National League roundup

Phillies clinch their 3rd straight NL East title

[October 01, 2009]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- All those blown saves didn't seem to matter when Brad Lidge jogged in from the bullpen to get the final out and set off another celebration.

Kyle Kendrick pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Pedro Martinez, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Astros 10-3 Wednesday night to clinch their third straight NL East crown.

Just as he did last year to secure the World Series victory over Tampa Bay, Lidge got the last out. He entered to a nice ovation after Scott Eyre retired the first two batters and needed one pitch to end it.

"I saw all the towels waving. It was awesome," said Lidge, who has 11 blown saves after a perfect season last year. "It was like, 'Here we go again' only in a good way. The fans were incredible."

Raul Ibanez hit his career-high 34th homer and Jimmy Rollins had a double and triple for Philadelphia, which is heading to the postseason for the third straight year for the first time since Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and crew won three consecutive NL East titles from 1976-78.

The Phillies are trying to become the first repeat champions since the New York Yankees won three straight World Series from 1998-2000. The Cincinnati Reds were the last NL team to win two in a row in 1975-76.

"You having fun?" All-Star second baseman Chase Utley asked fans who stayed for the party. "There's gonna be a lot more coming."

Kendrick (3-1) gave up two hits and struck out four. Martinez lasted just four innings, allowing three runs and six hits in his first start since a neck strain forced him out of a game at Atlanta on Sept. 19.

Astros starter Brian Moehler (8-12) gave up seven runs in 4 1-3 innings.

Celebrations are becoming common for the Phillies, who used to be the NL's laughingstock. The losingest team in professional sports has been thinking dynasty since winning the franchise's second championship in 126 years last October.

"We didn't assume but we expected. There's a difference between the two," pitcher J.A. Happ said. "There's a whole lot more coming up, when we return."

Unlike the last two years, the Phillies didn't sweat out this division title. They moved into first place for good on May 30 and have spent 136 days atop the standings.

The Phillies still have a chance to secure home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. They entered the night 1 1/2 games behind Los Angeles.

"I feel like this was a little harder than the others because all year people were saying how good we are, but we've had pitching problems all season," Manuel said.

Rockies 10, Brewers 6

At Denver, Todd Helton, Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki each hit a two-run homer, and Colorado moved closer to a playoff spot.

The Rockies lead the wild-card race by four games over Atlanta with four to play. They also pulled within 2 1/2 games of NL West-leading Los Angeles, off Thursday before hosting Colorado for three games to finish the season.

Prince Fielder, Mike Cameron and Casey McGehee homered for the Brewers.

Jason Hammel (10-8) became the fifth Colorado pitcher to reach double digits in wins this season.

Padres 5, Dodgers 0

At San Diego, Clayton Richard (5-2) tossed seven sharp innings to prevent Los Angeles from clinching the NL West title. Matt Kemp's first-inning single was the Dodgers' only hit.

The Dodgers equaled a season high with their fourth consecutive loss, failing once again to secure consecutive division titles for the first time since 1977-78. They beat Pittsburgh 8-4 on Saturday night to wrap up a playoff berth.

Marlins 5, Braves 4

At Atlanta, Ricky Nolasco struck out nine straight Braves and finished with a club-record 16 strikeouts -- most by a major league pitcher since Johan Santana fanned 17 for Minnesota against Texas in August 2007.

Nolasco's nine consecutive strikeouts in one game were one short of the big league record set by Hall of Famer Tom Seaver for the New York Mets on April 22, 1970, against San Diego.

Nolasco (13-9) struck out 14 of his first 19 batters and lasted 7 2-3 innings. Javier Vazquez (15-10) lost for the first time in five starts.

Giants 4, Diamondbacks 1

At San Francisco, Brad Penny (4-1) pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game in four years and the Giants won less than two hours after being eliminated from playoff contention. San Francisco was knocked out of the race when Colorado beat Milwaukee.

Nationals 7, Mets 4

At Washington, Justin Maxwell's grand slam off All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez (3-6) with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Nationals their first win when trailing after eight innings since June 11, 2008. It was Rodriguez's seventh blown save.

Reds 6, Cardinals 1

At Cincinnati, Laynce Nix hit a grand slam off John Smoltz (1-3), and Bronson Arroyo (15-13) pitched into the ninth inning. St. Louis has lost three straight since clinching the NL Central title.

Pirates 4, Cubs 0, Game 1

Pirates 8, Cubs 2, Game 2

At Chicago, Ryan Doumit went 4 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs to help Pittsburgh complete its first doubleheader sweep at Wrigley Field since June 20, 1983. Jeff Karstens (4-5) beat Carlos Zambrano (9-7), hours after Charlie Morton (5-9) threw a four-hitter in a victory over Ted Lilly (12-9).

[Associated Press; By ROB MAADDI]

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