Smoltz gets better of Maddux

Two old friends had their fun, then got down to business. This could have been John Smoltz and Greg Maddux in the prime of their brilliant careers, when they were teammates -- not opponents.

Smoltz got the best of Maddux in their first head-to-head matchup since 1992, earning the win when the Braves rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to beat the San Diego Padres, 3-2, last night in Atlanta.

Both pitchers -- with 533 wins and five Cy Youngs between them -- showed plenty of emotion, eager to get the best of the other after spending 11 years as teammates in Atlanta.

Clearly, it wasn't just another game in May.

"What a special night," Smoltz said. "This one sure lived up to its billing, and we came out on top. That's the extra icing on the cake."

Smoltz (5-1) gave up homers to Adrian Gonzalez and light-hitting Geoff Blum before leaving for a pinch hitter in the seventh with the Padres leading, 2-1. Maddux was lifted an inning earlier, having allowed only four hits and a single run in 5 1/3.

Maddux's successor, sidearming Cla Meredith (1-1), retired the first two hitters in the seventh. But Kelly Johnson and Willie Harris kept it going with back-to-back singles, bringing up the heart of the order.

Chipper Jones lined the first pitch to the gap in right-center, the ball hopping over the wall for a ground-rule double. Harris, who would have scored easily, was sent back to third to keep the score tied at 2.

But Andruw Jones made it a moot point, lining an opposite-field single to right that brought Harris across the plate.

Smoltz surrendered seven hits -- including a single by Maddux in the second -- struck out seven, and didn't walk anyone. Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano pitched one scoreless inning apiece, with Soriano earning his fourth save.

Orioles 1, Devil Rays 0 -- Aubrey Huff homered with one out in the 10th against his former team, picking up Baltimore at home.

After James Shields pitched nine brilliant innings for Tampa Bay, Brian Stokes (1-4) faced only two batters before giving up Huff's fourth homer of the season on a 1-1 pitch. Shields allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out four.

Baltimore starter Erik Bedard fanned 10 in seven innings to take over the AL lead in strikeouts with 56. The lefthander allowed three hits, walked three, and did not allow a runner past second. Danys Baez worked the eighth, Chris Ray the ninth, and John Parrish (1-0) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th to get the win.

Yankees 6, Rangers 2 -- Derek Jeter drove in three runs, Mike Mussina (2-1) pitched three-hit ball for six innings, and host New York extended its domination of Texas, moving to 18-2 since July 2005 and 5-0 this season.

Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui each had RBI doubles in a four-run first off Rangers starter Robinson Tejeda (3-3).

Mariners 9, Tigers 2 -- Jose Guillen hit a three-run homer, Cha Seung Baek (1-0) pitched a six-hitter, and visiting Seattle broke Detroit's eight-game winning streak.

White Sox 6, Twins 3 -- John Danks (1-4) kept host Minnesota scoreless until the seventh and three Chicago relievers finished off the rookie's first career win.

Royals 3, Athletics 2 -- Mike Sweeney hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the bottom of the eighth off Justin Duchscherer (3-2) to stop Kansas City's four-game losing streak.

Cubs 1, Pirates 0 -- Jason Marquis (5-1) retired the first 16 batters he faced before finishing with a three-hitter, sending Chicago past visiting Pittsburgh.

Brewers 3, Nationals 1 -- Geoff Jenkins homered and drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth as Milwaukee capped its best homestand in 15 years at 9-1.

Astros 3, Reds 2 -- Lance Berkman homered for the third game in a row and Woody Williams (1-5) singled home a run during his 6 2/3-inning start as Houston improved to 5-0 this season in Cincinnati.

Mets 5, Giants 3 -- Carlos Delgado hit a solo homer into McCovey Cove and doubled in the tying run in the eighth inning, and David Wright had a go-ahead, two-run double in the ninth for visiting New York.

Cardinals 9, Rockies 2 -- Adam Wainwright (3-2) gave up just one earned run over six innings and host St. Louis scored in multiple innings for the first time in seven games in a rout of Colorado.

Dodgers 5, Marlins 3 -- At Miami, Brett Tomko (1-3) took a no-hitter into the sixth and also bunted home a run on a suicide squeeze to help Los Angeles down Florida and Dontrelle Willis (5-2).