National League roundup

[March 19, 2010]  MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Trevor Hoffman said it felt different. The result was the same.

The all-time saves leader notched his first with Milwaukee and the Brewers rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Tuesday night.

"The way the team played, the way we came back, we needed a shut down (inning) and so, overall, I think it was a good way of doing it," said Hoffman, who signed a $6 million, one-year deal in the offseason after recording 552 of his 554 previous saves with the San Diego Padres.

Brewers starter Dave Bush returned to the bench to watch Hoffman, and Ryan Braun, who drove in two runs, said it was just as exciting as Hoffman's first appearance on Monday when the Brewers scored five runs to make his outing moot.

"I don't know if that'll ever get old," Braun said. "Anytime you get an opportunity to watch a guy that's that good at what they do, it's pretty cool. You kind of become a fan and a spectator."

Milwaukee erased Pittsburgh's 5-1 lead with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth on Bill Hall's solo homer off Pirates starter Paul Maholm and Rickie Weeks' two-run shot off reliever Jesse Chavez (0-1).

"The way they're swinging the bats, if you make a mistake, you know they're going to hit it hard," Pirates manager John Russell said.

From there, the Brewers bullpen held tight with Jorge Julio (1-0), Mitch Stetter, Todd Coffey and Hoffman.

"It's really nice to have Trevor and of course he's saved more games than anybody, but when you have a one-run lead and you're the manager in the ninth inning, you're always on the edge of your seat, no matter who is in there," Brewers skipper Ken Macha said.

The victory was Milwaukee's 14th in a row over Pittsburgh and 17th straight at Miller Park.

Hoffman, who spent the first 17 games on the DL after straining his oblique on March 13, said he felt fine pitching on back-to-back days.

"It's nice be able to go down the line like we all did and secure a victory," Hoffman said. "It's going to add momentum, keep the wind in your sails."

Phillies 7, Nationals 1

At Philadelphia, Chase Utley homered twice and drove in three runs, Pedro Feliz added a three-run shot and the Phillies won their fifth straight.

Raul Ibanez also went deep for the Phillies, who won despite losing ace Cole Hamels early for the second consecutive start. The left-hander came out in the fifth inning after spraining his left ankle trying to field John Lannan's bunt.

Hamels allowed four hits and struck out four in 4 1-3 innings, leaving with a 5-0 lead.

Marlins 7, Mets 4

At New York, Jorge Cantu homered twice and drove in five runs and the Marlins snapped a seven-game losing streak.

The Marlins' skid started immediately after they'd won seven in a row. Florida became the first NL team to win at least seven straight and also lose at least seven straight in April, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Braves 2, Cardinals 1

At Atlanta, Matt Diaz drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single off Kyle McClellan in the eighth inning to rally the Braves.

Kyle Lohse pitched six scoreless innings and left with a 1-0 lead, but he was denied his fourth straight win as the Braves took advantage of McClellan's shaky eighth.

McClellan (1-1) walked Omar Infante, Chipper Jones and Jeff Francoeur to set the stage for Diaz's go-ahead hit with two outs.

Peter Moylan (1-1) pitched a perfect eighth.

Astros 8, Reds 3

At Cincinnati, Wandy Rodriguez (2-2) allowed one run in seven innings and Ivan Rodriguez homered and doubled, helping the Astros extend their three-year winning streak at Great American Ball Park.

The Astros have won their last 11 games in Cincinnati, a streak that started late in the 2007 season and is the longest current run of dominance in the majors.

Padres 4, Rockies 3

At Denver, Luis Rodriguez laced a run-scoring pinch single through a drawn-in infield in the ninth to lift the Padres.

Nick Hundley began the inning with a triple into the corner off reliever Manuel Corpas (0-2), and scored easily when Rodriguez's one-out hit scooted through the right side of the infield.

Cubs 11, Diamondbacks 3

At Phoenix, Carlos Zambrano fell a triple shy of the cycle and pitched seven sharp innings for the Cubs.

Alfonso Soriano and Mike Fontenot also homered for the Cubs, who won for only the second time in seven games.

In the seventh, Zambrano (2-1) hit his 17th career homer, most by a Cubs pitcher.

Dodgers 5, Giants 3

At San Francisco, Andre Ethier doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth and the Dodgers avoided their longest losing streak of the season.

Manny Ramirez had three doubles and James Loney drove in two runs for the Dodgers, who lost their previous two games.

Jonathan Broxton (2-0) blew his first save after six straight successful chances when he walked pinch-hitter Rich Aurilia with the bases loaded in the eighth.

[Associated Press; By COLIN FLY]

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