NATIONAL LEAGUE Bucs complete 3-game sweep of Padres, 5-2

Jack Wilson's three-run homer was the big hit for Pittsburgh.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Whatever was wrong with the Pittsburgh Pirates at home went away once they hit the road.
"Clear your minds, get away from home, go out to the West Coast," shortstop Jack Wilson said after the Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 Thursday for a three-game sweep.
"A lot of us live here, there's a lot of stuff to do, and just have fun."
Wilson hit a three-run homer and Kip Wells pitched into the eighth inning for his first win this season.
The Pirates came into the series having scored just 11 runs in five straight home losses, then outscored San Diego 20-9.
Wilson, in his second full season as the Pirates' shortstop, hit in the No. 2 spot for the seventh straight game and extended his recent success.
He keyed a three-run first inning Tuesday night, then homered in consecutive games for the first time in his career. He's hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games.
"He's come up big for us," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's done a super job. He's in a little stretch where he's really sparked us."
Bombed changeup
Wilson connected off Jake Peavy (4-2) with two outs in the second inning, driving a 1-1 pitch into the seats in left field to break a 1-1 tie.
McClendon thought Wilson homered on a slider, but the shortstop said it was a changeup.
"If he'd have thrown a slider, I probably would have done what I did with all the rest of them -- swing and miss. He's got good stuff. It just kind of floated out of his hand, I saw it real good and I just threw the head out there."
Said Peavy: "I don't know what I was trying to do. It was a bad pitch in a bad place."
Wells (1-1) won for the first time in six starts. He was chased on his 105th pitch, allowing Mark Loretta's pinch-hit home run leading off the eighth.
Wells, coming off three straight no-decisions, allowed two runs and four hits, struck out eight and walked five.
He pitched into the ninth inning in his previous start, but the Pirates lost 5-2 to Los Angeles.
Not his best
McClendon said Wells pitched better in his previous four starts.
"That's the life of a starter, and why you can't base all your outings on wins and losses," Wells said.
"I was trying to throw a lot of strikes and have quick innings, but at the same time I felt I was too vague in where I was trying to throw the ball. Mechanically, I was a little bit out of whack early on, but fortunately I got it under control and had some better innings as the game went on."
Mike Williams worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save in eight chances.