Atlanta – The Philadelphia Phillies are hanging tough in the wild-card race – and they aren’t giving up on winning the East race, either.
Keeping the heat on Atlanta, Jon Lieber (16-12) pitched eight scoreless innings and the Phillies scored four runs off Tim Hudson (13-9) in the ninth to take another series from the Braves with a 4-0 victory Thursday.
Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a single, extending his hitting streak to a post-1900 franchise-record 27 games.
Philadelphia finished strong, too, as pinch-hitters Michael Tucker and Shane Victorino came through with two outs in the ninth.
Tucker hit an opposite-field RBI single to break up the scoreless duel, and Victorino followed with a three-run homer to right.
“When I saw (Jeff) Francoeur stop running, I knew I had hit my first major-league homer,” said Victorino, a September callup. “It couldn’t have come at a better time.”
The Phillies won two of three at Turner Field, closing within four games of the Braves with nine left. They also remained two games behind the Houston Astros in the wild-card race.
Marlins 2, Mets 1
New York – Dontrelle Willis won his major league-leading 22nd game and kept alive Florida’s flickering wild-card hopes, allowing five hits over eight innings.
The left-hander with the corkscrew windup and delivery kept the Mets off balance, changing speeds, motions and locations in delivering a win the Marlins had to have after they lost the first two games of this series.
Florida remained four games behind Houston and two behind Philadelphia in the wild-card race. All three teams have nine games to play.
Willis (22-9) walked two and struck out seven. Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his 38th save.
Astros 2, Pirates 1
Pittsburgh – Brandon Backe (10-8) limited Pittsburgh to one run and two hits over seven innings, and Houston held the lead in the wild-card race with its eighth victory in nine games.
Reds 6, Cardinals 2
Cincinnati – Edwin Encarnacion’s bases-loaded double completed a five-run rally in the eighth inning for Cincinnati.
Despite the loss, the Central champions clinched home-field advantage throughout the league playoffs when Atlanta lost.
Nationals 2, Giants 0
Washington – With little to play for other than finishing above .500, Washington (78-75) used a lineup of rookies and reserves and managed to win.
D-backs 7, Dodgers 4, (12)
Phoenix – Alex Cintron hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to give Arizona its first series sweep since it took three from the Dodgers in April.
Cubs 3, Brewers 0
Milwaukee – Greg Maddux (13-13) kept up his bid for an 18th season with 15 wins, mixing efficient work on the mound with a quick glove to lead Chicago.
