Jose Castillo ended a 450 at-bat homerless drought with a tiebreaking shot in the seventh inning in the Giants’ 3-2 win over the Rockies. It was Castillo’s first homer since Aug. 14, 2006, for Pittsburgh.
Rick Ankiel capped a huge series with three hits and two RBIs in the Cardinals’ 5-2 win over the Reds. He was 8-for-13 with a homer and five RBIs in the series to lead St. Louis to a team-record 18 April wins.
The Rays finished their first winning April in franchise history with a 8-1 victory over the Orioles. Andy Sonnanstine’s eight dominant innings (six hits, one run, five strikeouts) capped a 14-12 month.
THREE DOWN
Mets starter Oliver Perez couldn’t find the plate, walking five in 1 2/3 innings while giving up seven runs (two earned) in a 13-1 loss to the Pirates. “Sometimes you don’t have your stuff,” Perez said.
The Braves fell to 0-9 in one-run games in a 3-2, 12-inning loss to the Nationals, who had to rally. Ronnie Belliard walked to force home the tying run, then Felipe Lopez lined the game-winning single.
Righty Brian Bannister had his worst start of the season, allowing seven runs on seven hits in three innings in the Royals’ 11-9 loss to the Rangers. Bannister’s ERA rose from 2.48 to 4.04.
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EDITED BY MIKE PANKOW AND THOMAS L. OUTLAW
