHITE SOX 3, INDIANS 1
CLEVELAND — Jake Peavy struck out 11 in seven innings, Paul Konerko homered and the Chicago White Sox broke a five-game losing streak.
The White Sox went into the game as the majors’ only winless team on the road. Chicago was swept three games in Washington before dropping the first two against the Indians.
Peavy (2-1) gave up a home run to Michael Bourn on his first pitch of the game but held the Indians to five hits overall and didn’t walk a batter.
Addison Reed pitched the ninth for his fourth save, retiring Jason Giambi with a runner on to end the game.
Konerko’s two-run homer ruined a solid effort from Brett Myers (0-2), who took a shutout into the sixth.
ROYALS 3, BLUE JAYS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alex Gordon drove home Chris Getz with a single in the ninth inning, and the Royals beat the Blue Jays to avoid a series sweep.
The Royals played from behind nearly the entire way, but broke through when Getz doubled off Blue Jays reliever Darren Oliver (0-1) with one out in the ninth. Gordon swatted the first pitch he saw from Oliver into the outfield, and Getz slid home easily ahead of the tag.
Kelvin Herrera (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Royals, who got eight strong innings from Ervin Santana to remain within striking distance.
Edwin Encarnacion homered and drove in both runs for the Blue Jays.
ANGELS 4, ASTROS 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout hit his first home run of the season and Josh Hamilton also connected, leading C.J. Wilson and the Angels over Houston.
Trout put the Angels ahead for good with his solo homer in the third inning. He also doubled and scored three times.
Hamilton tripled and singled before hitting his second homer of the year, a two-run drive in the eighth.
Wilson (1-0) allowed one run and five hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked four.
Philip Humber (0-3) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings and struck out four.
