Baseball roundup: Kirk Nieuwenhuis leads Mets in sweep over Rays

Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a leadoff homer and later connected for a two-run shot, and the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 9-6 on Thursday.

Jason Bay also homered and Lucas Duda drove in three runs for the Mets, who had been swept in a three-game series by the New York Yankees last weekend.

The Mets outscored Tampa Bay 29-9 in this series.

Johan Santana (4-3) allowed four runs and six hits over five-plus innings. Frank Francisco struck out Ben Zobrist with the bases loaded on a 3-2 pitch to end it.

Nieuwenhuis began the afternoon with a home run off Jeremy Hellickson (4-3). Nieuwenhuis homered again during a four-run fourth, helping the Mets take an 8-4 lead. It was his first career multihomer game.

Hellickson gave up a career-high eight runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year, 0-3 over his last five starts, has allowed more than three earned runs in just five of 46 career starts.

REDS 12, INDIANS 5

CINCINNATI ? Brandon Phillips hit one of Cincinnati?s three homers and drove in four more runs, leading the ailing Reds to their first three-game sweep of Cleveland since 2008.

Joey Votto and Ryan Ludwick also homered for the Reds, who had a season-high 17 hits.

Phillips went 8 for 13 with two homers and seven RBIs against his former team.

Mike Leake went 4 1-3 innings before having to leave the game, still feeling the effects of a nasty stomach virus that swept through the clubhouse at the start of the series. Jose Arredondo (4-1) pitched out of a threat in the fifth.

Josh Tomlin (3-4) took the loss, giving up six runs on 10 hits in four innings of work.

TIGERS 5, CUBS 3

CHICAGO ? Justin Verlander pitched eight solid innings for his first win in a month to lead Detroit over Chicago.

Austin Jackson hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh and a two-run homer in the ninth for Detroit, which went 4-2 on its interleague road trip through Cincinnati and Chicago.

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