Hiroki Kuroda was nearly perfect in lifting the under-.500 Dodgers into a first-place tie in the NL West.
Pedro Martinez was sharp, too. The Mets bullpen, though, almost denied New York its first winning record in a month.
Kuroda took a perfect game into the eighth inning and settled for a one-hitter, leading Los Angeles to a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
The right-hander retired the first 21 batters before Mark Teixeira lined his 70th pitch into the right-field corner for a double.
“My main concern was that he was the leadoff hitter in that inning. It was a 2-2 count and I didn’t want to walk him because I didn’t have that big of a lead,” Kuroda said through a translator. “I was concentrating more on not allowing any runs. I wasn’t really nervous, but I felt the pressure from the fans because they were expecting something big.”
The win moved the Dodgers in a tie for first in the West with idle Arizona, although they are 44-45.
“It’s very strange,” said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. “But every year there’s always a division where the teams are flirting with .500. I mean, the National League Central was that way for a long time. Our division as we started spring training was going to be one of the strongest because of all the pitching up and down the division. And it’s been a little bit of a surprise, obviously, that we’re all sitting here under .500.”
Martinez pitched effectively into the sixth inning then watched the Mets give back nearly all of a nine-run lead before holding on for a 10-9 victory over the host Phillies.
Martinez allowed only five hits and two earned runs in 5 1-3 innings, and the Mets built a 10-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. But three relievers, including closer Billy Wagner, combined to nearly blow it.
“I was going, ‘Wow, what’s going on,”’ Mets manager Jerry Manuel said.
In other NL games, it was: Pittsburgh 10, Houston 7; Colorado 4, Milwaukee 3; and Florida 3, San Diego 1.
Teixeira was the only baserunner for the Braves, who had flown across the country after a 7-6, 17-inning victory over Houston on Sunday – the longest game ever at Turner Field.
e most hittable pitch I saw all night.”
Kuroda (5-6) threw 91 pitches and struck out six in a game that lasted just 2 hours, 3 minutes.
Jose Campillo (3-4) took a one-hitter into the fifth before the Dodgers scored their runs.
Nomar Garciaparra hit his second homer of the season, a two-run shot, and Matt Kemp had an RBI single.
With only five games left before the All-Star break, the Braves (42-48) are assured of going into the break under .500 for only the third time in the last 18 seasons. It also happened in 1991 (39-40) and 2006 (40-49).
In Philadelphia, David Wright homered and drove in four runs for the Mets (45-44), who last had a winning record on June 5 (30-29). New York tied its season high with 17 hits and wound up taking three of the last four games from the Phillies to move within 2 1/2 games of the NL East leaders. The Mets haven’t been 2 1/2 games out of first place since May 20.
“We’re back in the race,” Manuel said.
The Mets had a 10-7 lead heading into the ninth, but Wagner, who blew a save in the Mets’ win Sunday, gave up a two-out RBI single to Pedro Feliz, scoring Shane Victorino. Eric Bruntlett, who had walked, also came around to score on a throwing error by center fielder Carlos Beltran. Jayson Werth hit a soft liner to right, ending the comeback and giving Wagner his 20th save in 26 opportunities.
“You can never let down with this team,” Wagner said. “They make you earn it.”
Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Geoff Jenkins homered for the Phillies. Howard’s homer was initially called a ground-rule double because a fan reached over the right-field wall and touched the ball. The four umpires convened and ruled the ball would have left the park had the fan not interfered. Television replays were inconclusive.
Manuel disputed the reversal and was ejected.
“It was not a home run,” Manuel said. “It seemed like nobody really knew what it was.”
Rockies 4, Brewers 3
At Milwaukee, Ubaldo Jimenez (4-8) allowed three hits over seven innings and Colorado spoiled Milwaukee’s daylong welcome party for CC Sabathia.
Sabathia is scheduled to make his Milwaukee debut Tuesday night, a day after he was acquired in a trade with Cleveland.
Pirates 10, Astros 7
At Pittsburgh, Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit both homered and were among 10 Pirates who had hits as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak.
Runelvys Hernandez (0-3) allowed 10 runs, 13 hits and four walks in four innings.
Marlins 3, Padres 1
At San Diego, Jorge Cantu hit a two-run homer off Greg Maddux, which was enough to carry Ricky Nolasco and Florida to the victory.
Nolasco (10-4) held San Diego to one run and five hits in eight innings. Kevin Gregg pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save.
Maddux (3-7) became the ninth big league pitcher to reach 350 victories on May 10. Since then, he’s 0-4 with seven no-decisions.
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