MIAMI (AP) - In a matchup of aces, Roy Halladay's walk to Josh Johnson proved pivotal.
Johnson scored the Florida Marlins' first run, and they squeezed out another in the eighth inning to beat Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Johnson didn't get the win, but he kept his team in the game against the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run - on Ryan Howard's eighth homer leading off the second.
Chris Coghlan's single in the eighth drove home the tiebreaking run, which was unearned following an error by shortstop Jimmy Rollins.
Halladay (5-2) gave up only five hits in eight innings, but fell to 1-3 in his four matchups against Johnson. The loss ended Halladay's streak of wins in 13 consecutive starts against NL East teams since July 5, 2010.
He was pitching in Miami for the first time since last May 29, when he threw his perfect game. Johnson was the losing pitcher that night.
Mike Dunn (3-2) pitched a perfect eighth for the win.
Nationals 7, Braves 6
ATLANTA (AP) - Jason Marquis earned his 100th career win, backed by a pair of three-run homers from Laynce Nix and Jayson Werth, and Washington held off Atlanta.
The Braves scored five runs in the eighth to nearly wipe out a 7-1 deficit, capped by Dan Uggla's three-run homer. But Drew Storen got the final three out for his eighth save in eight chances.
Atlanta's Tim Hudson (4-3) lasted only five innings, his shortest stint of the season, after tossing a one-hit shutout against Milwaukee in his previous start.
Marquis (4-1) pitched into the eighth, giving up seven hits and three runs to improve his career mark to 100-93. The 32-year-old beat his original team, picking up his first 14 wins with the Braves from 2000-03.
Nix homered in the fourth to give the Nationals a 4-0 lead. Werth, off to a slow start after signing a $126 million contract over the winter, put it out of reach with another three-run shot in the fifth.
Cardinals 6, Cubs 4
CHICAGO (AP) - Daniel Descalso hit a two-out, bases-loaded single in the eighth off Kerry Wood and Albert Pujols had four hits, helping Chris Carpenter get his first win of the season as St. Louis beat Chicago.
St. Louis pulled out the victory without manager Tony La Russa, who was undergoing tests at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. General manager John Mozeliak said the veteran manager had been diagnosed with shingles and wasn't sure when he'd be back. Bench coach Joe Pettini ran the team.
Carpenter (1-2) allowed four runs and 13 singles over seven innings to get his first win since last Sept. 30. He threw 116 pitches to earn the win in his eighth start of the season. Eduardo Sanchez pitched the ninth for his fourth save in as many chances.
Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano went seven innings, giving up eight hits and four runs.
St. Louis loaded the bases off Wood (1-2) in the eighth. Pujols singled, Matt Holliday walked and after both runners moved up on a fly ball, Wood intentionally walked Yadier Molina. Nick Punto lined out before Descalso, the No. 8 hitter, delivered his hit to right.
Reds 7, Astros 3
HOUSTON (AP) - Homer Bailey allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings, Jay Bruce had a two-run homer and Joey Votto drove in three runs and Cincinnati beat Houston.
Bailey (2-0), who made his 2011 debut last week against the Astros, struck out five with no walks to get his second win of the year.
Votto had doubles in both the first and second innings to drive in his runs and Bruce connected on his homer off Houston starter Brett Myers in the first inning.
Myers (1-3) tied season highs by allowing 10 hits and six runs in six innings in his third straight loss. All of Cincinnati's runs off Myers came in the first two innings and seven of the hits he allowed came in that span.
Brewers 8, Padres 6
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Jonathan Lucroy tied career highs with three hits and three RBIs and Shaun Marcum won his fourth straight decision, lifting Milwaukee over San Diego.
Milwaukee built an 8-0 lead off Padres starter Clayton Richard (1-4) as every Brewers starter had at least one hit for the night before having to hold on late.
Lucroy provided two of the biggest blows with a two-run single in the second and an RBI double in the fourth. He also singled in the eighth after fouling a ball into the dirt that ricocheted and hit him in the jaw.
Marcum (4-1) had faced the minimum on one hit through five innings, but the light-hitting Padres came alive in the seventh with five straight singles that chased the right-hander.
Dodgers 10, Pirates 3
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer and Los Angeles broke out of a lengthy hitting slump in a win over Pittsburgh.
The Dodgers posted a season-high 15 hits, including three each by Jamey Carroll and Aaron Miles. Ted Lilly (3-3) had little trouble over six innings as Los Angeles won for just the second time in seven games.
Andrew McCutchen hit two home runs for the Pirates, who were hoping to give themselves some breathing room after making a rare move above .500 on Monday. Instead, they dropped to 18-18 when newfound ace Kevin Correia (5-3) ran into trouble in the sixth.