Ethier, LA dodge disaster

His 2d homer of game spoils Brewers' rally

After Andre Ethier gave the Dodgers a lift with a walk-off home run, his second of the game, it was only right that his teammates returned the favor. (STEPHEN DUNN/GETTY IMAGES)

The euphoria that filled Milwaukee's dugout after a game-tying rally in the ninth inning quickly disappeared when Andre Ethier came to bat again.

Ethier hit his second homer of the game and the Los Angeles Dodgers recovered to beat the Brewers, 7-5, yesterday after Ryan Braun capped Milwaukee's error-aided comeback against Chan Ho Park with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth.

"Me and Matt Kemp were out there looking at each other when they tied it up, saying, 'What the heck's going on?' It's a big emotional swing, but you've got to jump right back on it and stay mentally tough in that situation," Ethier said.

The Dodgers also got homers from Kemp and Manny Ramírez to move into a first-place tie with Arizona in the National League West.

Kemp led off the bottom of the ninth with a single against Carlos Villanueva (4-6) and Ethier followed with a drive to right field on a 1-2 pitch for his 15th homer.

Park squandered a 5-1 cushion after first baseman James Loney committed two errors on one play. All the runs Park allowed were unearned.

Braun, who leads the Brewers with a .301 average, 31 homers and 86 RBIs, was 2 for 5 in his return to the starting lineup. He missed six games because of tightness in his lower back.

Rays 7, Rangers 4 - B.J. Upton homered and drove in three runs in his return from a benching, Scott Kazmir allowed two runs in six innings, and Tampa Bay won at Arlington, Tex.

Kazmir (9-6) earned his first win since July 21, giving up four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks to help the Rays improve to 20-9 since the All-Star break.

Yankees 15, Royals 6 - Jason Giambi hit a grand slam, Alex Rodriguez sent a three-run homer bouncing into Monument Park, and New York battered Brian Bannister and Kansas City to salvage a split of the 10-game season series.

Mike Mussina (16-7) gave up three runs in the first but retired his last 14 batters for career win No. 266.

Astros 3, Diamondbacks 0 - Roy Oswalt (11-8) allowed one hit in eight innings and struck out 10, outpitching Randy Johnson for host Houston.

Ty Wigginton hit a three-run homer off Johnson in the first inning, sending the Astros to their ninth victory in 11 games.

Cubs 9, Marlins 2 - Two-run doubles by Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez and a three-run double by Reed Johnson sparked an eight-run seventh that rallied Chicago past host Florida.

Ryan Dempster (14-5) struck out 10 in six innings.

Indians 4, Angels 3 - Jeremy Sowers (2-6) and two relievers cooled off host Los Angeles's lineup, and Cleveland took two of three from the Angels to hand them a rare series loss.

It was the Angels' first series loss to an AL opponent since a three-game sweep in Tampa Bay May 9-11.

White Sox 13, Athletics 1 - Carlos Quentin hit his 34th homer and drove in four runs, Alexei Ramirez added a grand slam, and Chicago won a series in Oakland for the first time in eight years.

Mets 4, Pirates 0 - Johan Santana (11-7) pitched a three-hitter and streaking New York got home runs from Brian Schneider and Carlos Beltran to win at Pittsburgh.

Twins 11, Mariners 8 - Joe Nathan left the bases loaded in the final two innings for his 33d save and host Minnesota held on to beat Seattle.

Reds 7, Cardinals 3 - Edinson Volquez (15-5) pitched seven shutout innings, helping host Cincinnati end St. Louis' four-game winning streak.

Giants 3, Braves 1 - Tim Lincecum (13-3) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings, striking out 10, and closer Brian Wilson got San Francisco out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth in a win at Atlanta.

Rockies 7, Nationals 2 - Ian Stewart and Seth Smith hit three-run homers, Aaron Cook struggled through five innings for his 15th victory, and Colorado handed host Washington its season-high 10th straight loss.

Phillies 2, Padres 1 - Cole Hamels pitched eight sharp innings to snap a seven-start winless skid, Pat Burrell hit a go-ahead homer, and Philadelphia won at San Diego.

Orioles 16, Tigers 8 - Melvin Mora and Luke Scott hit two home runs apiece, leading Baltimore to a rout at Detroit.