NATIONAL LEAGUE
REUTERS AND AP, HOUSTON AND LOS ANGELES
Wandy Rodriguez shined both on the mound and at the plate as the Houston Astros shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 on Friday.
Rodriguez struck out seven in seven innings and gave the Astros a 2-0 lead over the World Series champions with an RBI double in the second to spark the slumping home team to just their third win in their last 11 games.
The left-hander continued his recent dominance and has allowed just one run or fewer in 10 of his past 12 starts.
“Wandy’s been great for us,” Astros outfielder Cecil Cooper told reporters. “I thought he was real sharp. He kept them off balance, and that’s what you have to do with good hitting teams.”
Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee lasted just three innings after giving up six runs and nine hits in his shortest outing since being acquired by the Phillies (77-55) from the Cleveland Indians in July.
Lee has lost his last two starts after winning the first five with the team.
Kazuo Matsui made it a tough night for Lee with a two-RBI double in the second inning and Hunter Pence hit his 21st home run of the year, a two-run shot, in the third.
Astros (64-70) slugger Carlos Lee followed with a solo homer in the fifth against reliever Jamie Moyer to cap the scoring.
Philadelphia tallied just seven hits and had the bases loaded with just one out in the seventh before Rodriguez got the last two outs to retire the threat.
“We have to do better,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “We had some chances to score some runs tonight, but we didn’t ... we couldn’t get a big hit.”
Despite the loss, the Phillies hold a seven-and-a-half game lead in the National League East as they drive toward their third straight division title, a feat they last achieved from 1976-1978.
PADRES 2, DODGERS 0
In Los Angeles, San Diego rookie Wade LeBlanc pitched six scoreless innings and the Padres scratched out a pair of early runs to shut out the home team.
LeBlanc retired his final nine batters in his fourth start of the season and eighth in the big leagues.
The only hits off the 25-year-old left-hander were a broken-bat single in the second inning and a third-inning single. He lowered his ERA from 9.58 to 6.06 while matching the longest outing of his brief career.
Los Angeles’ starter Clayton Kershaw was unlucky to take the loss, throwing 106 pitches over six innings and giving up only one earned run.
The Dodgers’ lead in the NL West was cut to four-and-a-half games.
GIANTS 3, BREWERS 2
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bengie Molina homered on the first pitch of the eighth to rally San Francisco over Milwaukee and keep up the pressure in the NL wild-card race.
The Giants stayed one game behind Colorado in the fight for the wild card.
The Giants scored two unearned runs before Molina’s shot to deep center field and worked around 10 walks, the most they’ve allowed in a nine-inning game this year.
ROCKIES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4
In Denver, Colorado, Jason Giambi got a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth to lift the hosts over Arizona.
After Yorvit Torrealba singled in the eighth and was bunted over to second, Giambi was brought in off the bench.
The veteran slugger lined a pitch into left-center, easily scoring Torrealba.
CARDINALS 14, PIRATES 7
In Pittsburgh, Ryan Ludwick homered twice as St Louis pounded Pittsburgh.
Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright became the majors’ first 17-game winner despite giving up six runs in the fifth inning.
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