SAN DIEGO -Geoff Blum hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and Houston beat San Diego 7-2 on Thursday in a game delayed 52 minutes in the top of the ninth inning when a swarm of bees took over part of left field at Petco Park.
A beekeeper was called to the downtown ballpark and sprayed a chair and a ballgirls jacket that had attracted the bees. Padres president Tom Garfinkel said a few thousand bees attached themselves to a queen bee.
The game was halted at 3:09 p.m. with the Astros leading 6-1. Five minutes later, both teams were cleared from the field. The beekeeper arrived at 3:56 p.m., quickly did his job to applause from the fans who remained, and the game resumed 5 minutes later.
The Astros won three of four in the series and outscored the Padres 20-7.
San Diego has lost eight of nine games against Houston dating to last season.
Houstons Wandy Rodriguez (7-6) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings.
Braves 5, Phillies 2
ATLANTA – Matt Diaz drove in the go-ahead run with an eighth-inning double and Atlanta complete their first home sweep of Philadelphia in four years.
Diaz had his second straight three-hit game to lift the Braves to their fourth consecutive win and drop the Phillies into a tie with Florida for first place in the NL East.
With the score tied at 2, Brian McCann led off the eighth with a single off Ryan Madson (2-4). Pinch-runner Jair Jurrjens moved to second on a sacrifice and Diaz followed with his hit to the center-field wall.
Garret Anderson added his first career pinch-hit homer, a two-run shot off Madson.
Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Philadelphia has lost 12 of 15 and is 39-37 and two games ahead of the fourth-place Braves.
J.A. Happ, coming off his first career shutout against Toronto on Saturday, allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings.
Cardinals 5, Giants 2
ST. LOUIS – Todd Wellemeyer rebounded from his shortest start of the season with 7 1-3 solid innings for St. Louis.
Wellemeyer (7-7) allowed two runs and seven hits in his longest outing of the season. He lasted 2 1-3 innings in his previous start, giving up three earned runs against Minnesota on June 27. He was 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA in June.
He struck out six in improving to 3-0 lifetime against the Giants.
Ryan Franklin worked a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 20 chances.
Ryan Ludwick had two hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who won for the third time in nine games.
Barry Zito (4-8), who threw 26 pitches before recording an out, went 4 1-3 innings, allowing five earned runs and five hits as San Francisco ended a 10-game trip at 5-5.
Ludwick hit a bases-loaded single, Yadier Molina drew a bases-loaded walk and Chris Duncan added an RBI ground out as St. Louis took a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Mets 9, Pirates 8, 10 innings
PITTSBURGH – Ryan Church singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning for New York, which overcame a five-run deficit and then wasted a ninth-inning lead.
Adam LaRoche hit a tying two-run homer in the ninth against Francisco Rodriguez (2-2) before the Mets rebounded to win the makeup of a June 3 rainout.
Fernando Tatis hit a two-run homer among his three hits and scored four times as the Mets took an 8-6 lead. Rodriguez, 21 of 23 previously in save chances, gave up his first tying homer in the ninth since last July 25. He stayed in to pitch a perfect 10th.
Pirates closer Matt Capps (1-4), who had converted 12 consecutive save opportunities since May 15, got the first two batters in the 10th until hitting Tatis with a pitch. Tatis stole second, and Church lined a single into center for the Mets 15th hit.
The Pirates opened a 5-0 lead against Tim Redding, but Paul Maholm couldnt hold the lead, and pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed gave the Mets the lead for the first time with a sacrifice fly that made it 6-5 and finished off a four-run fifth inning.
Reds 3, Diamondbacks 2, 10 innings
CINCINNATI – Joey Votto singled with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th inning for Cincinnati.
The Reds loaded the bases with no outs against Clay Zavada (1-2), stringing together a walk and two singles. After two outs, Votto singled past shortstop for his fourth hit of the game.
Francisco Cordero (1-2) escaped a bases-loaded threat in the top of the 10th with the help of a double play.
Arizona (31-48) lost for the 10th time in 12 games, falling a season-high 17 games under .500.
Diamondbacks starter Doug Davis gave up one run through seven innings. Davis is 0-2 with three no-decisions in his last five starts. He had given up five earned runs in his last four games.
Cincinnatis Aaron Harang, who hasnt won since May 25, going 0-4 with three no-decisions, gave up two runs in seven innings.
