Nationals rally to top Atlanta
Jose Guillen broke a tie with a two-run double in the eighth inning for his 1,000th career hit, capping the Washington Nationals' comeback for an 8-6 victory over the East Division-leading Atlanta Braves last night.
Guillen's big hit came on the first pitch from reliever Dan Kolb. As he stood on second base, Guillen pumped his fist, then clapped his hands over his head, while the portable stands at RFK Stadium shook as they haven't for some time.
Gary Majewski (3-3) pitched a perfect eighth for the win, then gave way to closer Chad Cordero. He got three outs for his franchise-record 44th save, striking out Todd Hollandsworth and Rafael Furcal to end it.
Washington snapped a three-game losing streak that left them fourth in the wild-card race.
Cardinals 3, Mets 2 -- Larry Walker hit a tiebreaking home run off the right-field scoreboard with two outs in the eighth and Jason Marquis threw eight strong innings, helping host St. Louis beat New York.
Albert Pujols and Hector Luna each drove in a run for the defending NL champions, who reduced their magic number for clinching the Central Division to nine. With their second straight victory over the slumping Mets, they knocked a team that is fading badly in the wild-card race a game below .500.
Walker's 13th homer, estimated at 457 feet, is the longest hit by the Cardinals at home this year.
Brewers 7, Astros 4 -- Roger Clemens lasted just three innings in his shortest start in more than a year and host Milwaukee beat Houston.
Clemens gave up five runs, tying a season high, on five hits and five walks in losing his third straight decision. His major league-leading ERA jumped from 1.57 to 1.78.
Giants 2, Cubs 1 -- Rookie Matt Cain pitched a complete game two-hitter in just his third major league start for host San Francisco.
Pirates 8, Reds 4 -- Jason Bay hit a pair of two-run homers and Nate McLouth and Jack Wilson each had two hits and scored two runs as visiting Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati.
Phillies 12, Marlins 5 -- Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard each hit a two-run homer and host Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak.
Diamondbacks 7, Rockies 1 -- Shawn Estes pitched six shutout innings for his first win since June 24 and Chad Tracy hit a three-run homer to lead Arizona at Denver.
