Pirates spoil Griffey's return to Reds

CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. returned to the Cincinnati Reds' lineup with two singles and a sacrifice fly, but Brian Giles tripled and homered Monday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates took an early lead and held on for a 6-5 victory.

Griffey, out with a pulled hamstring since June 24, only jogged after he hit the ball and went 2-for-3 with a walk and a seventh-inning sacrifice fly to the warning track.

While they waited for Texas starter Kenny Rogers to decide whether he would accept a trade to Cincinnati, the Reds watched Ryan Dempster (5-11) get rocked for the third time since he arrived in a deal with Florida.

Left-hander Jimmy Anderson (8-10) gave up three runs in six innings, including Adam Dunn's 19th homer. Mike Williams pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 32 chances.

Marlins 2, Braves 1

MIAMI -- A.J. Burnett allowed a run in six innings as Florida handed Greg Maddux his first loss in 16 starts and snapped Atlanta's six-game winning streak.

Maddux (9-3) lost for the first time since April 30. In the following 15 starts, he went 7-0 with a 2.28 ERA.

The right-hander gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings. Burnett (9-7) was just slightly better, yielding five hits and striking out six.

Braden Looper pitched the ninth for his second save as the Marlins won their fourth straight.

Andruw Jones hit his team-leading 22nd homer to give the Braves a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Florida evened the score on Homer Bush's run-scoring single in the fourth, then went ahead on Charles Johnson's RBI double in the sixth.

Mets 5, Expos 2

NEW YORK -- Pinch-hitter Marco Scutaro made a name for himself at Shea Stadium with his first major league hit, a two-run triple off Tomo Ohka (8-5) that broke a seventh-inning tie and sent New York over Montreal.

The Mets, scrambling back into the NL wild card race, won for the seventh time in nine games. Mo Vaughn hit his 15th homer, David Weathers (4-3) got the victory and Armando Benitez closed for his 24th save.

The Expos ended their scoreless streak at 27 innings -- their worst drought since 1991 -- on Michael Barrett's two-run homer in the fifth. Still, Montreal lost its fourth in a row and missed a chance to catch the Mets in the standings.

Cubs 7, Phillies 6

CHICAGO -- Sammy Sosa hit his 30th homer and singled home the tying run during a ninth-inning rally as Chicago beat Philadelphia.

Fred McGriff hit a game-winning RBI double for the Cubs.

Bobby Abreu put the Phillies ahead 6-5 with a ninth-inning homer off Kyle Farnsworth (3-1), helping Philadelphia overcome a 5-0 deficit.

But Jose Mesa (3-6) blew a save for the seventh time in 32 chances.

Astros 3, Brewers 1

HOUSTON -- Wade Miller pitched seven strong innings to beat Milwaukee for the 10th time in 11 decisions, leading Houston over the Brewers.

Milwaukee dropped its eighth straight game, its longest losing streak since an 11-game skid last July.

Miller (7-3) retired 14 of the first 16 hitters and didn't allow a baserunner to advance past first until the sixth inning. He allowed one run and six hits to improve his ERA to 2.63 lifetime against the Brewers.

Brad Ausmus homered for the Astros, and Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances.

Glendon Rusch (5-10) gave up three runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 1

PHOENIX -- Curt Schilling got his 17th victory -- four more than any other pitcher in the majors -- and Luis Gonzalez drove in four runs as Arizona beat Colorado.

Gonzalez and Matt Williams homered off Mike Hampton (5-12) for the Diamondbacks, who increased their NL West lead to two games over San Francisco and 2 1/2 over the Dodgers.

Schilling (17-3) allowed one run and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings, earning his 11th consecutive win over a division opponent.

He walked three -- only the fifth time in 22 starts he's given up more than one free pass -- and fanned eight to finish with a major league-leading 205 strikeouts. The right-hander has walked just 18 batters all year.

Padres 5, Dodgers 2

SAN DIEGO -- Ron Gant had two hits, scored three runs and made two sensational plays in left field as San Diego beat Los Angeles to extend the Dodgers' struggles since the All-Star break.

The Dodgers are 2-10 since the break, a slump that cost them first place in the NL West. The last-place Padres have won four straight against Los Angeles.

Bubba Trammell hit a solo homer and an RBI double to finish 3-for-4 for the Padres, who have 16 extra-base hits in three games. San Diego has won six of seven.

Despite allowing 12 hits in 7 1-3 innings, Brian Lawrence (9-5) beat the Dodgers in consecutive starts, his only victories in his last seven starts. He allowed two runs. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Odalis Perez (10-7) allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits in five innings.

Cardinals 5, Giants 3

SAN FRANCISCO -- Edgar Renteria hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the ninth inning as St. Louis beat injury-plagued San Francisco.

The Cardinals survived a surprise pinch-hit appearance by Barry Bonds with two outs and a runner on in the ninth. Bonds, who has been out since injuring his right hamstring Friday, limped to the plate before striking out on a 3-2 pitch from Jason Isringhausen to end the game.

San Francisco's David Bell hit a two-run homer off Steve Kline in the eighth to tie it. Luther Hackman (3-3) struck out pinch-hitter Jeff Kent, a late scratch from the starting lineup with a mild strain of his upper right leg, to end the inning.

Isringhausen earned his 23rd save.

Tim Worrell (7-1) took the loss.

American League

CHICAGO -- Jacque Jones had a career-high five hits and a home run as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 11-6 for their sixth straight win, increasing their AL Central lead to 14 games.

The Twins had 17 hits and scored six runs in the sixth inning just hours after the White Sox fired pitching coach Nardi Contreras and replaced him with Don Cooper.

Jones hit a two-run homer in the second, and Dustan Mohr added a three-run shot in the sixth, when White Sox manager Jerry Manuel and reliever Rocky Biddle were ejected.

Rick Reed (8-5) got the win by allowing six hits and three runs in five innings, including a two-run homer by Carlos Lee. Frank Thomas added a solo shot off reliever Tony Fiore.

Todd Ritchie (5-14) gave up five runs in 4 2-3 innings.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 3

BALTIMORE -- Vernon Wells had his first career two-homer game, and Chris Woodward and Carlos Delgado also connected to lead Toronto past Baltimore.

Wells, who had 14 homers in his previous 152 games, hit solo shots in the fifth and sixth innings. His first home run preceded a drive by Woodward, and his second followed a three-run blast by Delgado.

Roy Halladay (12-4) allowed one earned run and seven hits in seven innings to beat the Orioles for the second time in six days. Kelvim Escobar got three outs for his 19th save in 24 chances.

All four Toronto home runs came off Jason Johnson (3-8), who has yielded seven homers in two starts against the Blue Jays this year.