PITTSBURGH – With Jason Kubel mired in a 5 for 39 slump heading into Wednesday’s game, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson wanted to sit him out for a couple days to clear his head.

Come Thursday, Gibson reconsidered.

“He’s got a chance of doing damage,” Gibson explained before Thursday’s game against the Pirates. “He’s due.”

Kubel sure was. He homered twice and Joe Saunders (6-8) pitched seven effective innings and the Diamondbacks beat Pittsburgh 6-3 on Thursday.

Both of Kubel’s home runs immediately followed hits by Aaron Hill. Wil Nieves also hit a two-run homer in his Diamondbacks debut.

“I said he was due, didn’t I?” Gibson said after the game. “I’m glad I had him in there. It was just a great performance from him.”

Saunders (6-8) retired 14 consecutive batters in the middle innings. He allowed two earned runs.

METS 6, MARLINS 1: In New York, R.A. Dickey pitched a complete game for his NL-leading 15th win, stopping Jose Reyes’ 26-game hitting streak and helping the Mets end their nine-game home losing skid. Dickey (15-3) gave up five hits, struck out 10 and walked none.

Andres Torres homered, tripled and doubled, and drove in the go-ahead run after Reyes lost a popup in the sun. Torres homered off Josh Johnson (7-8) in the sixth and got an RBI triple in the eighth. Johnson gave up eight hits and three runs in six innings.

CARDINALS 3, GIANTS 1: In St. Louis, Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings as the Cardinals bounced back from a blowout to beat San Francisco. Carlos Beltran hit his 27th homer for the Cardinals, who were trounced by the Giants 15-0 the previous night. St. Louis has won seven of its last 10.

Wainwright (10-10) gave up one run and five hits, striking out seven and walking three.

American

INDIANS 5, RED SOX 3: In Cleveland, Ubaldo Jimenez struck out a season-high 10 for his first win in more than a month as the Indians handed the Red Sox their seventh loss in nine games.

Jimenez (9-11) gave up three runs over six innings as Cleveland won its second straight after losing 11 in a row.

RAYS 7, BLUE JAYS 1: In St. Petersburg, Fla., Matt Moore pitched six innings and Jose Lobaton drove in three runs as Tampa Bay completed the three-game sweep. Tampa Bay has won 16 straight series against Toronto at Tropicana Field.

Moore (9-7) gave up one run and two hits, retiring 14 straight batters during one stretch. Evan Longoria drove in two runs and had three hits.

ROYALS 8, ORIOLES 2: In Baltimore, Billy Butler came within a single of hitting for the cycle, and Kansas City ended the Orioles’ five-game winning streak.

Baltimore’s Manny Machado, the third overall pick in the 2010 draft, went 2 for 4 and played flawlessly at third base in his first game above the Double-A level.