CHICAGO -- Livan Hernandez tied a franchise record by
winning his 11th straight decisions, leading the Washington
Nationals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Jose Guillen hit his 16th homer and catcher Brian Schneider was
3-for-5. He also helped preserve a one-run lead by picking off the
potential tying run at third base in the eighth.
Cubs starter Mark Prior (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits,
struck out seven and did not walk a batter in five innings.
Chicago's Derrek Lee homered and tripled. Jeromy Burnitz had two
hits and an RBIs, but was caught off third by Schneider with Todd
Hollandsworth, who homered earlier, at-bat.
Hernandez (12-2) allowed three runs in eight innings and joined
Dennis Martinez with 11 consecutive winning decisions. The
Nationals have won four straight.<
^Braves 9, Phillies 1=
PHILADELPHIA -- John Smoltz won his fifth straight start,
and Andruw Jones and Kelly Johnson hit three-run homers for
Atlanta.
Smoltz (9-5) improved to 5-0 with three complete games in his
last five starts. He allowed a run on five hits and struck out
seven in six innings.
Jones hit his major-league leading 26th homer, and Adam LaRoche
also connected for the Braves.
Vicente Padilla (3-8) lost for Philadelphia, defeated for the
12th time in 16 games and criticized before the game by closer
Billy Wagner. He said the team wasn't good enough to get to the
playoffs.<
^Astros 10, Reds 7=
CINCINNATI -- Flattened by a fastball that barely missed his
head, Houston's Morgan Ensberg got up and hit the next pitch into
the upper deck for a three-run homer in the second inning.
Ensberg, who also had two doubles, has 11 of his 21 homers and
32 RBIss since June 1.
Lance Berkman drove in a pair of runs with a double and a single
off Luke Hudson (1-3), who gave up a career-high seven runs in 2
1-3 innings against Cleveland last Saturday. This time, he allowed
six runs on six hits in two innings.
Andy Pettitte (5-7) gave up 10 hits and four runs in six
innings. Dan Wheeler got the save.<
^Cardinals 6, Rockies 0=
ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals' Chris Carpenter carried a
five-hitter into the eighth inning and became the major leagues'
fourth 12-game winner.
Albert Pujols homered in the first to extend his hitting streak
to 13 games, and Carpenter contributed a sacrifice fly for the
Cardinals.
Aaron Miles had two singles for the Rockies, a major
league-worst 6-32 on the road. It's the worst in baseball since the
1982 Twins began 5-32.
Carpenter (12-4) had nine strikeouts, leaving him two behind
league-leading Pedro Martinez. Colorado's Joe Kennedy (4-8) lasted
6 1-3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits.<
^Brewers 8, Pirates 4=
MILWAUKEE -- Rickie Weeks hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in
the seventh, but the Brewers lost Carlos Lee to a bruised left
knee.
Lee, who leads the majors with 72 RBIss, skidded to a stop
chasing a foul ball near the left-field foul line and appeared to
bang his knee against the wall in the first inning. The team said
Lee is day-to-day.
Matt Wise (2-2) pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief for
the victory. Mark Redman (4-7) allowed three runs in the first on
Damian Miller's two-run double and Wes Helms' RBIs double.
^Mets 7, Marlins 6=
NEW YORK -- Chris Woodward hit a tiebreaking RBIs single in
the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Mets beat Florida despite
blowing a late three-run lead.
With the score tied 6-all, Marlon Anderson led off the eighth
for the Mets with a double over Florida center fielder Juan
Pierre's head. He advanced on a sacrifice by Ramon Castro and
scored on Woodward's single off Jim Mecir (1-3) to put the Mets
back out in front.
Mike Cameron homered to start the seventh and put the Mets ahead
6-3, but a shaky bullpen couldn't protect it.
Alex Gonzalez hit a two-run double off Aaron Heilman, and Luis
Castillo had a two-out RBIs single off the glove of reliever Roberto
Hernandez (3-2). Braden Looper put runners on first and second in
the ninth but finished for his 17th save.<