The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Diamondbacks defeat Marlins
Arizona’s Saunders throws three-hitter, Miami’s skid continues.
Joe Saunders pitched a threehitter, Jason Kubel tied a career best with four hits and the Arizona Diamondbacks sent Miami to its sixth straight loss with a 5-0 victory over the Marlins on Friday night.
Kubel extended his hitting streak to 10 games, his average over that stretch going from .200 to .333. Miguel Montero drove in three runs and Aaron Hill homered for Arizona.
Saunders (2-1) struck out four and walked two, getting the third shutout of his career and dropping his ERA from 1.29 to 0.90. Emilio Bonifacio narrowly beat out an infield single with two out in the ninth before Saunders struck out Donnie Murphy to end it.
Miami starter Carlos Zambrano (0-2) pitched six innings, giving up three runs and 10 hits.
The Marlins failed to get a runner past first base. They have scored six runs during their losing streak.
The Diamondbacks had 15 hits, leaving 12 runners on base.
Saunders got into trouble only once, that coming not because of the Marlins getting hits off him — but actually hitting him.
A comebacker by Hanley Ramirez bounced off Saunders in the fourth inning. He managed to scurry for the ball and threw over to first to beat Ramirez, then limped into the Arizona dugout while grimacing in obvious pain.
But in the fifth, Saunders came back out to the mound, showing no ill effects. And his offense was giving him all the support he needed.
The Diamondbacks had only five instances of someone having a three-hit effort in their first 19 games. They had both Kubel and Hill get there in the first six innings on Friday, as Zambrano flirted with big trouble for much of his night.
He allowed the last three batters he faced in the first inning to reach, getting out of it only when Kubel was caught in a rundown between second and third for the third out after Montero’s single drove Justin Upton home. Hill led off the second inning with a single, followed by walks to Lyle Overbay and Ryan Roberts. Saunders followed with a sacrifice fly to right.
Cubs 5, Phillies 1: Paul Maholm pitched 6 ⅓ solid innings and Starlin Castro had two hits and an RBI in a win at Philadelphia. Maholm (2-2) allowed a run on five hits with a strikeout and no walks, and Tony Campana had two hits and scored twice for the Cubs. Roy Halladay was unhittable at the start, retiring 10 straight batters with four strikeouts, but surrendered three runs on six hits in a three-inning stretch to fall to 1-5 lifetime against Chicago.
Astros 6, Reds 4: Jose Altuve drove in two runs with a triple and a double in a victory at Cincinnati. Jed Lowrie also had two hits for the Astros, who have won consecutive games for the first time since a threegame winning streak April 7-9.