Smoltz gets second win

ATLANTA — John Smoltz scattered nine hits for his second straight win, and the Braves made the most of their four hits off Jeff Suppan for a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Smoltz (2-3) walked a season-high four in 6 1-3 innings. He never retired the side in order but kept pitching out of trouble, twice getting Scott Rolen to strand a total of five runners.

The Braves broke a scoreless duel in the sixth with two runs, and Chris Reitsma helped Smoltz escape his final jam in the seventh. The Braves have scored only 10 runs in Smoltz's six starts.

Dan Kolbworked the ninth for his seventh save in eight tries.

Suppan (2-3) pitched seven strong innings, but the high-scoring St. Louis offense was shut down again by the Braves' pitching.

Giants 8, Pirates 3

PITTSBURGH — Moises Alou and Lance Niekro hit two-run homers and the Giants used rookie Brad Hennessey's solid start to finish off a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh's left-handed starters.

With Hennessey (1-0) allowing three runs and five hits over seven innings in his first start this season, the Giants won their sixth game in a row after dropping nine out of 11.

The three-game sweep in Pittsburgh was their first since May 10-12, 1996.

Alou, breaking out of a season-long slump with a big weekend, drove in three runs while reaching base five times during a 3-for-3 day. Niekro, whose big league pitcher-father Joe grew up only an hour away near Lansing, Ohio, had a two-run shot in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh.

With Oliver Perez (1-3) making yet another poor start, the Pirates lost their ninth in 13 games and are off to a terrible start at home for the second straight season.

Phillies 8, Marlins 6

PHILADELPHIA — Bobby Abreu hit a three-run homer, and Philadelphia jumped on Florida's Josh Beckett for five runs in the first inning.

Tomas Perez, playing in place of injured first baseman Jim Thome, had three hits and three RBIs in his second start of the season.

Billy Wagner got five outs for his sixth save in as many chances.

The hard-throwing lefty relieved Tim Worrell in the eighth inning with runners on first and second and one out, and got Mike Lowell to bounce into a double play.

In his previous five starts, Beckett had allowed five earned runs in 33 innings. The Phillies needed just eight batters to hang five runs on the Marlins starter.

Cory Lidle (2-2) surrendered five run on nine hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Brewers 13, Reds 3

MILWAUKEE — Lyle Overbay had a career-high five hits, including a three-run homer, and Doug Davis pitched a five-hitter to lead the Brewers to their fourth straight win.

Overbay, who homered twice Friday, has a nine-game hitting streak and 17 hits in his last 34 at-bats. Milwaukee, which entered with a .231 batting average, 15th among the 16 NL teams, had its most runs and hits (19) since June 27, 2003, at Minnesota.

Brady Clark had four hits for the Brewers, who swept a series for the first time since July and are on their longest winning streak since taking five in a row last June 26-July 1, 2004.

Davis (3-3), who had lost three straight starts, struck out eight and walked one in his fifth complete game, the first since Aug. 26, 2003, at Cincinnati.

Ramon Ortiz (0-1), activated from the disabled list before the game, gave up six runs and seven hits in two innings.

Astros 9, Cubs 3

HOUSTON — Mike Lamb hit his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, and the Astros roughed up Mark Prior to offset the loss of Roy Oswalt to a foot injury.

Lamb connected, and Adam Everett followed with a three-run shot in a seven-run fifth off Prior (3-1) as the Astros closed the series against their NL Central rivals with consecutive wins after losing six straight.

Houston, which entered 29th in the majors in runs, needed the outburst because Oswalt (4-2) got off to a shaky start, then left in the sixth with a sprained right foot.

Oswalt lasted five-plus innings, his shortest outing in six starts this season.

Prior gave up eight runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in his first loss of the year. The defeat snapped his six-game winning streak.

Dodgers 2, Rockies 1

LOS ANGELES — Derek Lowe pitched six strong innings and Jeff Kent drove in both runs, leading the Dodgers to a victory that completed a three-game sweep.

Lowe (2-2) allowed a run, five hits and no walks in six innings, helping send Colorado to its fifth straight loss. Yhency Brazoban, the fourth Los Angeles pitcher, got three outs for his eighth save in nine attempts while filling for injured closer Eric Gagne.

The Rockies also were swept in three games by San Francisco and Arizona, and are off to a 6-17 start.

Shawn Chacon (1-1) threw 116 pitches over five innings, allowing two runs, three hits and seven walks. He has allowed 24 walks and 25 earned runs in 37 2-3 career innings at Dodger Stadium.

Diamondbacks 5, Padres 2

SAN DIEGO — Javier Vazquez pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game in two seasons, leading the Diamondbacks over the Padres.

Vazquez (3-2), who held San Diego scoreless until the seventh, struck out eight and walked none in his 17th complete game, his first since a three-hit shutout for the Montreal Expos against San Francisco on Aug. 18, 2003.

Acquired by Arizona from the New York Yankees in the Randy Johnson trade, Vazquez has won three straight starts, getting all his wins on the road. He has allowed four earned runs in his last 24 innings.

Shawn Green had three hits, including an RBI double for the Diamondbacks.

Mets 6, Nationals 3

WASHINGTON — Carlos Beltran went 3-for-5 with two doubles, including one that drove in two runs in the ninth, and the Mets came back to end a four-game losing streak.

Eric Valent led off the ninth against Luis Ayala (1-1) with a single to center, and Marlon Anderson followed with a broken-bat blooper to right for his seventh hit in 13 at-bats as a pinch hitter this season.

Jose Reyes then bunted, and catcher Gary Bennett's throw to first was late, giving Reyes an infield single, loading the bases for Miguel Cairo, whose sacrifice fly put New York ahead 4-3. Beltran then hit a line shot over left fielder Ryan Church's head and to the base of the wall, making it 6-3.