Wainwright stymies Dodgers in 10-0 win

[July 29, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- For 99 games, the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided losing three in a row. Game No. 100 was a stinker that ended a franchise-record run.

Adam Wainwright matched zeros with Chad Billingsley for five innings and gained momentum after Billingsley was roughed up in a six-run sixth inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' 10-0 rout on Tuesday night. The game was so far out of hand, infielder Mark Loretta made his second career pitching appearance and got the final out in the eighth.

"We'll be back here tomorrow trying to stop that stuff," manager Joe Torre said. "We need to score some runs and take a little pressure off the pitchers."

Wainwright (12-6) finished just shy of his first career shutout and topped his 2008 victory total after outlasting Billingsley (10-6). He was 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA in July, also working 8 1-3 shutout innings at Milwaukee on July 7, and got a boost pitching against the Dodgers' young star.

"I go into every game focused, but you find yourself a little bit more locked in when you face guys like that," Wainwright said. "If you put up zeros, you're not going to lose."

The Dodgers have the majors' best record at 62-38 and were the last team in the majors to lose three in a row. The previous franchise record was 73 games before a three-game losing streak in 1965.

Billingsley had a one-hitter through five innings before falling apart in a game that was delayed 1 hour, 25 minutes before the start due to the threat of heavy rain that never came. The Dodgers have managed one run on 20 hits the first two games of a four-game series and are 2-10 at 4-year-old Busch Stadium.

Billingsley issued four of his season-high six walks in the sixth, two of them intentionally. The Cardinals followed both of those with hits, a two-run bases-loaded single by Ryan Ludwick to open the scoring and an RBI single by Wainwright.

"Everything was going well," Billingsley said. "Just that sixth inning, I couldn't stop the bleeding."

The Cardinals were playing for one run at the start of the inning, and Mark DeRosa bunted into a forceout after Skip Schumaker's leadoff walk. Billingsley's control problems helped St. Louis open it up.

"He's by far one of the best right-handers in the game," Ludwick said. "But that's kind of how our lineup stacks up. At any time you can see a breakout inning."

DeRosa added a three-run homer in the eighth, his sixth in 14 games. The Cardinals' revamped lineup has scored 16 runs the last two games without much from Albert Pujols. He's 1 for 7 with three walks in the series and 10 for 42 (.238) since the All-Star break with two solo homers in the first game back and no other extra-base hits.

Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 3

At Phoenix, Shane Victorino homered and drove in two runs and Cole Hamels pitched eight dominant innings for Philadelphia.

Hamels (7-5) gave up one run and four hits, walked none and struck out nine. He won consecutive starts for the first time since June 4.

The Phillies had to survive a shaky ninth inning by Brad Lidge, who got his 20th save despite giving up a two-run homer to Mark Reynolds.

Arizona ace Dan Haren (10-6), who entered with an NL-low 2.14 ERA, lost for only the second time since May 12.

Marlins 4, Braves 3

At Miami, Pinch-hitter Ross Gload hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth for Florida.

Cody Ross was walked by Rafael Soriano (1-2) to start the ninth and advanced on a sacrifice. Gload pulled a 3-1 pitch into the right-field seats and was mobbed by teammates when he reached the plate.

Soriano blew a save for only the second time in 16 chances.

Atlanta's Garret Anderson hit a go-ahead homer to lead off the top of the ninth against Leo Nunez (3-3).

Mets 4, Rockies 0

At New York, Mike Pelfrey pitched out of trouble into the seventh inning and New York won its fourth straight.

Pelfrey rebounded from consecutive losses to again fluster the Rockies, running his scoreless innings streak against them to 20. Pelfrey (8-6) got into bases-loaded jams in the fourth and sixth innings, but escaped with some nifty defensive help both times.

Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur, Brian Schneider and David Murphy drove in the runs for New York, which matched its longest winning streak since May 25-29.

Rockies starter Jason Marquis (12-7) allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings.

Padres 3, Reds 2

At Cincinnati, Kevin Kouzmanoff doubled twice off Bronson Arroyo and added a tiebreaking sacrifice fly for San Diego.

Adrian Gonzalez homered for the Padres, who are 5-20 since July 1. The Reds have dropped 13 of 17.

Arroyo (10-10) gave up three runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings. Kouzmanoff put the Padres up 3-2 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh off Nick Masset.

Kevin Correia (7-8) bounced back from his worst start of the season by going six innings and allowing two runs. Heath Bell pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 26 chances.

Astros 11, Cubs 6

At Chicago, Geoff Blum hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning and Miguel Tejada also connected and had a season-high five RBIs as Houston overcame an injury to ace Roy Oswalt.

Jeff Keppinger had four hits and drove in three runs as the Astros snapped the Cubs' five-game winning streak and ended its own three-game losing streak.

Nationals 8, Brewers 3

At Milwaukee, Nyjer Morgan, Adam Dunn and Cristian Guzman homered and Washington won its fourth straight, tying its longest winning streak this season.

Morgan led off the game with a homer, Dunn hit a towering blast 445 feet that took one hop and bounced out of Miller Park in the fourth and Guzman capped it with a three-run shot in the eighth.

Collin Balester (1-1) scattered two runs and five hits in six innings, winning his first game since being called up after prized prospect Jordan Zimmerman (elbow) went on the disabled list.

Morgan homered on the second pitch from Carlos Villanueva (2-8).

Giants 3, Pirates 2

At San Francisco, Eugenio Velez homered in the second inning and had a tie-breaking RBI double in the sixth for San Francisco.

Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe had two hits each for the Giants, while Sergio Romo (3-1) pitched 1-3 of an inning for the win, the Giants' seventh in their last nine games at AT&T Park.

Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save and San Francisco improved to 20-7 at home since May 25.

Velez, who was recalled from Triple-A on Monday, hit a solo homer off Charlie Morton (2-3

Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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