PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Tom Gordon blew another save for the Philadelphia Phillies. This time, the offense bailed him out.
Carlos Ruiz’s infield single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning gave the Phillies a 6-5 victory over the Florida Marlins on Friday night. Philadelphia (10-12) has won six of seven after a terrible start.
Jimmy Rollins’ NL-leading ninth homer tied it and Chase Utley connected one batter later to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead in the eighth.
But Gordon couldn’t hold the lead – again. Mike Jacobs started the ninth with his fourth hit, a double. With one out, Cody Ross doubled to tie it at 5. Gordon (1-1) has blown three saves in seven chances.
Philadelphia’s Aaron Rowand was 4-for-5 with a solo homer, extending his career-best hitting streak to 15 and falling a triple short of the cycle.
Jacobs was 4-for-4 with a solo homer and Miguel Cabrera also hit a solo shot for the Marlins.
Randy Messenger (0-1) took the loss.
Cubs 5, Cardinals 3
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Jason Marquis beat his former team for the second straight time and Felix Pie hit his first career home run in Chicago’s victory over St. Louis.
Pie and Aramis Ramirez hit two-run homers in the fourth inning for the Cubs, who have won consecutive games for the first time since April 6-7. Left fielder Alfonso Soriano threw out two runners, one at the plate.
Marquis (3-1) led the NL with 16 losses to go with a 6.02 ERA last year, didn’t pitch in the postseason and wasn’t even on the Cardinals’ roster for the NLCS and World Series. He allowed three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings, six days after throwing seven scoreless innings in Chicago.
Anthony Reyes (0-4) struck out five in the first three innings and didn’t give up a hit. But the Cubs broke through for four extra-base hits in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.
Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer to chase Marquis and cut the deficit to one. Ryan Dempster got five outs for his fourth save in four chances and first since April 7. He escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth, striking out Preston Wilson and getting Adam Kennedy on a groundout.
Brewers 4, Astros 1
HOUSTON (AP) – J.J. Hardy’s two-run double off Roy Oswalt capped a three-run seventh inning, and Milwaukee handed Houston its seventh consecutive loss.
Johnny Estrada homered in the eighth off new Astros reliever Stephen Randolph, helping the Brewers win for the seventh time in nine games. Chris Capuano (4-0) won his fourth straight start, giving up five hits and one run.
Carlos Lee had an RBI single for the Astros, who last lost seven in a row in May 2005. Francisco Cordero improved to 9-for-9 in save opportunities.
Oswalt (3-2) gave up six hits and four walks in losing for just the seventh time in his last 33 decisions at Minute Maid Park.
Nationals 4, Mets 3
WASHINGTON (AP) – First things first: The Washington Nationals actually scored in the first inning, the only time they’ve managed to do that all season.
Austin Kearns hit a three-run homer to stake Washington to an early lead, Matt Chico (2-2) earned his second major league victory and the NL-worst Nationals held off New York.
Washington set a league record by playing 22 games at the start of a season without scoring a first-inning run, but Kearns ended the drought with a shot to left-center off Oliver Perez (2-2).
Chad Cordero threw a perfect ninth for his third save.
Pirates 3, Reds 1
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ian Snell limited Cincinnati to six hits over seven shutout innings in another excellent start, and Jason Bay’s two-run double in the first got Pittsburgh going.
The Pirates matched their longest winning streak of last season by winning their fifth in a row to move above .500 at 11-10 – a modest achievement for some teams but a turnaround for one that was 5-16 and nine games out of first place a year ago.
The Reds, down 3-0 before Eric Milton (0-4) retired his second batter, lost their third straight and seventh in nine games.
Salomon Torres, in danger of losing his job as Pirates closer after blowing saves in three of his five most recent opportunities, allowed a leadoff homer to Adam Dunn in the ninth. But Torres finished for his seventh save in 10 chances.
Snell (2-1) made his fifth consecutive effective start, lowering his ERA to 1.59.
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