Thursday, May 26, 2011
Posted: 10:10 p.m.
The Associated Press
Marlins 1, Giants 0
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BOX SCORE
SAN FRANCISCO -- Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria stood at the center of the visiting clubhouse, holding a Marlins cap in his hand and flashing a smile behind his sunglasses.
He was clearly the happiest person at AT&T Park.
With the home fans still stunned and grieving over the injury to star catcher Buster Posey, Anibal Sanchez threw a five-hitter for another complete game in San Francisco to lead the Marlins to a 1-0 win Thursday and cap a three-game sweep.
"The sweep here against a good team is great," Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "The down side is what happened the other night. Other than that, a good three wins."
The injury to Posey hovered over the game well before the start.
An MRI exam on Posey showed he fractured a bone his lower left leg and had three torn ligaments on both sides of his left ankle, Giants trainer Dave Groeschner said. That all came from when Scott Cousins crashed into him at the plate, likely ending the catcher's season. Groeschner said Posey will seek a specialist to perform the surgery.
The Marlins brushed the news aside to finish off the defending World Series champions in style.
Sanchez (4-1) struck out eight and walked two for his fifth career complete game and second this season. He pitched a one-hitter against the Giants last July 29 in his previous appearance in San Francisco.
"I like the city. We come just once a year. I try to enjoy it," Sanchez said.
Cubs 9, Mets 3
BOX SCORE
CHICAGO -- Cold, wind, a stiff neck, a parade of opposing pitchers -- nothing seemed to faze Carlos Zambrano on Thursday, on the mound or at the plate.
Zambrano pitched six strong innings, went 3 for 3 and drove in a run to help the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 9-3 on another nasty day at Wrigley Field.
"Despite weather, it ended up being a lot of fun," Cubs manager Mike Quade said.
Zambrano (5-2) allowed two runs -- one earned -- on six hits and two walks while picking up his first win at Wrigley Field since Sept. 4. He doubled and scored a run at the plate, and now has four hits in his last four at-bats to raise his average to .375 on the season.
"The weather the way that it is, (Zambrano's) game is real simple," Cubs catcher Koyie Hill said. "He's going to go out there and throw a sinker, he's going to throw some off-speed stuff to keep them off the sinker.
"He did a good job out there, keeping the ball down and getting some big outs."
Carlos Pena stayed hot for Chicago, lacing a two-run homer in the fourth. It was Pena's sixth of the year, all of them since May 3. Pena has reached base in 19 of his last 20 games.
"As the conditions improve and the weather warms up, there'll be more of those ball leaving the ballpark," said Quade.
The Mets lost starter R.A. Dickey to a heel injury in the third when he fell trying to cover first base. New York's bullpen allowed eight hits and seven runs after Dickey departed.
Rookie Tony Campana added three singles and made a couple of nice catches in center in his first start for Chicago.
"It's awfully fun to watch him run around out there," Quade said. "Not just because of his speed, but his enthusiasm and everything else. There's an innocence about him or something that I just love."
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