Chris Capuano struck out a season-high nine and Geoff Jenkins hit a homer as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Washington Nationals 3-0 on Monday.
The victory was the eighth in nine games for the surging Brewers and pushed them five-and-a-half games ahead of the idle Chicago Cubs in the National League Central division.
Washington has lost six in a row for the second time this year.
Capuano (5-0) allowed seven hits and walked none in eight-plus innings as the Brewers improved to 7-0 in his starts this season. Francisco Cordero got three outs for his 13th save.
Matt Chico (2-4) gave up Jenkins' homer in the third.
Astros 5, Reds 4
At Cincinnati, Luke Scott broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run homer in the eighth off Todd Coffey after Craig Biggio singled against Kyle Lohse (1-3) and Mike Stanton walked Lance Berkman.
Houston's Roy Oswalt (5-2) improved to 19-1 against Cincinnati, allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings.
Adam Dunn and Alex Gonzalez hit back-to-back homers in the second and Dan Wheeler gave up Gonzalez's two-run homer in the ninth inning before getting his sixth save.
Padres 4, Braves 2
At Atlanta, Chris Young (4-2) struck out eight in six innings, allowing two runs and two hits.
Scott Linebrink, Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman completed the three-hitter, with Hoffman getting his ninth save to finish off San Diego's third straight victory.
Atlanta's Chuck James (3-3) gave up two runs, three hits and four walks in 3 2-3 innings, the first time in seven starts this season he has not lasted five innings.
Dodgers 6, Marlins 1
At Miami, Brad Penny (4-0) struck out a career-high 14 and allowed only five runners in seven shutout innings.
Penny walked none and gave up five hits, including two infield singles and lowered his ERA to a miniscule 1.39.
Florida's Ricky Nolasco (1-1), making his second start since coming off the disabled list, allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings.
New Los Angeles third baseman Andy LaRoche, playing his second major league game, drove in two runs but left in the eighth shortly after being hit by a pitch.
Rockies 3, Cardinals 2
At St. Louis, Brad Hawpe drew a full-count walk with the bases loaded in the ninth inning for the tiebreaking run and Colorado edged St. Louis.
Todd Helton homered for the Rockies.
Ryan Ludwick and Jim Edmonds each drove in a run for the Cardinals, who are 5-11 at home.
Troy Tulowitzki had to wait to score the go-ahead run after umpires ruled that his one-out drive off the top of the wall in left center was a double and not a home run off Brian Falkenborg (0-1).
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle drew his first ejection of the season for arguing the ruling that took away Tulowitzki's homer.
Jeff Francis allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings and Zach McClellan (1-0) had two strikeouts in a perfect eighth.
Brian Fuentes got his eighth save in nine chances.
Travis Hafner hit a grand slam, Fausto Carmona allowed one unearned run in seven innings and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Baltimore Orioles 10-1 for a split of their four-game American League series on Monday.
Grady Sizemore doubled in the tiebreaking run in a four-run seventh, Hafner hit his ninth career grand slam in the eighth off Jamie Walker and Jhonny Peralta added a solo shot in the ninth.
Carmona (3-1), back from the minors following an injury to Jake Westbrook, allowed seven hits.
RSS