Johnson homer powers Cubs

CHICAGO – Carlos Zambrano went wild in a ball-tossing, bat-swinging tirade after being ejected and was gone when Reed Johnson’s tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning sent the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2, on Wednesday.

The Cubs ace was tossed by umpire Mark Carlson in the seventh after Nyjer Morgan scored the tying run on a wild pitch, beating catcher Geovany Soto’s throw to Zambrano at the plate.

Zambrano jumped up, argued the call and appeared to nudge Carlson. The pitcher then pointed in Carlson’s face and gave him the ejection sign. Zambrano then threw a ball into left field, slammed his glove against a fence and grabbed a bat to whack a drink dispenser on his way into the clubhouse.

Johnson connected against Jesse Chavez (0-2) to give Chicago a 3-2 lead. The Cubs added two more runs in the inning on RBI doubles by Andres Blanco and Jake Fox, two players just called up from the minors on Wednesday.

At Milwaukee, Nick Stavinoha had two RBIs and scored the go-ahead run, leading St. Louis to the 3-2 win over the home team.

Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer (5-4) and the bullpen showcased the best team ERA in the majors (3.58) by silencing struggling Milwaukee, which struck out 27 times in the three-game series.

At Denver, Juan Pierre and Mark Loretta hit RBI singles with two outs during a seventh-inning rally as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep, 8-6.

The Dodgers trailed 3-2 before scoring five times in the seventh, capped by James Loney’s three-run double.

Colorado scored three runs in the ninth and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Jonathan Broxton retired pinch-hitter Brad Hawpe on a grounder to end it. (AP)