MIAMI - Mike Lowell hit two home runs and Carl Pavano pitched eight sharp innings as the East-leading Marlins beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 Friday night.
The Padres, who fell a game behind the Dodgers in the West, had two players ejected, including starting pitcher Jake Peavy after he hit Pavano with a pitch with two outs in the seventh inning.
Lowell led off the second with a drive that traveled an estimated 402 feet into the leftfield stands. His ninth homer of the season was a liner leading off the fourth that barely cleared the 330-foot marker in the leftfield corner.
After striking out the first two batters of the seventh, Peavy hit Pavano with the first pitch of his at-bat. Home-plate umpire Doug Eddings immediately tossed Peavy and went to restrain Pavano, who threw his helmet to the ground on his way first base.
Peavy gave up two runs in 62/3 innings, striking out eight.
An inning earlier, Pavano hit Brian Giles on the bill of his helmet as Giles spun out of the way from a pitch. A shaken Giles was attended to at home but eventually took his base, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Ramon Castro's errant throw.
The inning ended when Phil Nevin was called out on strikes and thrown out of the game after slamming his helmet to the ground in an argument with Eddings.
Jay Payton singled in the fifth and scored the Padres' run on Ramon Vazquez's grounder to second. Vazquez beat out the relay on a double-play attempt to allow the run to score.
GIANTS 6, REDS 1: Manager Dave Miley's decision to walk Barry Bonds backfired when Pedro Feliz followed with a homer, sparking visiting San Francisco.
Left-hander Kirk Rueter held Cincinnati to three hits and no walks in eight innings. He also had a run-scoring double in the Giants' four-run eighth, capping his breakthrough performance.
Rueter went in with a 7.06 ERA and no wins in six starts, the worst season-opening slump of his career.
PHILLIES 4, D'BACKS 1: Vicente Padilla earned his first victory of the season and Jim Thome hit his 10th home run to lead visiting Philadelphia.
Padilla allowed one run, Steve Finley's homer, on five hits in six innings, striking out five and walking one intentionally.
With the score tied at 1 and a runner on first, Randy Johnson was pulled by manager Bob Brenly after striking out 10 in 61/3 innings. He had thrown 99 pitches.
Mike Koplove gave up a first-pitch double to David Bell, then Jimmy Rollins singled in Mike Lieberthal to put the Phillies up 2-1. Pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee bounced to second, and Arizona couldn't turn the double play, allowing Bell to score to make it 3-1.
CUBS 11, ROCKIES 0: Carlos Zambrano gave up a career-best two hits and host Chicago teed off on former teammate Shawn Estes.
Colorado had no answer for Zambrano, who retired the first 14 and allowed four baserunners.
Matt Holliday had a two-out single between short and third in the fifth for the Rockies' first hit, but Zambrano came right back and struck out Brad Hawpe.
ASTROS 5, BRAVES 3: Jeff Kent drove in three and Tim Redding took advantage of host Atlanta's depleted lineup, allowing one run in six innings for Houston.
Redding had been knocked around in his first four starts and went in with a 10.57 ERA. He had no trouble against the Braves, who were missing Chipper Jones, Marcus Giles and Rafael Furcal from their lineup.
EXPOS 4, CARDINALS 2: Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge hit two-run homers in the first to lead host Montreal. The Expos have won four of five for the first time and have consecutive victories for the third time.
BREWERS 7, METS 5: Keith Ginter, Lyle Overbay and pinch-hitter and former Ray Ben Grieve homered as visiting Milwaukee ended New York's four-game winning streak.
