Rays/MLB

NL: roundup

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 7, 2006

BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 3: ATLANTA - All Atlanta needed to snap a five-game losing streak was some strong starting pitching, a couple of home runs and a strong ninth from the bullpen.

"That, and the mustache and the handlebar beards," said pitcher Horacio Ramirez, pointing to the new growth on his upper lip, after he led the Braves to a win over Washington.

The various new facial hairstyles have sprouted this week as a show of unity to help snap the team's June skid.

Adam LaRoche, sporting a Fu Manchu, and Andruw Jones hit homers, Ramirez pitched eight innings and Ken Ray earned the save with a perfect ninth.

The Braves won for only the second time in the first nine games of a 10-game homestand.

LaRoche hit his homer in the third, and Jones padded the lead with his 15th homer in the eighth.

NOTABLE: The Braves avoided matching the six-game home skid they had Aug. 8-21, 2001.

GIANTS 2, MARLINS 1: SAN FRANCISCO - Jason Schmidt matched a 102-year-old Giants record with 16 strikeouts, fanning his final three to escape a ninth-inning jam and preserve San Francisco's win.

Moises Alou hit a tiebreaking double in his first game back from the disabled list and Lance Niekro had a run-scoring single for the Giants. Schmidt won his sixth straight decision.

He gave up consecutive singles to start the ninth, and a wild pitch put runners at second and third with none out. But manager Felipe Alou stuck with his ace, who struck out Miguel Cabrera, Josh Willingham and Jeremy Hermida to end it.

Schmidt finished with his 20th career complete game and third this season. He tied the franchise record for strikeouts set by Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson on Oct. 3, 1904, against the Cardinals.

Schmidt also broke the San Francisco record of 15 strikeouts by Gaylord Perry on July 22, 1966, against Philadelphia.

NOTABLE: Josh Johnson, the NL rookie of the month for May, lost to the Giants for the second time in six days.

PHILLIES 10, D'BACKS 1: PHOENIX - Cole Hamels allowed one run in 52/3 innings to get his first major league win as Philadelphia beat Arizona.

Hamels, who came off the disabled list earlier in the day, outpitched Diamondbacks veteran Russ Ortiz, who made his first start since April 23. Ortiz was on the DL with a strained calf, and Hamels had a strained left shoulder.

Before the game, Arizona manager Bob Melvin said he wanted to see "results" from Ortiz. Early on, the results weren't encouraging.

Pat Burrell hit a two-out, two-run homer in the first. Ryan Howard then doubled off the top of the wall in right-centerfield. After walking two, Ortiz quickly recovered, retiring 10 of the next 11 batters before allowing Howard's RBI single in the fifth.

The Phillies gave Hamels plenty of support, doubling their lead to 6-0 in the sixth against reliever Brandon Medders.

NOTABLE: The Phillies have hit a home run in 44 of 58 games.

ROCKIES 5, PIRATES 4: DENVER - Jeff Francis overcame two home runs to get the win and Jamey Carroll went 4-for-4 with a rare homer to lead Colorado over Pittsburgh, snapping a six-game losing streak.

Pittsburgh's Jason Bay hit a solo drive for his 18th homer and Jose Hernandez added a two-run shot for his second, both in the fourth inning.

The Rockies scored three runs in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Yorvit Torrealba followed Clint Barmes' single with an RBI double for his first hit in a Colorado uniform. Torrealba came around to score the tying run when Francis laid down a bunt for a single and third baseman Freddy Sanchez fired wide of first for an error. Todd Helton eventually singled in Francis, giving the Rockies their first lead of their homestand. NOTABLE: Pittsburgh is the worst road team in the majors at 5-23.

BREWERS 5, PADRES 1: MILWAUKEE - Dave Bush pitched a three-hitter and Geoff Jenkins went 4-for-4 to help Milwaukee beat San Diego.

Jenkins, who suffered a mild concussion Sunday during a collision with teammate Prince Fielder, snapped an 0-for-15 slump with four singles. Rickie Weeks had three base hits to break out of a 1-for-22 skid, and Corey Koskie hit a home run for Milwaukee.

Bush did not allow a hit until Adrian Gonzalez singled in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Josh Bard singled in the seventh, and Gonzalez hit his sixth homer of the year in the eighth inning for San Diego.

Bush pitched his second complete game of the year. He also collected his first major-league extra-base hit, driving an RBI double off the centerfield wall in the fourth.

Jenkins sat out Monday night's game and was key to the Brewers' offense against San Deigo starter Jake Peavy. He singled and scored in the first, and had an RBI single in the third inning.

NOTABLE: Gonzalez's single extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

ASTROS 4, CUBS 1: HOUSTON - Wandy Rodriguez threw seven shutout innings and Lance Berkman homered, leading Houston to its first victory since re-signing Roger Clemens.

Chris Burke drove in two runs as Houston broke a five-game losing streak, rebounding after getting only one hit in an 8-0 loss to the Cubs on Monday.

Pitching on three days' rest because Roy Oswalt is injured, Rodriguez outpitched Kerry Wood for his team-leading seventh win this season.

Meanwhile, in Lexington, Ky., Clemens showed pinpoint control and a sharp fastball for Houston's Class-A Lexington Legends. Playing alongside his son, Koby, he gave up a long home run but otherwise looked good in three innings against Lake County, an Indians affiliate.

"My arm is great," said Clemens, 43, who came out of retirement again to re-sign with the Astros on Wednesday. "One step down, two to go."

NOTABLE: Cubs shortstop Ronny Cedeno went 0-for-4, ending his career-best 10-game hitting streak.

REDS 7, CARDINALS 0: ST. LOUIS - Eric Milton threw seven sharp innings and Cincinnati got homers from Felipe Lopez and Adam Dunn to win its sixth straight.

Lopez hit his sixth homer in the first off Chris Carpenter. The Reds matched their season-best win streak while slicing the Cardinals' Central lead to one game.

Carpenter, activated from the 15-day disabled list earlier in the day after missing two starts with bursitis in his back, labored through five innings for the Cardinals.

Ken Griffey, who hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth off Jason Isringhausen on Monday, had two singles and three walks. He is 16-for-34 on the first eight games of the Reds' nine-game trip with four homers and eight RBIs.

NOTABLE: St. Louis, which has lost four of five overall, is guaranteed to lose its second straight home series after a 9-0 start at new Busch Stadium.

DODGERS 8, METS 5: LOS ANGELES - Eric Gagne earned his first save in nearly a year and Nomar Garciaparra homered off former teammate Pedro Martinez as Los Angeles, taking advantage of two errors and a wild pitch to score six runs in the sixth, beat New York.

Garciaparra's seventh home run extended his streak of reaching safely by a hit or a walk to 30 games. Matt Kemp also homered for the fourth time in his last six games for the Dodgers.

Derek Lowe won his fourth straight start in his first matchup against Martinez, Lowe's teammate with Boston in 2004 when the Red Sox won their first World Series title since 1918.

In the ninth, Gagne and catcher Russell Martin became the first All-French-Canadian battery in the major leagues.

NOTABLE: Dodgers outfielder Kenny Lofton got the 580th stolen base of his career, tying him for 19th all-time with former Padres and Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith.

[Last modified June 7, 2006, 02:00:17]