Milwaukee – Even though both teams are in the playoff picture, only the San Diego Padres looked the part.
Milwaukee made five errors, its most in eight years, and Scott Hairston hit a tiebreaking, three-run double to lead the Padres to a 9-5 win over the Brewers on Thursday night.
“They had some miscues, and Hairston came up with a big hit down the line,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “All throughout baseball this time of year, you have to make sure if you do get those breaks, you have to make them hold up and score some runs.”
While San Diego maintained its one-game lead in the NL wild-card race and stayed one game behind first-place Arizona in the NL West, the Brewers failed for the second straight day to take advantage of a loss by Chicago. The Cubs, who fell 6-4 to Florida, remained two games in front of the Brewers in the NL Central.
Brewers third baseman Ryan Braun made three errors for the Brewers, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 1982, and first baseman Prince Fielder and left fielder Geoff Jenkins made one each.
“I was just inconsistent defensively at third base,” Braun said. “I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t pressing. It was just one of those things where I didn’t get the job done.”
DIAMONDBACKS 8, PIRATES 0
at Pittsburgh: Micah Owings was 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBIs while pitching 6 1/3 innings to help Arizona end a three-game losing streak.
Given an ominous weather forecast, Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin decided less than an hour before game time to hold back ace Brandon Webb (17-10) and pitch Owings (8-8). The Diamondbacks have a one-game division lead heading into a three-game series tonight at Colorado with Webb on the mound.
Webb is 3-0 in his career against Pittsburgh, but 0-3 against the Rockies.
PHILLIES 6, BRAVES 4
at Atlanta: Ryan Howard hit his 44th homer, Pat Burrell also connected and Philadelphia roughed up John Smoltz (14-8).
Howard also set a major- league record with his 196th strikeout, breaking the mark established in 2004 by Adam Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds.
CARDINALS 3, METS 0
at New York: Not even Pedro Martinez (3-1) could save New York, which managed three hits off Joel Piñeiro (6-4) and Jason Isringhausen.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
