National League roundup

[September 03, 2009]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Brad Penny moved from the wild-card race in the AL to the one in the NL. He hopes he can make the difference in San Francisco that he failed to make in Boston.

Penny pitched five-hit ball over eight shutout innings in his first start with the Giants, leading the NL wild-card contenders to a 4-0 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

"This is what you put a uniform on for, to get into the playoffs and play in the World Series," Penny said.

Penny (1-0) was back in his old All-Star form in his first outing since he was released last week by Boston. Penny went 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA this season for Boston -- including 1-6 in his last 11 starts.

"He gave us more than we thought," Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Penny's lone jam came in the fifth inning when the first two batters reached base. He got All-Star Raul Ibanez to fly out, and escaped without any further damage.

No one in the World Series champion Phillies' lineup did much of anything.

The Red Sox might be nipping at the Yankees' heels in the AL East if the righty pitched like this the last two months. It was Penny's longest outing in 28 starts this season and he nearly tossed his first complete game in three years.

Penny was clocked at 97 mph in the first inning and his fastball remained in the mid-90s over 102 pitches for his first win since July 24.

Juan Uribe and Aaron Rowand homered for the Giants, who reached 73 victories to match their 2008 total. The Giants trail Colorado by a game in the wild-card race.

J.A. Happ (10-4) lost his second straight start for the Phillies.

Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain give the Giants perhaps the best 1-2 starters in baseball, and having Penny return to the form that saw him twice win 16 games with the Dodgers would bolster their playoff chances.

"The reason I came here is, you get in a five-game series, with the pitching these guys here ... I mean, you've got a good chance to win," Penny said. "This team is going to be real dangerous and people aren't going to want to play them if they're in the playoffs."

Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 1

At Los Angeles, Brandon Allen's two-run homer highlighted a four-run fifth inning for Arizona.

Max Scherzer (9-8) allowed a run and seven hits in 7 2-3 innings, and Juan Gutierrez pitched the ninth for his third save. Chad Billingsley (12-9) was the loser.

Cardinals 10, Brewers 3

At St. Louis, Chris Carpenter (15-3) won his 10th straight decision for the Cardinals, and Skip Schumaker was 4 for 4 with two RBIs.

Yadier Molina had a pair of RBI doubles and finished with three hits for the NL Central leaders, whose 10 1/2-game cushion is the best division lead in baseball. Troy Glaus, activated from the 60-day disabled list from a shoulder injury Monday, struck out as a pinch hitter to end the sixth in his first at-bat of the season.

Dave Bush (3-6) took the loss.

Rockies 5, Mets 2

At Denver, Jason Giambi's pinch-hit two-run single off Brian Stokes (2-4) broke an eighth-inning tie for Colorado.

Giambi, jettisoned by Oakland, signed with Colorado last week and was called up from the minor leagues Tuesday. Ubaldo Jimenez (13-10) was the winner, and Franklin Morales pitched a perfect ninth for his first save in the majors.

Cubs 2, Astros 0

At Chicago, Ted Lilly pitched eight shutout innings to reach the 10-win mark for the seventh consecutive season, and Derrek Lee hit a two-run homer for the Cubs.

Houston's Aaron Boone was back in a major league game five months after open-heart surgery. He played first base and was hitless in three at-bats.

Lilly (10-8) allowed only four hits in joining Mark Buehrle, CC Sabathia and Johan Santana as the only active left-handers with 10 or more wins in seven straight years.

Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth inning for his eighth save.

Felipe Paulino (2-7) was the loser.

Reds 5, Pirates 3

At Cincinnati, Brandon Phillips and Drew Stubbs homered to help the Reds sweep the four-game series and hand Pittsburgh its seventh straight loss.

Homer Bailey (5-4) set a career high in strikeouts for the second straight start, fanning eight in 6 1-3 innings. Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 30th save.

Pirates starter Zach Duke (10-3) failed to hold a 3-2 sixth-inning lead.

Marlins 8, Braves 7

At Miami, Wes Helms hit a game-winning homer for Florida, and Dan Uggla had a two-run shot after challenging teammate Hanley Ramirez's effort.

Helms hit a 3-2 pitch off Mike Gonzalez (3-4) well over the left-field scoreboard.

Brett Carroll hit a bases-clearing double, and Ross Gload finished a home run shy of the cycle for Florida. Yunel Escobar homered in the top of the ninth off Leo Nunez (4-4) to tie it.

Padres 7, Nationals 0

At San Diego, Kevin Correia (10-10) limited Washington to three hits in 7 2-3 innings, and Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley hit two-run doubles for the Padres.

Edward Mujica worked the final 1 1-3 inning to finish the three-hitter and the Padres' fourth shutout. John Lannan (8-10) took the loss.

[Associated Press; By DAN GELSTON]

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