The Philadelphia Phillies’ playoff prospects would look a whole lot brighter if they played in Atlanta every night.
The Mets might not have to worry so much about their bumbling bullpen down the stretch if Johan Santana could start every game.
Pat Burrell hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning and Philadelphia beat the Braves 4-3 on Thursday to complete an unprecedented sweep of the nine-game season series in Atlanta.
“They pitched better and hit better and that’s pretty much how it’s been all year,” Braves pitcher Mike Hampton said.
Santana took a shutout into the seventh inning as the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 7-2 to remain a half-game back of the Phillies in the East. New York’s lead in the wild card-race increased to 1 1/2 games because Milwaukee blew a four-run lead and lost 7-6 in 12 innings to the Cubs.
“I know coming into this stretch right now, it’s going to be important for us. Every game counts,” said Santana, who also doubled and scored a run. “You can’t afford to make too many mistakes.”
Santana improved to 14-7 overall, and 7-0 with a 2.26 ERA over his last 14 starts.
t was Los Angeles 4, Pittsburgh 3 in 12 innings; Florida 8, Houston 1; St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 4; and Arizona 3, San Francisco 2.
The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the first off Hampton (2-3) on Jayson Werth’s RBI triple and Ryan Howard’s fly ball to left.
“They’ve got a good squad over there. There’s no holes,” catcher Brian McCann said. “They pitch, they play defense and they hit. You’ve got to tip you hat, I guess.”
Chipper Jones walked and scored on McCann’s double in the first, and the Braves tied the game in the second on Casey Kotchman’s homer. But Burrell broke the tie with a two-run homer, his 32nd, about 10 rows into the left-field seats.
After hitting .275 with 23 homers before the All-Star break, Burrell hit just .181 in August and .178 in September before his two hits Thursday night.
“At the first of the year he carried us,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “He cooled off a little, but he might be picking it up at the right time.”
Cole Hamels (14-9) gave up six hits and two runs in six innings to improve to 3-0 in four starts against the Braves this season. Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth for his 38th save, including seven against the Braves.
At Washington, Brian Schneider went deep twice for his first multihomer game in 5 1/2 years as the Mets chased a Nationals starter after three innings for the second consecutive game.
(10-10) leaving early after allowing five runs, four earned.
The big blows were Schneider’s solo shots in the second off Redding and in the fourth on Jason Bergmann’s first pitch. Ryan Church – like Schneider, shipped to New York in the trade that sent Lastings Milledge to Washington – had two run-scoring singles.
Anderson Hernandez finally drove in a run off Santana, doubling down the right-field line with one out in the seventh after a single and a walk.
Then it was the bullpen’s turn.
Joe Smith allowed one run in the eighth, and Scott Schoeneweis left with two on and one out in the ninth. But Pedro Feliciano got Ryan Langerhans to bounce into a 1-6-3 double play to end it. Not perfect, but at least an improvement from Wednesday, when the Mets went through five relievers to get the last six outs.
“Obviously, Santana is our No. 1 guy,” Smith said, “and when he’s out there, we’re coming in thinking we’re going to win.”
Dodgers 4, Pirates 3, 12 innings
At Pittsburgh, James Loney’s single scored the go-ahead run in the 12th after Pittsburgh reliever Craig Hansen (1-4) walked the bases full.
The Dodgers withstood two Pittsburgh comebacks for their 15th victory in 18 games and have a 3 1/2-game lead over Arizona in the West.
Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2
me sweep by giving Tim Lincecum his first loss in two months.
Lincecum (17-4) was 6-0 in 10 starts since losing to Milwaukee 7-4 on July 20. He allowed three runs and six hits in his second straight complete game and second of his career.
Cubs 7, Brewers 6, 12 innings
At Chicago, Geovany Soto hit a tying three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, Derrek Lee singled in the winning run in the 12th and the Cubs lowered their magic number for winning the NL Central to two.
Kerry Wood (5-4) pitched two innings, escaping a second-and-third, no-out predicament in the top of the 12th for the win.
Marlins 8, Astros 1
At Miami, John Baker drove in four runs and scored two, leading Florida to its eighth straight victory.
The Marlins, who are on their longest win streak since they won nine consecutive in 2006, are tied with the Astros in the NL wild-card race, five games behind the leading New York Mets.
Houston has struggled since Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast. The Astros had won six straight and 14 of 15 before the storm, but have since dropped five straight.
Cardinals 5, Reds 4
At Cincinnati, Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and Kyle Lohse won his first start since coming off a suspension as the Cardinals snapped a season-high seven-game losing streak.
. 10-14 for throwing a pitch near the head of Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez – his opponent Thursday – on Aug. 17.
Volquez (16-6) lost for the first time in eight starts since Aug. 5, giving up four runs and three hits with six walks – matching his season high.
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