National League
Glavine helps Mets avoid three-game losing streak MIAMI (AP) – Tom Glavine carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing a hit and helped the New York Mets avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season by throwing 7 2-3 strong innings in a 7-4 victory Saturday over the Florida Marlins.
Glavine (8-2) struck out nine and walked none in winning his 283rd career game, tying him with Jim Kaat for 28th all-time. He left after allowing a two-run home run to Joe Borchard and a double to Hanley Ramirez in the eighth.
New York’s David Wright returned after sitting out Friday’s 5-1 loss to Florida with back spasms to match a career-high with four hits, including two doubles. He drove in two runs and scored another.
Florida starter Dontrelle Willis (1-6) allowed three hits, struck out four and walked three. He has now gone eight consecutive starts without a victory, the longest stretch of his career. The loss snapped Florida’s four-game winning streak.
Braves 2, Cubs 1
CHICAGO – Horacio Ramirez made his second start of the season a strong one, allowing seven hits and a run over seven innings to lead the Braves.
Atlanta’s Marcus Giles hit a two-run double in the second inning for all the scoring Ramirez would need.
Ramirez (1-0), who hurt his left hamstring running out a bunt single in his season debut April 4 at Los Angeles, didn’t appear rusty after a long layoff. He made four rehab starts before coming off the disabled list before Saturday’s game.
The Cubs put runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth, before Mike Remlinger got Ronny Cedeno to bounce back to the mound for the final out. It Remlinger’s second save in four chances.
Sean Marshall (3-3) lasted six innings for the Cubs, giving up seven hits and two runs with two strikeouts and two walks.
Dodgers 3, Nationals 1
WASHINGTON – Derek Lowe allowed one run over seven innings to win his second straight start, and Nomar Garciaparra singled in the deciding run in the eighth inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lowe (3-3) allowed five hits, walked one and struck out three, the latest in a spate of impressive outings that has helped the Dodgers win seven of their last eight. He prevailed in a pitcher’s duel that spoiled the return of Nationals starter Shawn Hill from Tommy John surgery, and snapped Washington’s season-high four-game winning streak.
Hill, making his first start in two years, allowed five hits and one run over seven innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. The game was tied 1-1 when he left, but the Dodgers put together a rally in the eighth against relievers Mike Stanton (1-5) and Gary Majewski.
The Dodgers added an insurance run in the ninth. Andre Ethier led off the inning with a single and scored on a throwing error by Damian Jackson, who had moved from center field to shortstop at the start of the inning.
Brewers 9, Phillies 6
PHILADELPHIA – Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall homered in the eighth inning to help the Milwaukee Brewers win their third straight road game.
Carlos Lee also homered and Hall drove in four runs for the Brewers, 5-0 against the Phillies this season.
Jimmy Rollins had three hits with a homer and three runs scored for Philadelphia, which has lost nine of 11 since going 13-1 at the start of the month.
Weeks, who is hitting .500 (12 for 24) in his last seven games, launched a two-run homer into the left-field seats off reliever Ryan Franklin (1-4) for his fifth homer of the season. Hall’s shot went even farther, reaching the second deck in left field for his 12th homer.
Franklin has now given up six homers in just 23 2-3 innings.
Diamondbacks 7, Reds 0
CINCINNATI – Juan Cruz scattered four hits over six shutout innings for the second straight outstanding performance by an Arizona starting pitcher and Orlando Hudson hit his first National League home run Saturday night.
Hudson, in his first season with Arizona after four with Toronto, had three hits as the Diamondbacks earned their seventh win in their last eight games. His three-run home run in the eighth inning sealed the victory.
Giants 4, Rockies 1
SAN FRANCISCO – Barry Bonds might be taking his pursuit to pass the Babe back on the road.
Bonds went without a home run for his fifth straight game, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run in the Giants’ victory over the Rockies.
The slugger remained at 714 home runs a week after hitting his last homer, and is one from moving past Babe Ruth and into sole possession of second place behind Hank Aaron’s 755.
Giants manager Felipe Alou wasn’t sure whether Bonds would play in Sunday’s series finale before the team heads out of town for three games at Florida followed by three against the Mets in New York.
Matt Cain (3-5), who pitched a one-hit shutout last Sunday at Oakland that ended a four-start winless stretch after he had his turn in the rotation skipped once, allowed two hits in 5 2-3 innings. Armando Benitez recorded the final three outs for his first save since May 8 and third in five chances.
Josh Fogg (3-3) lost for the first time in six career appearances against the Giants.