National League roundup

[May 05, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Running full speed after chasing down a deep liner in the gap, Rick Ankiel had no time to slow down.

The St. Louis Cardinals' center fielder barely had time to raise his arms and brace for impact before barreling headfirst into the lightly padded outfield wall. Somehow, he also managed to transfer the ball from his glove to his bare hand before a collision that left him crumpled and on his back for several minutes at a hushed Busch Stadium.

"It's scary to see someone run that fast into a wall," Cardinals left fielder Chris Duncan said.

Ankiel was carted off the field after his breathtaking catch of Pedro Feliz's eighth-inning drive, a frightening moment in the Philadelphia Phillies' 6-1 victory Monday night that included a record-tying grand slam by Ryan Howard.

X-rays and a CT scan of Ankiel's head, neck and back were all negative and showed no fractures, team spokesman Brian Bartow said. Ankiel, who flashed a thumbs-up sign as he was taken off the field strapped to a gurney and wearing a neck brace, was hospitalized overnight for observation.

"He's playing Gold Glove center field, and he plays it more aggressive than anyone I've seen," Duncan said. "He's got a lot of range and he makes good plays, but it's scary."

The badly dented bill of Ankiel's cap reflected the intensity of the collision.

"I hope he's not hurt," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "It's just too bad that it happened because he made a heck of a play. He hit the wall pretty hard from what I saw."

Howard hit his seventh career slam, matching Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for the Phillies record. Howard, born and raised in St. Louis, is a .383 career hitter at 4-year-old Busch Stadium with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 60 at-bats. He didn't deny a comfort level after going 2 for 3 with a walk.

"I guess you could say that," said Howard, who has two of the Phillies' four slams this season. "It's kind of special to play in front of your hometown fans. I'm not going to knock it, I'm going to take it."

Joe Blanton (1-2) allowed a run in six innings for his first win since Sept. 26 while giving Philadelphia's rotation only its fifth victory this year. Jayson Werth added a two-run shot for the Phillies, who chased Kyle Lohse (3-1) with one out in the fifth for his shortest outing since Aug. 12, 2008.

Lohse struggled after getting hit by a pitch in his left elbow in the third. The right-hander said his delivery wasn't the same the rest of his outing.

"The results show that," Lohse said. "It hurt every delivery after that."

Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 2

At Los Angeles, the Dodgers became the first NL team since 1900 to win their first 11 home games, overcoming a triple play with a homer and three RBIs from Manny Ramirez.

The defending NL West champions broke the previous league record for longest home winning streak to start a season, set by the 1918 New York Giants and equaled by the 1970 Chicago Cubs and 1983 Atlanta Braves -- who were managed by current Dodgers skipper Joe Torre.

The major league mark is 12, set in 1911 by the Detroit Tigers.

Mets 6, Braves 4

At Atlanta, Carlos Beltran hit a pair of two-run homers, David Wright added a two-run shot and New York matched its 2008 total for wins at Turner Field.

Beltran is hitting .400 for the Mets, who went 1-8 in Atlanta last year. They improved to 30-63 at Turner Field since the start of the 1998 season.

John Maine (2-2) beat Javier Vazquez (2-3) despite a career-high six walks. Francisco Rodriguez earned his sixth save.

Brewers 7, Pirates 4

At Pittsburgh, Rickie Weeks hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the ninth after a supposedly unavailable Ryan Braun tied it an inning earlier with a two-run double.

The Brewers scored six runs in the final two innings to earn their 16th consecutive victory over Pittsburgh. It's the longest winning streak in the majors by one team against another since the Diamondbacks took 16 in a row from the Reds from 2001-03.

The Pirates led 3-1 in the eighth behind Paul Maholm, only to tie it when Braun -- who wasn't in Pittsburgh when the game began -- doubled to right. Braun underwent an MRI exam in Milwaukee earlier in the day, flew to Pittsburgh, and was cleared to play.

Nationals 9, Astros 4

At Washington, Adam Dunn delivered a two-run single during a five-run sixth inning and Ryan Zimmerman matched a career high with four hits.

Zimmerman extended his Nationals-record hitting streak to 22 games, longest in the majors this season. Elijah Dukes had three RBIs.

Cubs 4, Giants 2

At Chicago, Ryan Theriot hit his third homer in four games and Ryan Dempster (2-1) pitched seven strong innings. Theriot entered the month with seven career homers, never more than three in a season. Kevin Gregg got his fourth save.

Marlins 3, Reds 2, 14 innings

At Miami, a throwing error by shortstop Paul Janish sent home the winning run in the 14th inning, and Florida retained the NL East lead. Hanley Ramirez homered and made a key defensive play for the Marlins, who ended a three-game skid.

Rockies 9, Padres 6

At San Diego, Chris Iannetta hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh, sending the Padres to their sixth straight loss and 12th in 14 games. Huston Street earned his third save.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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