Howard's relief effort saves Marlins in 5-2 win over Mets

He retired two batters with the bases loaded to preserve the lead.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI -- Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer and Ben Howard pitched out of a seventh-inning jam Saturday to help the Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets, 5-2.
Florida won for only the third time in 10 games, beating Tom Glavine (7-7). He allowed four runs in six innings, and his career record at Pro Player Stadium fell to 6-12 with an ERA of 4.40.
Brad Penny (8-7) shut out New York for six innings but ran into trouble in the seventh. Howard retired Cliff Floyd and Richard Hidalgo with the bases loaded to end the threat and preserve a 4-2 lead.
Armando Benitez got the final six outs, four by strikeout, for his 29th save in 31 chances.
The game was played in a haze for several innings because of smoke from a brush fire at the fringes of the Everglades, more than 10 miles west of the stadium.
Lowell raps 20th
Lowell's home run was his 20th of the season and his 128th with Florida, leaving him one shy of the club record held by Derrek Lee. Alex Gonzalez added a solo homer in the eighth, his fourth in six games and his 12th of the season.
The Mets, who had won seven of their past nine games, fell behind 4-0 before back-to-back doubles by Mike Cameron and Shane Spencer to start the seventh. After Penny departed, Todd Zeile walked and Jose Reyes singled to make it 4-2.
Marlins manager Jack McKeon then called on Howard, who gave up a sacrifice and a walk before pitching out of the jam.
NEW YORKFLORIDA
abrhbiabrhbi
Reyes 2b5031Pierre cf4110
Matsui ss4000LCstillo 2b3010
Piazza 1b3010Cbrera rf3111
Floyd lf4010Lowell 3b3132
Parra p0000Conine lf4000
Hidalgo rf4010Benitez p0000
Wggntn 3b4010Choi 1b4120
Cmeron cf4110AGnzlz ss4132
JPhllps c1000Rdmnd c4000
Spncer lf2111Penny p3000
TGlvin p2000Perisho p0000
KGarca ph0000BHwrd p0000
Zeile ph0000Nunez lf1000
VWilsn c1000
Totals34292Totals335115
New York000000200--2
Florida30000101x--5
E--Cameron (4). DP--New York 1. LOB--New York 10, Florida 8. 2B--Cameron (16), Spencer (9), AGonzalez (20). HR--Lowell (20), AGonzalez (12). SB--Reyes 2 (3), Wigginton (4). CS--Wigginton (1). S--Matsui, LCastillo.
IPHRERBBSO
New York
TGlavine L,7-7694423
Parra221113
Florida
Penny W,8-7672225
Perisho010010
BHoward100011
Benitez S,29210004
Penny pitched to 2 batters in the 7th, Perisho pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. WP--Perisho. Umpires--Home, Dana DeMuth; First, Jim Joyce; Second, Kerwin Danley; Third, Marvin Hudson. T--2:59. A--41,212.
Rockies 6, Padres 2
SAN DIEGO -- Aaron Cook took a shutout into the seventh inning and Jeromy Burnitz and Todd Greene each hit solo homers in the Rockies' third straight victory.
Cook (4-3) allowed one run on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks, and pitched out of trouble all day -- leaving 10 baserunners stranded in six-plus innings.
Left fielder Matt Holliday helped Cook in the sixth inning when he made a running catch over his head on Sean Burroughs' fly ball with two outs and runners at second and third.
Brian Lawrence (10-6) lasted only four innings for the Padres, who have lost four in a row.
After Aaron Miles gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second, Burnitz hit a two-out homer off Lawrence in the third. One inning later, Greene homered to make it 3-0.
Holliday added an RBI single in the fifth that put Colorado ahead 4-0.
Cook allowed Mark Loretta's leadoff double in the seventh, and Jeff Fassero gave up an RBI single to Brian Giles. Steve Reed came in with two outs and Giles on third before retiring Xavier Nady on a grounder.
Loretta gets 3 hits
Loretta was 3-for-5 with a double, but popped out against Reed with two outs in the eighth and runners on first and second.
Vinny Castilla hit an RBI double in the ninth, and scored on reliever Rod Beck's two-base throwing error to make it 6-1.
Nady hit an RBI double off Scott Dohmann in the ninth to cut it to 6-2.
The Rockies have won eight of nine since they were a season-high 21 games under .500 on July 1. Colorado has outscored the Padres 32-12 in winning five of six games here this season.
Cook pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning after allowing a leadoff infield single to Terrence Long, Miguel Ojeda's one-out single and a walk to Khalil Greene. Cook struck out Darren Bragg, who pinch-hit for Lawrence, and got Burroughs on a comebacker to the mound.
COLORADOSAN DIEGO
abrhbiabrhbi
Miles 2b5021Brrghs 3b4000
Clayton ss5120Beck p0000
Helton 1b5120Loretta 2b5130
Castilla 3b5111BGiles rf4121
Burnitz rf4111Klesko 1b5010
PrWlsn cf4010Long cf5010
Hlliday lf3011Nady lf5021
TGreen c3211Ojeda c4010
Cook p2000KGreen ss2000
Fssero p0000Lwrnce p1000
SReed p1000Bragg ph1000
JrLopz p0000Stone p0000
Dhmnn p0000Bchnan ph1000
Wtsick p0000
Cirillo 3b1010
Totals376115Totals382112
Colorado011110002--6
San Diego000000101--2
E--Beck (1). LOB--Colorado 9, San Diego 14. 2B--Miles (9), Helton (27), Castilla (28), Loretta (28), Nady 2 (3), Cirillo (2). HR--Burnitz (18), TGreene (5). SB--Miles (5), Helton (3). S--Holliday, Cook.
IPHRERBBSO
Colorado
Cook W,4-3681133
Fassero2-310000
SReed1 1-310012
JrLopez2-301110
Dohmann1-310000
San Diego
Lawrence L,10-6463322
Stone221101
Witasick210003
Beck122102
Cook pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP--by Stone (PrWilson). WP--JrLopez. Balk--Cook. Umpires--Home, Bill Hohn; First, Gary Darling; Second, Mark Carlson; Third, Ramon Armendariz. T--3:11. A--37,644.
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