Randy Johnson outdueled Mark Mulder in a matchup of two of Major League Baseball's best left-handed pitchers, and Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez each had two RBIs in a 5-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
The victory was only the third in 11 games on a season-high 12-game trip for the Yankees, whose three-error performance in an 8-1 loss Friday night prompted angry New York manager Joe Torre to call a closed-door meeting.
"I thought we played with a lot more intensity today," Jeter said. "It doesn't hurt that Randy pitched well, too."
Johnson (6-5) allowed four two-out hits in seven innings to bounce back from losses in consecutive starts. He got his 252nd win to pull ahead of Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson for 41st place on the career list. Johnson struck out seven and walked none.
"Certainly, we're closer to the team you saw today than last night," Torre said. "Last night was just a horrible experience for all us. We just have to build on something."
Braves 5, Athletics 3
In Atlanta, John Smoltz pitched his first complete game in six years and Andruw Jones hit a pair of two-run homers for the Braves.
Brian McCann, 21, added his first MLB homer for the Braves, who started four rookies. The 28-year-old Jones was the oldest everyday player in the lineup.
Smoltz (5-5) gave up five hits in his 48th career complete game and first since April 30, 1999, against Cincinnati. He struck out four, walked three and threw 106 pitches.
Cubs 7, Red Sox 6
In Chicago, Todd Walker had three hits against his former team and Henry Blanco delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly to help the Chicago Cubs rally for a victory over Boston.
Walker singled off Wade Miller (2-2) in the sixth inning for his third hit, raced to third on Todd Hollandsworth's double past third and scored on Blanco's fly to center for a 5-4 lead.
Hollandsworth added an RBI single in the eighth and finished with three hits and three RBIs.
Nationals 2, Mariners 1
In Washington, Jose Guillen's bases-loaded single snapped a seventh-inning tie and propelled the Nationals to their ninth straight win.
The Nationals' winning streak is the franchise's longest since the Montreal Expos won 10 straight from June 6-16, 1997. Washington improved to 12-1 on a 14-game homestand that concludes today.
John Patterson (3-1) allowed a run on six hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out five to win for the first time in six starts since April 26.
Chad Cordero pitched the ninth for his 18th save.
J.J. Putz (1-2) was the loser.
Astros 6, Blue Jays 3
In Houston, Morgan Ensberg hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, leading the Astros to their fourth straight victory.
The Houston bullpen wasted another strong start by Roger Clemens, but Ensberg's 14th homer gave the Astros 10 wins in 15 games, as well as their first four-game winning streak since the first week of the season.
Chris Burke hit a one-out single in the ninth and stole second. After Scott Schoeneweis (2-2) intentionally walked Craig Biggio, Miguel Batista came in and got Lance Berkman on a fly to center field before Ensberg's homer.
Clemens allowed three hits in seven innings, and the Astros took a 3-1 lead to the ninth. But closer Brad Lidge (2-2) blew a save for the first time since May 24, costing Clemens his 333rd victory.
Clemens finished with seven strikeouts and joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to surpass 4,400 career strikeouts. Clemens now has 4,404, while Ryan is the all-time strikeout leader with 5,714.
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