MILWAUKEE (AP) - Ryan Howard homered in his return to the lineup and Roy Halladay continued the Phillies' pitching dominance in Milwaukee, leading Philadelphia to a 5-3 victory over the Brewers on Friday night.
The NL East's top team won its fifth straight and bettered the NL Central-leading Brewers again.
Cole Hamels tossed a complete game in Thursday's opener with Howard out because of a lingering heel injury. On Friday, the Phillies' cleanup hitter staked Halladay a three-run, first-inning lead with his 32nd homer of the season.
Halladay (17-5) struck out nine to reach 204 for the season and scattered four hits and a run over eight innings after the Brewers roughed him up in April.
Milwaukee scored twice in the ninth before dropping its fourth straight.
Shaun Marcum (12-6) took the loss.
Dodgers 2, Giants 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - NL Cy Young Award contender Clayton Kershaw outdueled two-time winner Tim Lincecum, pinch-hitter Jamey Carroll drove home the go-ahead run in the ninth and the Dodgers beat the Giants.
Rod Barajas singled to start the ninth against Santiago Casilla (2-2) and former Giant Eugenio Velez came in to pinch-run. Justin Sellers sacrificed him to second and Velez moved to third on a wild pitch. Second baseman Jeff Keppinger then threw home on Carroll's grounder but a sliding Velez just beat the tag by catcher Eli Whiteside.
The reigning World Series champion Giants fell to 8 1/2 games back of first-place Arizona in the NL West with 18 to play after the Diamondbacks beat the Padres 3-2.
Kershaw (18-5) allowed three hits, one unearned run, struck out nine and walked one in eight strong innings, allowing only Pablo Sandoval's first-inning RBI single.
Marlins 13, Pirates 4
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Omar Infante and Logan Morrison both homered during a nine-run third inning and the Marlins pounded out 22 hits in a rout of the Pirates.
Infante drove in five runs, adding a solo shot in the first while Morrison had four hits and three RBIs. The Marlins had a club record 10 hits in the third. Morrison and Bryan Petersen each had two hits in the third as Florida broke the record of nine, which had been done four times, most recently on Sept. 17, 2001 at Montreal.
Infante got an assist on his three-run homer in the third when it bounced off the glove of left fielder Alex Presley, who was on the warning track, and into the left-field bleachers.
Petersen, Emilio Bonifacio, Gaby Sanchez, Donnie Murphy, John Buck and winning pitcher Ricky Nolasco (10-10) all finished with two hits for the Marlins.
Ross Ohlendorf (0-2) had his string of winless starts reach 15 as he was rocked for six runs on 10 hits in two plus innings.
Nationals 4, Astros 3, 11 innings
WASHINGTON (AP) - Jimmy Paredes, inserted in the game in the top of the 11th, made a wild throw to second base, allowing Ryan Zimmerman to score the winning run in the Nationals' victory over the Astros.
With one out, Lucas Harrell (0-1) walked Zimmerman and Michael Morse. Wilton Lopez replaced Harrell. Jayson Werth hit a bouncer to Paredes, who pinch-ran in the top of the 11th. Parades overthrew second baseman Jose Altuve and Zimmerman scored. Werth was credited with a single.
Tyler Clippard (3-0), Washington's fifth pitcher worked two scoreless innings for the win.
Mets 5, Cubs 4
NEW YORK (AP) - Justin Turner drove in the winning run on a long single with two outs in the ninth inning, giving the Mets a victory over the Cubs.
Turner also had a tiebreaking double in the fifth and finished with three hits. Jason Bay doubled twice and threw out a runner at the plate for New York in the opener of a weekend series that culminates Sunday night with a pregame ceremony to mark the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. The Mets are offering free tickets to New York City first responders and their families for that game.
Earlier on Friday, several current and former Mets visited New York City firehouses - from David Wright and Bobby Parnell to Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, Robin Ventura and John Olerud.
Reds 4, Rockies 1
DENVER (AP) - The Cincinnati Reds took advantage of a poor defensive play by Colorado on Joey Votto's single in the sixth and rallied for four runs to beat the Rockies, ending a 10-game losing streak at Coors Field.
Homer Bailey, who won for the first time in five starts since Aug. 13, allowed one run in 7 2-3 innings as the Reds won for the first time since Aug. 23, 2008, at Coors Field.
The Reds scored twice after right fielder Seth Smith and shortstop Chris Nelson made errors on Votto's single that allowed one run to score in the sixth. They followed that miscue with two walks, and scored two runs on a single by Ryan Hanigan and another on Paul Janish's single.
Cardinals 4, Braves 3, 10 innings
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Nick Punto hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 10th inning after Albert Pujols' two-run single tied it an inning earlier and the Cardinals kepttheir faint postseason hopes alive with a victory over the Braves.
Pujols had three hits and his hit just inside the first-base line with two outs in the ninth ended Craig Kimbrel's streak of 25 consecutive saves.
Pujols is batting .298 and has 87 RBIs with 18 games to go. He's batted .300 with 100 RBIs each of his 11 seasons.
Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman singled off Scott Linebrink (4-3) to start the 10th. After a sacrifice and intentional walk Punto ended it with a line drive to center.
Diamondbacks 3, Padres 2
PHOENIX (AP) - Seldom-used first baseman Lyle Overbay singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning and Daniel Hudson pitched his third complete game of the season, leading the Diamondbacks to a win over the Padres.
Overbay's hit drove in Aaron Hill, who led off the eighth with a walk against reliever Chad Qualls (6-7). He advanced to third on Miguel Montero's single.
Hudson (16-9) allowed two runs - one earned - on five hits and struck out seven. He gave up a leadoff double to Jesus Guzman in the ninth but stranded the runner at third base.
Padres starter Mat Latos, who has some of the worst run support in the NL, lasted seven innings and struck out eight, allowing two runs on eight hits.