Giants@Rockies – Teams split shortened series

• Colorado took the opener as 7 players carded an extra-base hit in a 6-4 win. Those 6 runs are the fewest by the Rockies in 56 home games with 15+ hits, including 8 for extra bases.
• The Giants evened the series with a 5-4 win in 11 innings, after Santiago Casilla couldn’t hold a one-run lead in the 9th. The Giants are now 10-4 in games in which Casilla blows a save, winning the last 4 in a row and 7 of the last 8.
• San Francisco tallied two home runs, two stolen bases and four doubles in their game 2 win. The 5 runs scored are the fewest in 25 Giant road games with those markers.

More after the jump.

Pirates@Diamondbacks – Bucs silence Zona bats in series sweep

• Pittsburgh pitching allowed just two runs in the series, the Bucs’ first time since 1993 sweeping an opponent on the road while allowing no more than one run in each game.
• For Arizona, it’s their third time being swept at home while scoring no more than once each game, but the first with only one extra-base hit for the series.

Cubs@Reds – Chicago sweeps rain-shortened series

• In the opener, the Cubs got to Burke Badenhop for four 11th inning runs to win 7-3. Billy Hamilton stole 3 bases for the second time this season, matching his total of such games for all of 2014, and becoming the first Red with two such games in the team’s first 20 games of the season.
• After a postponement of Saturday’s game, the Cubs won the finale with another four-spot, this time in the 4th inning, with all the runs unearned after a Todd Frazier error.
• Joey Votto was held hitless and struck out twice in each game, his first such back-to-back since 2011. Votto had never done that 3 games in a row … until now with another oh-fer and 2 Ks in Monday’s Reds’ win over the Brewers.

Cardinals@Brewers – Redbirds take two of three as Brewers sink deeper

• In the opener, Carlos Martinez went 7 strong innings in a 3-0 win. It was his third consecutive start of 6+ innings allowing no more than two runs and four hits, matching the streaks recorded last year by Adam Wainwright and Shelby Miller. It’s the first searchable occasion that three different Cardinal starting pitchers have had such a streak in the space of two seasons.
• In game 2, St. Louis built up a 5-0 lead and then hung for a 5-3 win. Seth Manness recorded the four out save after being summoned in the 8th inning with a four run lead and a pair of runners aboard. Manness plunked his first batter and allowed a two-run double to the next before retiring Hector Gomez with the tying runs in scoring position. Matt Carpenter doubled and scored, the eleventh game in his last twelve with an extra-base hit.
• Milwaukee salvaged the finale with a 6-3 win, getting to Lance Lynn for all 6 runs. That broke a streak of 19 straight starts by Lynn with 5+ IP and no more than three runs allowed, tied with Bob Gibson in 1968 for the longest by a Cardinal starter (in his streak, Gibson pitched 54 more innings than Lynn).

Nationals@Marlins – Fish fry Nats in 3 game sweep

• Miami has won 5 straight after starting the season 1-6 and 3-11. Washington is headed the other way, losing 5 straight to fall behind Miami in the East standings.
• Stephen Strasburg is one of three Washington starters with 4 starts, 20 IP and an ERA+ below 80, matching the Brewers for the most to start this season. Strasburg also started slowly last season (6.00 ERA after four starts) but posted a 2.83 ERA the rest of the way.
• In the finale, three Marlins tripled for the team’s only extra-base hits in a 14-hit attack, the first time since their inaugural 1993 season that the Marlins have had as many triples without another extra-base knock.
• Dee Gordon was 8 for 13 in the series to increase his majors-leading hit total to 32. He also had a walk to increase that total to 3.

Braves@Phillies – Brave slide extends as Phils take two of three

• After starting 5-0, Atlanta has now lost 5 of 6 and 8 of the last 10.
• Atlanta took the middle game 5-2 as Shelby Miller improved to a 3-0 record. It’s Miller’s fourth consecutive start this season and 9th of his last 10 allowing two runs or less in 5+ IP. With Aaron Harang starting the same way last year, those two match the number of Braves pitchers previously to begin a season with four such starts after being acquired in the off-season. Quiz: who were the Brave pitchers to do this before Harang and Shelby? 
• Ben Revere has started and batted leadoff 10 times this season, posting a .175/.233/.225 slash in 43 PA in those games. Over the first 20 games of the season, that’s the worst slash by a Phillie leadoff batter in 10 game starts and 40 PA since Bob Sadowski posted a .119/.196/.119 mark in 1961, earning a quick demotion to the minors.

Dodgers@Padres – LA takes two of three to claim top spot in West

• In the opener, Zach Greinke went seven shutout innings to improve to 3-0 for the season, while lowering his ERA to a sparkling 1.35.
• In game 2, Brandon McCarthy improved to 3-0 despite allowing three home runs, extending his majors-leading HR allowed total to 9. Charles Nagy in 1998 is the only other pitcher to go undefeated (Nagy was 2-0) over his first four starts while allowing 9+ home runs, including three games with multiple jacks allowed.
• In the finale, Brandon Morrow recorded his first W for the Padres in a 3-1 win. Morrow is now 43-43 for his career and has never posted a season with more than 3 games difference between his wins and losses. Morrow was 18-19 for 2007-10, 11-11 in 2011, and is now 14-13 since 2012.