NL roundup: Phillies rally in ninth to beat Pirates

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Ryan Howard hit a tying three-run homer in the ninth inning before Paul Bako's single gave the Philadelphia Phillies an 8-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

The Phillies, who have won eight of nine, trailed 7-3 before pinch-hitter Matt Stairs led off the ninth with a homer off Matt Capps (1-5). Jimmy Rollins walked and stole second, his third steal of the game, and Chase Utley followed with a one-out single to left.

Howard followed Utley by blasting a 1-0 pitch to tie the game at 7. Raul Ibanez, playing in his first game after missing 20 with a groin injury, then hit a ground-rule double to center. After an intentional walk to Jayson Werth and an infield single by Pedro Feliz, Bako lined a 3-2 pitch to left, sending a crowd that included Vice President Joe Biden home happy.

Tyler Walker (1-0) pitched one scoreless inning of relief.

Mets 4, Reds 0

NEW YORK (AP) - Jeff Francoeur had a two-run single in his Mets debut and Johan Santana pitched seven sharp innings, leading New York over Cincinnati.

Omir Santos had three hits for New York, which scored all its runs in the first two innings. Leadoff hitter Angel Pagan scored twice and swiped two bases in his second game back after being sidelined with a strained groin.

Santana (10-7) allowed five hits, struck out five and walked one, taking advantage of some rare run support. New York had scored seven runs in the left-hander's previous four starts.

While the Mets were all smiles, the Reds had a rough night. Johnny Cueto (8-6) turned in another shaky start, and right fielder Jay Bruce broke his right wrist trying to make a sliding catch.

Cubs 5, Cardinals 2

CHICAGO (AP) - Ted Lilly allowed four hits and a run in eight strong innings to earn his 100th career win, and Chicago beat St. Louis.

Lilly (9-6), the Cubs' lone selection to the All-Star game, walked one and struck out four in a 103-pitch outing and left with a 5-1 lead. The veteran left-hander was staked to an early 3-0 lead with Jeff Baker hitting a two-run, bases-loaded single off Brad Thompson (2-6) in the first.

St. Louis got a run in the ninth off reliever Carlos Marmol and had the tying run at the plate before closer Kevin Gregg struck out pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker for his 16th save in 19 chances.

Brewers 6, Dodgers 3

MILWAUKEE (AP) - J.J. Hardy hit a two-out, two-run double in the eighth, and Trevor Hoffman and the Milwaukee bullpen held on this time to beat Los Angeles.

Mike Burns (2-2) struck out a career-high seven and drove in a run to win for the second time in his career, and Frank Catalanotto homered for the Brewers.

Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier hit back-to-back shots for the Dodgers (55-32), who are 5-3 on their nine-game trip and will have the best mark in the majors at the All-Star break regardless of what happens Sunday.

Manny Ramirez went 1 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to five games a night after tying Yankees great Mickey Mantle on the career home run list at 536. Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver (5-3) allowed four straight hits to start the fourth.

Nationals 13, Astros 2

HOUSTON (AP) - Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn homered in consecutive at-bats and Washington set season highs for hits and runs.

Washington's 21 hits were the team's most since the franchise relocated from Montreal in 2005. The Nationals last scored 13 runs against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 22, 2008.

Rookie Craig Stammen (2-4) gave up nine hits in Washington's fourth complete game of the season. Willingham added a two-run homer and an RBI double and Alberto Gonzalez had a pair of RBI singles for the Nationals.

Houston starter Mike Hampton (5-6) gave up nine hits in 3 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.

Giants 2, Padres 1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Pablo Sandoval homered for the second straight day and Justin Miller (2-1) pitched solidly after an injury forced starter Matt Cain out.

A day after Jonathan Sanchez pitched a no-hitter, the Giants beat the Padres for a third straight game behind Sandoval.

Sandoval hit his 15th homer of the season in the fourth, a two-run shot off San Diego starter Tim Stauffer (0-1) who was making his first major league appearance in nearly two years.

Brandon Medders, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson completed the seven-hitter for San Francisco. Wilson pitched 1 1-3 innings for his 23rd save in 27 chances.

The surging Giants moved a season-high 11 games over .500 and within six games of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first in the NL West. San Francisco also owns the best home record in the majors with a 31-14 mark.

Diamondbacks 5, Marlins 1

PHOENIX (AP) - All-Star Justin Upton matched a career high with four hits, Jon Garland allowed one run in eight innings.

Upton had three singles, a triple and an RBI, and Miguel Montero added a two-run double for the Diamondbacks, who won for the seventh time in eight games.

With one day to go until the All-Star break, the second-place Marlins fell four games behind Philadelphia in the NL East.

Garland (5-8) had gone nine starts without a victory and won for the first time since May 19 - also against Florida. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out five in his longest start.

The Diamondbacks entered 8-16 against left-handed starters but jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Sean West (3-4).

Braves 4, Rockies 3

DENVER (AP) - Jair Jurrjens pitched six strong innings and singled twice to drive in a run and score one too.

Jurrjens (7-7) won for just the second time in his last eight starts with the help of his bat and arm. He had taken five losses in that span, including four in which he received two or fewer runs in offensive support.

Rafael Soriano, the last of five Braves pitchers, allowed a bloop single to Seth Smith to start the ninth inning but then struck out the side for his 12th save in 13 opportunities.

Colorado starter Jason Marquis (11-6) went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits but was denied in his bid for a major league-leading 12th win.