CINCINNATI (AP) - Ian Desmond made two errors at shortstop that helped the Cincinnati Reds take the game to extra innings, then led off the 11th with his first home run of the season to rally the Washington Nationals to a 7-6 victory Saturday.
Bryce Harper also homered for the Nationals, who were coming off a 15-0 loss in the series opener - their most lopsided defeat since baseball returned to Washington in 2005. The Reds hit six homers in that one.
Washington got the better of it this time, hitting five homers to Cincinnati's one. The teams have combined for 12 homers, accounting for 20 of the 28 runs in the series.
Wilson Ramos hit two for the Nationals, including a solo shot off J.J. Hoover (0-2) in the 11th for a 7-5 lead.
Desmond's two errors led to a pair of runs that helped the Reds rally from a 5-1 deficit against one of the NL's best bullpens.
Nationals closer Rafael Soriano blew a save for the first time in three chances. He gave up a leadoff homer to Shin-Soo Choo in the ninth before Joey Votto tripled - his first extra-base hit of the season - and scored on a wild pitch.
Craig Stammen (1-0) pitched the last two innings. He gave up a two-out RBI double to Brandon Phillips before fanning Jay Bruce to end it.
CARDINALS 6, GIANTS 3
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Carlos Beltran hit a go-ahead, two-run single against his former team and Shelby Miller beat the reigning World Series champions in his second career start as St. Louis defeated San Francisco to spoil Buster Posey's MVP party.
Pete Kozma had three hits, drove in a run and scored for the Cardinals from the No. 8 spot in the order. Matt Holliday singled in a run and Matt Carpenter added an RBI single in the ninth.
Beltran also hit an RBI single in the first against Ryan Vogelsong (0-1) in a matchup of teams that won the past three World Series - and a rematch of last fall's NLCS won by the Giants in seven games.
Hunter Pence hit a solo homer for the Giants and Pablo Sandoval homered and had an RBI single.
Posey received his NL MVP plaque in a pregame ceremony. The Giants will have yet another day of celebrating Sunday with the World Series ring presentation.
Miller (1-0), the Cardinals' top pitching prospect, allowed two runs in 5 1-3 innings. Mitchell Boggs, filling in for injured closer Jason Motte, finished for his first save.
METS 7, MARLINS 3
NEW YORK (AP) - John Buck drove in four runs and was part of a rare umpire's call that helped New York beat Miami.
Collin Cowgill homered, David Wright got three hits and slumping Ike Davis added a pair of singles to lift the Mets on a brisk afternoon at Citi Field.
New York led 3-2 in the seventh inning moments before plate umpire Jim Joyce made the unusual call.
Juan Pierre was at second base and Greg Dobbs hit a two-out single. Pierre dashed home easily with the tying run as right fielder Mike Baxter's throw was 10 feet wide of Buck at the plate. Pierre crossed home but then collided with Buck as the catcher planted to try and throw out Dobbs at second.
Joyce immediately called Pierre for interference and ruled Dobbs out, ending the inning.
New York then scored three times to break away. Daniel Murphy hit an RBI triple, Wright singled home a run and Buck had a sacrifice fly. Catcher Miguel Olivo contributed to Miami's problems in the seventh with two throwing errors on steals at second base.
Brandon Lyon (1-0) pitched one scoreless inning. Ryan Webb (0-1) took the loss.
DIAMONDBACKS 9, BREWERS 2
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Jason Kubel, Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Hill each homered in Arizona's victory over the injury-depleted Brewers.
Kubel's two-run homer gave the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Goldschmidt then hit a two-run drive in the fourth to make it 6-2. Hill's solo shot capped the scoring in the eighth after his RBI double in the first gave Arizona a 1-0 lead.
Starter Patrick Corbin (1-0) gave up a run in each of the first two innings, but settled in to win his season debut.
The start was another in a disturbing trend for Milwaukee's Michael Fiers (0-1), who struggled at the end of 2012 and in spring training. He gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out one in five innings of his season debut.
BRAVES 6, CUBS 5
ATLANTA (AP) - B.J. Upton led off the ninth inning with a homer and his brother Justin followed one out later with another long ball that helped the Atlanta Braves rally past embattled Chicago Cubs closer Carlos Marmol for a victory.
Justin went 3 for 5 with two RBIs. He also homered in the first and now has five homers in Atlanta's first five games.
The Braves rallied from a 5-1 deficit with three runs in the eighth off Kyuji Fukijawa and two in the ninth off Marmol.
Eric O'Flaherty (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth despite allowing a hit and walk.
Marmol (0-1) gave up two hits, both solo homers, in one-third of an inning. His ERA ballooned to 27.00.
ROCKIES 6, PADRES 3
DENVER (AP) - Jon Garland threw six sharp innings in his first appearance in almost two years and Michael Cuddyer drove in four runs, helping the Rockies to a win over the Padres.
Garland (1-0) hardly showed any signs of rust in his first big league start since June 1, 2011. He had season-ending shoulder surgery a month later. The procedure also kept him sidelined for 2012. He gave up two runs and struck out two.
Tyson Ross (0-1) lasted four innings and allowed three runs - two earned - in his Padres debut after being acquired in the offseason from Oakland. He struggled with his control as he walked four.
DODGERS 1, PIRATES 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Clayton Kershaw followed up his sensational one-man show on opening day with seven innings of two-hit ball and nine strikeouts in a spirited duel with A.J. Burnett, and the Dodgers beat Pittsburgh for their second straight shutout win over the Pirates.
Kershaw (2-0) walked one and retired 17 consecutive batters after giving up a leadoff single in the first inning to Starling Marte.
Brandon League followed Paco Rodriguez and Kenley Jansen out of the bullpen and pitched a hitless ninth for his second save.
Burnett (0-2) was charged with a run and four hits in 5 1-3 innings, walked four and struck out nine - including Matt Kemp all three times he faced him.
INTERLEAGUE
PHILLIES 4, ROYALS 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen hit a bases-clearing, three-run double with two outs in the ninth off closer Greg Holland to lift the Phillies to a victory over the Kansas City Royals in front of the smallest crowd in Philadelphia in four years.
The Phillies had just two hits and trailed 3-1 to start the inning. Holland (0-1) walked Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Michael Young to load the bases. He then struck out Domonic Brown swinging and fanned John Mayberry Jr. looking.
But Frandsen ripped a first-pitch fastball to right-center to knock in all three runners.
Royals starter Luis Mendoza threw six stellar innings, and the Royals' bullpen went into the ninth with seven hitless innings in the series.
Antonio Bastardo (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win.