MIAMI - Chris Carpenter pitched 72/3 innings to become the majors' first 19-game winner, and David Eckstein went 4-for-5 with three RBIs to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Marlins 6-1 Monday night.
Carpenter beat the Marlins for the second time in August and improved to 11-0 in his past 14 starts. He allowed seven hits but only one run, stranding four runners in scoring position.
Jeff Conine drove in Florida's run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, ending the Cardinals' streak of 24 scoreless innings.
Albert Pujols went 0-for-5 for St. Louis, but Eckstein hit a run-scoring single in the third and tripled home two in the fourth. Teammate Larry Walker hit his 12th homer over the centerfield wall leading off the third.
Florida missed a chance to tie Philadelphia for the wild-card lead, and A.J. Burnett lost his second start in a row after winning seven straight. He gave up a season-high six walks, and four led to runs, including one to Carpenter, an .031 hitter.
Burnett threw 95 pitches in five innings and departed trailing 6-1.
DODGERS 9, CUBS 6: Jeff Kent drove in four and D.J. Houlton got his first win in two months, and visiting Los Angeles had a six-run second.
Houlton won for the first time in nine starts since June 27 despite giving up four homers. The Dodgers finally got him some runs; they'd scored four in his five previous starts and eight in his seven losses.
Jeromy Burnitz homered twice for Chicago and Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker each connected off Houlton, who surrendered seven hits and four runs in 52/3 innings.
Duaner Sanchez got Derrek Lee on a grounder for the final out to earn his fifth save.
Cubs right-hander Kerry Wood made his final appearance of the season, pitching the eighth. He is scheduled for season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery Wednesday.
ROCKIES 2, GIANTS 1: Matt Cain pitched five strong innings for host San Francisco in his much-hyped major league debut, but Matt Holliday homered to help Colorado win.
Holliday connected off Cain for his 14th homer leading off the second, and Byung-Hyun Kim earned his first road win in seven starts this season. He gave up two runs and three hits in eight innings, struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
D'BACKS 7, PADRES 5: Kelly Stinnett hit what appeared to be a bizarre inside-the-park homer, and Troy Glaus, Chad Tracy and Shawn Green also connected for visiting Arizona, who trimmed San Diego's lead in the NL West to 41/2 games.
Stinnett hit a high fly ball to left field, which Ryan Klesko leaped for at the fence and missed. The ball bounced high into the air and fell back onto the field. Third base umpire Bill Welke stretched out both arms horizontally to signal a fair ball, and didn't gave the circular motion indicating a homer.
Stinnett never broke stride as he rounded the bases, and Welke appeared to point to home plate. Klesko, apparently thinking the ball had landed beyond the fence before bouncing back, walked over, picked it up and flipped it into the stands as Stinnett was rounding third base.
NATIONALS AT BRAVES, PPD.: The game was postponed by rain before it started. It is scheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader Wednesday beginning at 4:35 p.m.
REDS AT PIRATES, PPD.: The game was postponed by rain and is scheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader Sept.16 at 5:05 p.m.
