Ventura hits inside-the-park homer for Dodgers
ATLANTA Robin Ventura chugged around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer of his career and the Los Angeles Dodgers handed Russ Ortiz his first loss since June 13, beating the Atlanta Braves 8-4 Sunday.
Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer as Los Angeles snapped a five-game losing streak.
The Dodgers scored four unearned runs in the first off Ortiz (15-5), and their bullpen held the high-scoring Braves to only one run over the final six innings.
Guillermo Mota (3-2) got the win.
Ventura, acquired from the New York Yankees on Thursday, picked up his first homer for the Dodgers in the seventh just not in the way anyone would have expected.
On a drive to the left-center gap, Darren Bragg jumped against the wall attempting a backhanded catch. The ball popped loose as he turned his glove and crashed into the padding. Sitting on the ground, Bragg snagged the ball with his bare hand before it struck the ground, holding it for the umpires to see.
But umpire Jeff Kellogg, running out from his position at second base, ruled that the ball had struck the wall. Bragg tried to flip the ball to left fielder Chipper Jones, but it sailed over his head. Ventura never stopped running, sliding across home before the Braves could retrieve the ball and throw home.
Pat Burrell homered for the Phillies, who finished 5-2 on their homestand and lead the NL wild card race.
Philadelphia set a season high by striking out 17 times, with Perez getting most of them in just seven innings.
Sean Burroughs and Gary Matthews Jr. started the 10th with consecutive walks against Jose Mesa (5-6).
The Mets set a season high for runs and hits in ending a three-game losing streak. Clark, Jason Phillips and Cliff Floyd each had three of New York's 19 hits.
Albert Pujols doubled in the eighth for the Cardinals, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games. Bo Hart led off the game with his second homer in two days.
The NL Central-leading Astros head home after playing 14 of 17 games on the road since the All-Star break. They went 10-7 during the stretch.
Fernandez, recalled Friday from Triple-A New Orleans, allowed one run and three hits in 5 1-3 innings. Orlando Merced hit his second home run of the season for Houston.
Hernandez (11-7), who went the distance in a 2-1 loss to St. Louis on Tuesday, scattered five hits and allowed only Royce Clayton's solo homer in the fourth.
Luis Ayala worked a scoreless eighth, and Rocky Biddle got three outs for his 27th save in 32 chances. John Vander Wal had an RBI groundout in the ninth.
Sosa drove an 0-1 pitch into the left-center seats in the seventh inning off Oscar Villarreal (7-5), who had just replaced starter Brandon Webb.
It was Sosa's 24th homer this season and the 523rd of his career. Sosa has 14 home runs since July 1, most in the majors.
Except for Luis Gonzalez's solo homer, Clement (9-9) was brilliant for the Cubs. He struck out seven and walked two in his second consecutive strong outing. Clement threw a two-hit shutout against San Francisco on Tuesday.
Hermanson (2-2), called up from Triple-A Fresno on Saturday, allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in his first start since last Aug. 22 for Boston. He made 23 relief appearances with St. Louis this season before being released in June. The Giants signed him to a minor league contract on July 14.
The outing matched his longest since he went seven innings for the Cardinals at Pittsburgh on Sept. 23, 2001.
Preston Wilson and Juan Uribe each had four hits for Colorado, which matched a club record with 24 hits. The Rockies got four hits from pitchers, and their 11 extra-base hits also tied a team mark.
One day after a 1-0 loss, the Rockies snapped a four-game losing streak in which all four defeats were by one run.