WASHINGTON (AP) - Stephen Strasburg allowed two hits over five shutout innings Tuesday night in his first major league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the bullpen blew the lead as the Washington Nationals lost 7-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 2009 overall No. 1 draft pick again displayed the repertoire that wowed the baseball world last year during a rookie season cut short when his elbow popped in a game at Philadelphia on Aug. 21. His long road back began when he had ligament replacement surgery last Sept. 3.
Strasburg threw 56 pitches, 40 for strikes. He struck out four.
The Nationals led 3-0 when he left, but the Dodgers took the lead for good on Rod Barajas' two-run double in the eighth inning off Henry Rodriguez (3-3). Kelly Jansen (2-1) got the win.
Phillies 6, Braves 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Rookie Vance Worley pitched six effective innings and the Phillies extended their lead in the NL East to 9 1/2 games.
The major league-leading Phillies won their 90th game and reduced their magic number for clinching their fifth straight division title to 14 games. They have won 90 games in four consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Worley (11-1) allowed two runs and seven hits, striking out six to earn his ninth straight win. The Phillies have won Worley's last 14 starts. That's the most for a rookie since Cincinnati won 14 consecutive starts by Wayne Simpson in 1970. It's also the most for any Phillies pitcher since the team won 15 straight starts by Steve Carlton in 1972.
Tim Hudson (14-9) gave up four runs and six hits in six innings. He was 5-1 in his previous seven starts.
Dan Uggla hit his 33rd homer for Atlanta.
Cardinals 4, Brewers 2
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Kyle Lohse threw six scoreless innings on eight days' rest and the Cardinals got home runs from Jon Jay and Matt Holliday in the third inning.
Lohse (13-8), who leads the Cardinals in victories, gave up four hits, struck out six and walked three. He was pushed back two days behind Chris Carpenter and Jake Westbrook after giving up four runs in five innings in a win against Pittsburgh in his last start.
Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo (15-10) gave up three runs in six innings, and has allowed six home runs in 10 2-3 innings over his last two starts, both losses to the Cardinals. He gave up only three his previous seven starts combined.
The Brewers still lead the Cardinals by 9 1/2 games in the NL Central.
Rockies 8, Diamondbacks 3
DENVER (AP) - Troy Tulowitzki homered, Seth Smith tripled twice and the Rockies rallied for the win.
Jordan Pacheco and Carlos Gonzalez had two hits apiece for Colorado, which beat Arizona for just the fifth time in 17 games.
Aaron Hill and Justin Upton had two hits each for the Diamondbacks, who had won 12 of their last 13 to take a seven-game lead in the NL West.
Arizona led 3-1 and appeared headed to its fourth straight win when the Rockies rallied for seven runs with two outs in the eighth. With Dexter Fowler on first, Mark Ellis singled to left and Carlos Gonzalez knocked in a run with a single to center off David Hernandez (3-3).
Tulowitzki followed with his 30th homer to center to make it 5-3.
Matt Belisle (10-4) got the win.
Reds 4, Cubs 2, 13 innings
CHICAGO (AP) - Joey Votto hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 13th inning and the Cincinnati Reds bounced back after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.
Reds starter Mike Leake was closing in on his first career shutout when Starlin Castro reached on a two-out single and pinch-hitter Bryan LaHair drove a 2-0 pitch over the wall in right for Chicago's third hit of the game and his first homer since Sept. 20, 2008, for the Seattle Mariners.
Leake bent over on the front of the mound as LaHair rounded the bases with the tying shot, but the Reds eventually recovered.
Aroldis Chapman (4-1) got four outs for the victory and Francisco Cordero got three outs for his 321st career save, tying Jose Mesa for the most by pitcher from the Dominican Republic. It was his 31st save on the season.
John Grabow (3-1) got the loss.
Mets 7, Marlins 4, 12 innings
MIAMI (AP) - Nick Evans drove in three runs, including a go-ahead single in the 12th inning, to lead the Mets to the win.
Jose Reyes, Justin Turner, Angel Pagan, and Evans each had three hits for New York, which lost a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Jose Ceda (0-1) gave up three straight hits to begin the 12th, including Evan's soft liner to center that scored Pagan. Later in the inning, Reyes hit an RBI single and Lucas Duda drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Mets a 7-4 lead.
Ryota Igarashi (4-1) got the win and Josh Stinson tossed a perfect inning for his first save.
Not too many of the announced crowd of 22,318 stuck around for the finish of a game that lasted 4 hours, 29 minutes after the start of the game was delayed 1:14 due to rain.
Giants 6, Padres 4
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Brett Pill hit a two-run homer in his first big league at-bat, Eric Surkamp earned his first major league win and the Giants escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning to get the victory.
The defending World Series champions pulled within six games of NL West-leading Arizona with 20 to go. The Diamondbacks lost 8-3 at Colorado.
With the Giants leading 6-3, Javier Lopez walked Orlando Hudson on four pitches to open the Padres ninth. Santiago Casilla came on and got two outs before allowing rookie Anthony Rizzo's RBI double off the right-field wall. Casilla hit Cameron Maybin on the right elbow and hit Jason Bartlett on the left hand to load the bases. Manager Bruce Bochy turned to Ramon Ramirez, the sixth Giants reliever, who struck out Jesus Guzman for his fourth save in five chances.
Surkamp (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits in five innings. Wade LeBlanc (2-5) got the loss.
Astros 4, Pirates 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Brett Myers pitched into the eighth inning to earn his first win in 2 1/2 months, leading the Astros to the victory.
Myers (4-13) allowed one run and four hits over 7 2-3 innings at soggy, chilly PNC Park as last-place Houston snapped a four-game losing streak. The right-hander had lost seven consecutive decisions since he pitched a four-hitter in a 7-3 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 17.
The Astros have four of their last five against Pittsburgh but are 2-9 in their past 11 against everyone else. Humberto Quintero had three RBIs, Jimmy Paredes finished with three hits and Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his 17th save,
Ryan Doumit homered and former No. 4 overall draft pick Brad Lincoln had another effective outing for Pittsburgh, which has lost two of three and seven of 10. Lincoln (1-2) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.