Dickey Earns 14th Win As Mets Beat Diamondbacks, 5-1
PHOENIX (AP) — R.A. Dickey rebounded from his first loss in three months to gain his National League-leading 14th win, and the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 Sunday for just their third victory in 17 games.
Dickey (14-2) allowed an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, striking out eight, walking three and hitting a batter. The knuckleballer won for the 11th time in 12 decisions and matched Tampa Bay's David Price for the major league lead in wins. Dickey's only losses have been to Atlanta on April 18 and versus Washington on Tuesday.
Scott Hairston had two hits and drove in two runs, and Josh Thole, David Murphy and David Wright each hit RBI doubles for the fading Mets, who split the four-game series.
Paul Goldschmidt hit an RBI single in the sixth after the first of Thole's two passed balls in the inning as the Diamondbacks lost for only the third time in 13 homes games. Chris Young struck out three times against Dickey.
Arizona's Joe Saunders (5-7) gave up four runs, eight hits and three walks in seven innings. Coming off a three-hit, seven-inning performance against Colorado, Saunders has not won consecutive starts since Sept. 12 and 18 last year.
Wright hit an RBI double off the base of the right-field wall in the first and scored on Hairston's double. Hairston made 3-0 with an RBI single in the fifth, and Murphy doubled in a run in the sixth.
NOTES: Arizona acquired 3B Chris Johnson from Houston for a pair of minor-league outfielders. Johnson hit .279 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 92 games with Houston. ... Mets closer Frank Francisco threw a one-hit scoreless inning for Double-A Birmingham against Portland. Francisco had been expected to pitch on Saturday but was scratched with soreness in his left side. ... RHP Jeremy Hefner will take the mound Monday as the Mets open a three-game series against San Francisco and LHP Madison Bumgarner. ... The Diamondbacks continue a stretch of 20 consecutive games with a day off when RHP Trevor Cahill faces RHP Aaron Harang and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. Cahill is 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA in his past two road starts.
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