Los Angeles – Andre Ethier hit a three-run homer, Luis Gonzalez added a tie-breaking solo shot in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 on Wednesday.
The NL West-leading Dodgers won their second consecutive series since the all-star break.
Chad Billingsley (7-0) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings, struck out four and walked four in winning for the third time in six starts. The right-hander was 4-0 out of the bullpen before joining a rotation thinned by injuries and became the first Dodger to start 7-0 since reliever Matt Herges opened the 2000 season 8-0.
Takashi Saito pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances. Rookie Kyle Kendrick (4-1) gave up five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, struck out three and walked none.
REDS 5, BRAVES 4 (15) at Atlanta: Brandon Phillips’ two-run single off rookie Jose Ascanio in the 15th inning gave Cincinnati a victory over Atlanta, and its first three-game sweep in Atlanta since April 1990.
Phillips’ hit drove in Norris Hopper and Ken Griffey Jr. and helped the Reds improve to 8-3 in their past 11 games. Ascanio (0-1), the seventh Atlanta pitcher, gave up two hits and two unearned runs in two innings. The Braves have lost three straight.
CUBS 12, GIANTS 1 at Chicago: Carlos Zambrano pitched five shutout innings to become the National League’s first 12-game winner, Koyie Hill drove in a career-high five runs with a pair of doubles, and surging Chicago routed San Francisco.
Zambrano (12-7) allowed two hits and the Cubs gave him more than enough offense in their fifth win in six games since the all-star break and 17th in 22 overall.
PADRES 5, METS 4 at San Diego: Geoff Blum singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth for San Diego, which nearly wasted a brilliant performance by Greg Maddux before rallying to beat New York.
Blum singled to right off Joe Smith to bring in Khalil Greene and finished 2-for-3. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances.
CARDINALS 6, MARLINS 0 at Miami: Kip Wells allowed two hits in eight innings, Juan Encarnacion drove in three runs, and St. Louis blanked Florida.
Wells (4-12) struck out four and walked two to win for the first time since he threw two shutout innings in relief against Kansas City on June 20. It was his first win in a start since he beat Pittsburgh on May 23.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, BREWERS 2 at Milwaukee: Mark Reynolds hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning as Arizona edged Milwaukee.
NATIONALS 7, ASTROS 6 at Washington: Ryan Langerhans hit a three-run homer, Jason Bergmann (2-5) won for the first time in more than two months, and Washington held on to edge Houston.
