NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP Stephenson, Cardinals topple Braves, 3-1

St. Louis ended an eight-game losing streak against Atlanta.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS -- Earlier this month, Garrett Stephenson got demoted to the bullpen.
On Saturday, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa showered Stephenson with compliments after the right-hander dominated the Atlanta Braves for eight innings in a 3-1 victory.
"Garrett is absolutely fearless," La Russa said. "Sometimes I think that fearlessness becomes a little carelessness, but he was out there today and he was going to give us a chance to win.
"In all fairness, he's done that a lot more than his record shows."
Eduardo Perez had two hits and an RBI as the Cardinals, despite continued offensive woes, ended an eight-game losing streak against the Braves that extended to May 2002. They've totaled 10 runs and 28 hits in the first five games of a six-game homestand, going 2-3.
"It's crunch time right now," Perez said. "We've been here before, and we just have to play."
Pujols extends streak
Albert Pujols got an infield hit in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 23 games, although he was easily thrown out trying to advance on a medium fly ball to right on the next at-bat. Pujols leads the major leagues with a .370 average and is 35-for-90 (.389) during the streak.
Stephenson (6-11) has had two of his strongest starts of the season in the last three outings since emerging from a brief demotion to the bullpen. He allowed a run on six hits in 71/3 innings with one strikeout and two walks in his 100th career start. His career record in August improved to 10-1 with a 2.38 ERA.
"I don't know if I'm fearless," Stephenson said. "I respect everybody but I don't fear anybody.
"It doesn't matter who's up there, if you make the right pitch, most of the time you're going to get an out."
Steve Kline and Jason Isringhausen each got an out in the eighth. Isringhausen started the ninth by giving up a single and throwing a wild pitch, then struck out the side for his 10th save in 11 chances.
Scott Rolen and Tino Martinez walked off Shane Reynolds (9-6) in the second to set the table for an RBI single by Perez. Perez doubled with one out in the fifth and scored on Chris Widger's single to make it 2-0.
The Braves accumulated three of their hits in the sixth but ended up with just one run on Chipper Jones' long single off the right-field wall because of a double play. Atlanta managed only one extra-base hit, a double by Gary Sheffield in the sixth, after hitting four home runs on Friday.
ATLANTAST. LOUIS
abrhbiabrhbi
Furcal ss4020Hart 2b4010
MGiles 2b4010Edmnd cf3000
Shffield rf4120Pujols lf4010
CJones lf4011Rolen 3b2100
AJones cf2000Rnteria ss2000
Fick 1b4010TMrtnz 1b2000
Castilla 3b3000Isrnghs p0000
Blanco c2000EduPrz rf3121
JLopez c2000Rbnson rf0000
Rynlds p2000Widger c3011
MFrco ph1000Stphnsn p1000
King p0000Kline p0000
JuFrco ph1000Cairo lf1110
Totals33171Totals25362
Atlanta000001000--1
St. Louis01001001x--3
E--Fick (10). DP--Atlanta 3, St. Louis 1. LOB--Atlanta 8, St. Louis 3. 2B--Sheffield (26), EduPerez (12). SB--Sheffield (15). CS--TMartinez (1). S--Renteria, Stephenson.
IPHRERBBSO
Atlanta
Reynolds L,9-6652231
King211001
St. Louis
Stphnsn W,6-117 1-361131
Kline1-300000
Isrnghs S,101 1-310003
WP--King, Isringhausen. Umpires--Home, Mark Wegner; First, Gary Cederstrom; Second, Chuck Meriwether; Third, Tim Welke. T--2:28. A--47,692.
Phillies 8, Giants 6, 10 innings
SAN FRANCISCO -- Pat Burrell hit a game-tying homer in the eighth inning and a two-run shot in the 10th.
Burrell and Jimmy Rollins -- two Bay area natives -- homered in the 10th off Jim Brower (7-4) as Philadelphia rallied from a late three-run deficit to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Phillies handed San Francisco just its third loss in the last 18 games at Pacific Bell Park.
Jim Thome hit an early 441-foot homer for the Phillies, while Tomas Perez, Placido Polanco and Bobby Abreu also had run-scoring hits.
Turk Wendell (3-2) pitched two scoreless for the victory despite allowing Barry Bonds' double off the top of the right-field wall in the 10th. Bonds scored on Benito Santiago's sacrifice fly.
Cody Ransom hit his first major league homer and Neifi Perez had a two-run double for the Giants, whose normally reliable bullpen blew it for starter Dustin Hermanson.
PHILASAN FRAN
abrhbiabrhbi
Byrd cf5000JoCruz rf4000
Planco 2b5011Snow 1b5000
BAbreu rf5011Grssom cf5120
Thome 1b4211Bonds lf3220
Burrell lf4233Alfonzo 3b4121
Rollins ss5111Brower p0000
Pratt c4100Benard ph1000
ToPerz 3b5121BStiago c3101
Padilla p2010NPerez 2b5012
Adams p0000Rnsom ss4121
Mchels ph1110Hrmns p1000
Crmier p0000Eyre p1010
Ledee ph1000Nathan p0000
Wndell p0000Chrstns p0000
Feliz 3b1000
Totals418118Totals376105
Philadelphia0200002103--8
San Francisco4000010001--6
E--Burrell (5), Ransom (1). DP--San Francisco 1. LOB--Philadelphia 6, San Francisco 7. 2B--ToPerez (12), Grissom (25), Bonds 2 (16), NPerez (13). HR--Thome (28), Burrell 2 (16), Rollins (6), Ransom (1). S--Hermanson. SF--BSantiago.
IPHRERBBSO
Philadelphia
Padilla5 2-395531
Adams1-300001
Cormier200012
Wendell W,3-2211100
San Francisco
Hermanson5 2-342226
Eyre2-322201
Nathan1-310000
Christiansen1-321101
Brower L,7-4323312
Christiansen pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. WP--Brower. PB--Pratt. Umpires--Home, Jerry Meals; First, Larry Vanover; Second, Gary Darling; Third, Steve Rippley. T--3:25. A--42,572.