NL roundup: D’Arnaud’s single in 8th lifts Mets
9/4/2014MIAMI — Travis d'Arnaud hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning to lift the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night. Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a two-run home run, and Matt den Dekker had three hits for the Mets, who won two of three in the series with the Marlins.
Miami's Giancarlo Stanton homered for the third consecutive game to give him 36 on the season and bring the Marlins within 4-3 in the eighth after the Mets took a two-run lead in the top half of the inning.
CARDINALS 1, PIRATES 0: At St. Louis, Peter Bourjos singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, giving St. Louis a series sweep and fifth straight win.
Pittsburgh closer Mark Melancon (2-4), in his second inning of work, got the first two men before Yadier Molina drew a walk. John Jay singled to left. Bourjos followed with a single to center and Molina easily beat the throw home.
St. Louis grabbed the Central Division lead Monday and increased it to 2½ games over the Milwaukee Brewers.
ROCKIES 9, GIANTS 2: At Denver, Nolan Arenado hit a go-ahead three run home run and Corey Dickerson followed with his second homer of the game. Christian Bergman (2-2) pitched six sharp innings, limiting the Giants to two runs on nine hits and helping the Rockies take the season series 10-9.
Ryan Vogelsong (8-10) was roughed up for a career-high four home runs among 10 hits allowed in five-plus innings. He gave up eight runs, matching a career high. Buster Posey drove in both of San Francisco's runs with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single.
BRAVES 7, PHILLIES 4: At Atlanta, rookie Christian Bethancourt had three hits in his return to the major leagues, including a fifth-inning single. B.J. Upton hit a two-run homer in a three-run second as the Braves ended a 25-inning scoreless streak.
Bethancourt, a catcher recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday following a six-week demotion, drove in the Braves' first run with an infield single in the second and put Atlanta ahead 5-4 with an RBI single in the fifth. Atlanta began the day 1½ games behind Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.
Ervin Santana (14-7) won despite allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched around a leadoff walk to Cesar Hernandez in the ninth for his major league-leading 42nd save.
NATIONALS 8, DODGERS 5: At Los Angeles, Adam LaRoche came off the bench in the ninth inning and drove in five runs, including a tying homer and later a go-ahead grounder in the 14th.
Asdrubal Cabrera added a two-run shot in the final inning for the Nationals, who withstood two late rallies in a game that lasted 5 hours, 34 minutes — the longest at Dodger Stadium this season. Washington took two of three in the series, a potential playoff preview between NL division leaders.