NATIONAL LEAGUE Red-hot Astros bombard Reds, 9-8

Houston has defeated Cincinnati nine straight times.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CINCINNATI -- Lance Berkman, Richard Hidalgo and Morgan Ensberg hit consecutive home runs in the first inning, and the Houston Astros held on to beat the Cincinnati Reds for the ninth straight time, 9-8 on Saturday.
Berkman had two homers and five RBIs for the Astros, who have won four in a row and nine of their last 10.
The Reds, trailing 9-3 entering the ninth, made it close by scoring five runs with one out. Sean Casey hit an RBI double and Ruben Mateo, 2-for-4 with three RBIs, had a run-scoring single off Kirk Saarloos. Octavio Dotel came in and gave up a pinch-hit homer to Jason LaRue, making it 9-8.
After walking Kelly Stinnett, Dotel got two outs for his fourth save.
Ron Villone (2-0) allowed six hits and one run in six innings to improve to 5-0 in 14 career appearances against Cincinnati.
Right-hander Ryan Wagner, the Reds' No. 1 pick and 14th overall selection in last month's draft, retired all five batters he faced in his major league debut.
HOUSTONCINCINNATI
abrhbiabrhbi
Biggio cf4320DJmnz 2b6020
Munro p0000Larkin ss3000
Gallo p0000JCastro ss1000
Merced ph0000JGillen rf5220
Sarloos p0000Casey 1b5331
Dotel p0000ABoone 3b4120
Blum 2b5111RMateo cf4123
Bgwell 1b2100Dunn lf2010
Brkmn lf3225Wagner p0000
Hidalgo rf5121Hredia p0000
Ensbrg 3b4112Brnyan ph1000
Asmus c5010JoAvdo p0000
Brntlett ss5010LaRue ph1113
Villone p3000Stinnett c3011
BHnter cf2000JHayns p0000
Redling p1000
Larson ph1000
Reith p0000
Merckr p0000
Taylor cf1000
Totals389109Totals388148
Houston510012000--9
Cincinnati000100025--8
E--Larkin (8), ABoone (12). DP--Houston 2, Cincinnati 1. LOB--Houston 11, Cincinnati 11. 2B--Blum (15), Casey (14), ABoone (17). HR--Berkman 2 (19), Hidalgo (17), Ensberg (18), LaRue (11). SF--RMateo.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Villone W,2-0661127
PMunro1 2-342201
Gallo1-300011
Saarloos1-334410
Dotel S,42-311112
Cincinnati
JHaynes L,2-101 1-366611
Riedling2 2-300003
Reith1 1-323331
Mercker2-300021
Wagner1 2-300001
Heredia1-310010
JoAcevedo110010
HBP--by PMunro (Taylor), by Villone (Stinnett), by JHaynes (Bagwell). Umpires--Home, Larry Poncino; First, Phil Cuzzi; Second, Jerry Crawford; Third, Brian O'Nora. T--3:27. A--41,772.
Braves 7, Mets 4
ATLANTA -- Russ Ortiz earned his NL-leading 13th victory and Atlanta roughed up former teammate Tom Glavine again.
Andruw Jones went 2-for-3 with a home run, Javy Lopez added two hits and Vinny Castilla drove in two runs for the Braves, who won for the 12th time in 13 games.
Ortiz (13-4) wasn't sharp, laboring through 101 pitches in five innings, but he pitched out of jams in the third and fifth and won his sixth straight. He gave up three runs on four hits, struck out five and walked four.
John Smoltz got the final out for his 35th save in 37 opportunities -- the 100th of his career.
Glavine (6-10), facing the Braves for the fourth time this season, lasted only 41/3 innings and gave up seven runs on nine hits. He fell to 0-4 against Atlanta, and he's allowed 23 earned runs in those games.
NEW YORKATLANTA
abrhbiabrhbi
Reyes ss5220Furcal ss3010
Duncan cf4011MGiles 2b4000
TPerez rf3111Shffield rf4000
Floyd lf4111AJones cf3321
JPhllps c3021JLopez c4120
Wggntn 3b2000JuFrco 1b3111
Wheelr p0000Castilla 3b3112
Cedeno ph1000Bragg lf4122
Stanton p0000RuOrtiz p1011
TClark 1b4000Hodges p1000
RSnchz 2b3000Holmes p0000
RGnzlz ph1000MFrco ph1000
Glavine p2000RHrndz p0000
JBell 3b2000Smoltz p0000
Totals34474Totals317107
New York102000001--4
Atlanta04102000x--7
E--Castilla (11). DP--New York 1, Atlanta 1. LOB--New York 8, Atlanta 5. 2B--AJones (14), Castilla (17). 3B--Floyd (2), Bragg (1). HR--AJones (24). SB--Reyes (3), TPerez (2), Wigginton (7). S--RuOrtiz. SF--Castilla.
IPHRERBBSO
New York
Glavine L,6-104 1-397732
Wheeler2 2-310001
Stanton100000
Atlanta
RuOrtiz W,13-4543345
Hodges200013
Holmes110001
RHernandez2-321101
Smoltz S,35 1-300001
Umpires--Home, Mike Everitt; First, James Hoye; Second, Larry Young; Third, Jim Wolf. T--2:58. A--45,759.
Giants 5, Rockies 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds hit his 644th career home run and Yorvit Torrealba homered on his 25th birthday as San Francisco sent Colorado to its sixth straight road loss.
Bonds connected for his major league-leading 31st homer, driving a 2-1 pitch from Shawn Chacon (11-5) over the right-field wall for a tie-breaking solo shot to lead off the fourth.
Bonds is 16 homers shy of tying his godfather, Willie Mays, for third on the all-time list with 660. Only Babe Ruth (714) and Bonds' hero, Hank Aaron (755), have hit more.
Torrealba then led off the fifth with a solo homer, his second of the season. The NL West-leading Giants have won three straight and eight of 11.
The Rockies have dropped four straight and fell to 15-34 away from Coors Field, including 1-6 at Pacific Bell Park.
COLORADOSAN FRAN
abrhbiabrhbi
Wmack ss4021Drham 2b3010
Blliard 2b3000Snow 1b4110
LWalkr ph0000Grssom cf4011
JJmnez p0000Bonds lf3221
Stynes ph1000JoCruz rf3100
Fentes p0000Aurilia ss3000
SReed p0000FRdgez p0000
Helton 1b4010Glrrga ph1000
PrWlsn cf4010Worrell p0000
Norton 3b3000Alfonzo 3b3011
Payton lf4110Trralba c3112
MaSwy rf4120Schmdt p2000
CJhson c3100Herges p0000
Chacon p2012Eyre p0000
Lopez p0000NPerez ss1000
Brnero p0000
Bllhorn 2b1000
Totals33383Totals30575
Colorado020000100--3
San Francisco02011001x--5
E--Helton (11). DP--San Francisco 1. LOB--Colorado 5, San Francisco 4. 2B--Payton (17), MaSweeney (7), Chacon (2), Snow (17), Grissom (20). HR--Bonds (31), Torrealba (2). SB--Womack (9). CS--Womack (4), Durham (3).
IPHRERBBSO
Colorado
Chacon L,11-54 1-344436
Lopez100002
Bernero2-300000
JJimenez100001
Fuentes1-331100
SReed2-300000
San Francisco
Schmidt W,10-4552214
Herges1 2-311112
Eyre010000
FRodriguez1 1-300002
Worrell S,21110002
Fuentes pitched to 3 batters in the 8th, Schmidt pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Eyre pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. WP--Chacon 2. Umpires--Home, Brian Runge; First, Ed Montague; Second, Brian Gorman; Third, Bruce Dreckman. T--2:49. A--42,607.
Cardinals 3, Dodgers 1
LOS ANGELES -- Dan Haren outdueled Kevin Brown for his first major league victory and Scott Rolen homered for St. Louis.
Haren (1-2) allowed a run and six hits, including a third-inning homer by Alex Cora, in his fourth career start.
The right-hander, whose only professional experience entering this season was at the Single-A level, was called up at the end of June after going 6-0 in eight starts with Double-A Tennessee and 2-1 in eight starts with Triple-A Memphis.
Jason Isringhausen got three outs for his sixth save in seven attempts.
Brown, who missed two turns in the rotation -- and the All-Star game -- because of a lower abdominal strain, allowed two runs and five hits over six innings after being activated from the disabled list. One of the runs against him was unearned, the result of his errant pickoff throw to first base in the third.
Brown (10-5) lost his fourth straight start despite striking out six and walking none.
ST. LOUISLOS ANGELES
abrhbiabrhbi
Hart 2b4010JoCbra cf4020
JDrew rf3120Cora 2b3121
Pujols lf4020Hndrsn lf1000
Painter p0000ShGren rf3010
Isrnghs p0000L Duca c4000
Edmnd cf3000Burnitz lf3000
EduPrz lf1000Beltre 3b4000
Rolen 3b4221Knkade 1b3000
TMrtnz 1b2000Mota p0000
Rnteria ss3001TMartn p0000
Mtheny c4000Shuey p0000
Haren p2000Ward ph1000
Stcchi p0000Izturis ss3000
Rbnson rf1000KBrwn p2010
LBrnes 1b1000
Totals31372Totals32161
St. Louis011000100--3
Los Angeles001000000--1
E--KBrown (1). DP--Los Angeles 1. LOB--St. Louis 5, Los Angeles 6. 2B--Hart (7), Rolen (29), JoCabrera (15), ShGreen (34). HR--Rolen (19), Cora (2). S--TMartinez. SF--Renteria.
IPHRERBBSO
St. Louis
Haren W,1-2661123
Simontacchi100000
Painter100000
Isringhausen S,6100001
Los Angeles
KBrown L,10-5652106
Mota1 2-321112
TMartin1-300000
Shuey100012
WP--Shuey. Umpires--Home, Jay Klemm; First, Fieldin Culbreth; Second, Terry Craft; Third, Charlie Reliford. T--2:36. A--41,195.