AROUND THE HORN
Mets: Max Scherzer pulled himself from a start Wednesday night with discomfort in his left side before the Mets finished off an 11-4 victory over the Cardinals. Pete Alonso homered and drove in four runs for the host Mets (25-14), who improved to 13-1 following a loss. The only time they dropped consecutive games this season was April 10-11. Jeff McNeil had an early two-run single and Alonso snapped a 2-all tie with an RBI single off rookie reliever Jake Walsh (0-1) in a fourrun fifth. Dominic Smith knocked in a run with a single during the outburst, and Luis Guillorme drove in another with a nicely executed safety squeeze. Mark Canha scored three times and followed Brandon Nimmo’s run-scoring triple with an RBI single as the Mets broke open a 6-4 game with a five-run eighth capped by Alonso’s three-run HR off T.J. McFarland. Albert Pujols got two hits to pass Eddie Collins for 10th place on the career list with 3,314, including an early two-run single off Scherzer (5-1). The three-time Cy Young Award winner left with two outs in the sixth and a 1-1 count on Pujols. He will have an MRI on Thursday, the Mets said. With two runners on, Scherzer threw a slider in the dirt and immediately signaled to the Mets bench that he was done. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, manager Buck Showalter and a trainer came out of the dugout to visit Scherzer on the mound. After a quick discussion, the 37-year-old right-hander walked off the field. Scherzer threw 61 of his 87 pitches for strikes and left with a 6-2 lead against his hometown team. Adam Ottavino was given all the time he needed to warm up, and he struck out Pujols to end the inning.
Phillies: Zack Wheeler struck out nine over seven shutout innings, Rhys Hoskins homered and the host Phillies beat the Padres 3-0. Wheeler (2-3), who lost his first three starts of the season, had yet another outing more in line with the ones that helped him finish second in NL Cy Young Award voting last season. He allowed four hits and walked none over 94 pitches. The Phillies won without NL MVP Bryce Harper in the lineup. Harper could return Thursday against the Padres as he recovers from a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow.
Dodgers: Justin Turner hit a three-run HR in the fourth and the Dodgers rallied past the Diamondbacks 5-3 to complete a four-game sweep. The Dodgers won their fifth straight overall, finishing off a 5-3 homestand that included eight games in seven days and four within 42 hours. Walker Buehler (5-1) allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out four and walked two.
Red Sox, Astros: Nick Pivetta pitched a two-hitter, Xander Bogaerts hit a solo HR, Rafael Devers added an RBI double and the host Red Sox beat the Astros 5-1 in the rubber match of their three-game series. It was the fourth complete game in the majors this season. Pivetta (2-4) gave up a leadoff HR to Jose Altuve, but settled down to retire the next 18 batters as the Red Sox built their lead. The Astros didn’t get their second hit of the day until Michael Brantley led off the seventh with a double. Pivetta finished with eight strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. He threw 112 pitches, 78 for strikes . ... Astros RHP Jake Odorizzi said an MRI on his left leg showed damage that will sideline him for an indefinite period. Odorizzi was stretchered off the field after he heard a pop in his ankle during Monday night’s start against the Red Sox that caused him to collapse after throwing a pitch. He said the current plan calls for rehab. There’s no timeline for his return.
Extra innings: C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking two-run HR in a three-run eighth, and the Rockies stopped their 12-game losing streak against the Giants by rallying for a 5-3 home win . ... Carlos Correa went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in his return from a stint on the IL caused by a bruised middle finger on his right hand, and the Twins set a season high for runs in a 14-4 rout of the host A’s. Correa was reinstated from the IL after missing 11 games due to an injury sustained when a pitch hit the two-time All-Star while he gripped the bat during a swing.