NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP Cardinals are first team to clinch playoff berth

St. Louis' win over Arizona coupled with the Giants' loss sealed the playoff spot.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals became the first major league team to clinch a playoff spot this season, assuring themselves no worse than the NL wild-card berth.
A few hours after the Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 Saturday, the berth was clinched when San Francisco lost to San Diego 5-1.
St. Louis has 97 wins and is guaranteed of finishing in the top two in the NL Central, and the Giants' loss meant that the second-place teams in both the NL East and NL West will have 96 wins or fewer.
Chris Carpenter left with an injury in the fourth inning, but four relievers helped St. Louis complete a six-hitter.
Matheny gets RBI
Light-hitting Mike Matheny got his fifth RBI in five games for the Cardinals, who won for only the fifth time in 11 games.
Carpenter appeared to have been hurt making a throw to first on Danny Bautista's grounder for the first out in the fourth. He left after the next batter, Shea Hillenbrand, singled.
Dan Haren (3-2) allowed two hits in 2 1-3 innings.
Ray King walked the only batter he faced, Cal Eldred allowed one hit in two innings and Al Reyes pitched the ninth for the Cardinals' 12th shutout of the season.
Fossum (4-14) lasted six innings in the loss.
ARIZONAST. LOUIS
abrhbiabrhbi
Terrero cf4010Wmack 2b5121
Cintron ss4010Tguchi cf4111
DBtista rf4000Pujols 1b3011
Hlnbrn 1b4010RSndrs lf4111
Tracy 3b3000Rnteria ss2111
Kreger lf2000Mabry rf4110
Hmck lf1000Mtheny c3221
Hirston 2b3010Luna 3b2000
Durbin p0000Crpnter p1000
Choate p0000Haren p1000
Brito c3010King p0000
Fossum p2010Eldred p0000
AGreen 2b1000Cedeno ph0001
AReyes p0000
Totals31060Totals29797
Arizona000000000--0
St. Louis01200112x--7
E--Brito (4). DP--St. Louis 2. LOB--Arizona 5, St. Louis 7. 2B--Hairston (15), Brito (7), Matheny (20). SB--RSanders 2 (21), Renteria (16). CS--RSanders (4), Renteria (10). S--Taguchi, Eldred. SF--Pujols.
IPHRERBBSO
Arizona
Fossum L,4-14664315
Durbin1 2-323331
Choate1-310010
St. Louis
Carpenter3 1-330002
Haren W,3-22 2-320001
King000010
Eldred210002
Al Reyes100001
King pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. HBP--by Fossum (Renteria). WP--Durbin. Umpires--Home, Ed Montague; First, Jerry Meals; Second, Paul Schrieber; Third, Jerry Layne. T--2:39. A--43,791.
Padres 5, Giants 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds added another home run to his impressive total a day after hitting career homer No. 700, but San Diego's Jay Payton hit a tie-breaking three-run shot in the seventh to lead the Padres past the Giants.
Bonds led off the second inning with a solo homer to right-center on the first pitch he saw from Padres left-hander David Wells (12-7), the 43rd homer of the season for the six-time NL MVP.
Bonds also struck out in the fourth, grounded out in the seventh and struck out in the ninth.
Payton homered off Jason Schmidt (16-7), who has only one win in his last seven starts.
Trevor Hoffman got the final out with a runner on first and second for his 39th save, passing Dennis Eckersley for third place on the career saves list with 391.
SAN DIEGOSAN FRAN
abrhbiabrhbi
RVazqz ss5110Drham 2b4020
Loretta 2b4010DCruz ss4000
BGiles rf2101Alfonzo 3b4010
Nevin 1b4000Bonds lf4111
Klesko lf2010Feliz 1b4000
Rbnson lf1111Grssom cf4020
Aurilia 3b4000Przyns c4000
RaHrdz c3100Mohr rf3000
Payton cf4133Schmdt p2010
DWells p3000TyWlkr p0000
Otsuka p1000Linden ph1000
Hffman p0000Herges p0000
Totals33575Totals34171
San Diego000100310--5
San Francisco010000000--1
E--RVazquez (1), Schmidt (3). DP--San Diego 1, San Francisco 1. LOB--San Diego 5, San Francisco 6. 2B--RVazquez (2), Klesko (31), Robinson (4). HR--Payton (8), Bonds (43). SB--BGiles 2 (9).
IPHRERBBSO
San Diego
DWells W,12-77 1-351105
Otsuka1 1-320001
Hoffman S,391-300000
San Francisco
Schmidt L,16-77 2-365538
TyWalker1-300001
Herges110001
HBP--by Schmidt (RaHernandez). Umpires--Home, Laz Diaz; First, Chris Guccione; Second, Wally Bell; Third, Bill Welke. T--2:40. A--42,515.
Rockies 8, Dodgers 1
DENVER -- Joe Kennedy pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and had a two-run triple in a five-run seventh, helping Colorado beat Los Angeles.
Los Angeles managed just five hits and has lost five of seven to see its lead over the Giants shrink from six games just a week ago.
Todd Helton was 4-for-5 and is 7-for-9 in two games since an 0-for-11 slump, Choo Freeman had a two-run single in the seventh inning and Colorado had 16 hits to end a four-game losing streak.
Kennedy (9-6) walked six, and stranded runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings before giving up Jose Hernandez's 12th homer, a solo shot in the fourth.
Kennedy left after allowing one run in his final start before beginning a five-game suspension for an altercation Aug. 15 with Pittsburgh's Jason Kendall.
Dodgers starter Odalis Perez (6-6) allowed two runs and 10 hits in six innings.
LOS ANGELESCOLORADO
abrhbiabrhbi
Izturis ss4000Barmes 2b5120
Werth lf4010Clayton ss5110
SFinley cf4000Helton 1b5041
Beltre 3b1000Castilla 3b5120
ShGren 1b4000Burnitz rf3101
Brdley rf4010LuGnzl lf5230
JHrndz 2b3121TGreen c3121
Mayne c3010Frman cf3112
Saenz ph1000JKnndy p2012
TWilsn c0000Fentes p0000
OPerez p3000Tsao p0000
Carrar p0000
Snchez p0000
Thrston ph1000
Totals32151Totals368167
Los Angeles000100000--1
Colorado00110051x--8
E--JHernandez (4). LOB--Los Angeles 10, Colorado 10. 2B--Werth (9), JHernandez (10), Barmes (3), Helton (43), Castilla (43), LuGonzalez (15). 3B--JKennedy (1). HR--JHernandez (12). SB--Izturis (25), Werth (4), LuGonzalez (1). S--JKennedy 2. SF--Burnitz.
IPHRERBBSO
Los Angeles
OPerez L,6-66102213
Carrara2-345520
Sanchez1 1-321100
Colorado
JKennedy W,9-6741165
Fuentes110002
Tsao100001
WP--Carrara, Fuentes. Umpires--Home, Bruce Dreckman; First, Greg Gibson; Second, Larry Poncino; Third, Gerry Davis. T--2:56. A--21,664.
Braves 4, Marlins 2
MIAMI -- Jaret Wright allowed just three hits in 81/3 innings, and Atlanta Braves another blow to Florida's fading hopes in the wild card race.
Wright (15-7) gave the crowd of 34,714 little to cheer about. He struck out five, walked one, hit a batter and won for only the second time in nine career outings against the Marlins.
Bidding for his first complete game since 2000, Wright took a two-hitter into the ninth. But the right-hander departed after hitting a batter and allowing a single by Juan Pierre.
John Smoltz gave up an RBI groundout by Luis Castillo, and Paul Lo Duca doubled home a run. Miguel Cabrera grounded out, giving Smoltz his 39th save.
J.D. Drew put the Braves ahead to stay with an RBI double in the sixth inning that snapped a scoreless tie against Josh Beckett (7-9). The Braves reduced the magic number to six for clinching their 13th consecutive NL East title.
ATLANTAFLORIDA
abrhbiabrhbi
Furcal ss4120Pierre cf4110
MGiles 2b5110LCstillo 2b4001
JDrew rf2111L Duca c4011
CJones 3b4000Cbrera lf4000
JEstda c3100Lowell 3b2020
JuFrco 1b4011Conine 1b3000
AJones cf4021JEcrcn rf3000
Thmas lf3010AGnzlz ss2100
JSWrht p3000Beckett p1000
Smoltz p0000Mrdcai ph1000
Bump p0000
Perisho p0000
LHarrs ph1000
Totals32483Totals29242
Atlanta000004000--4
Florida000000002--2
E--Beckett (1). DP--Atlanta 2, Florida 2. LOB--Atlanta 7, Florida 2. 2B--JDrew (28), JuFranco (16), Lo Duca (27). SB--JDrew (12). S--JSWright.
IPHRERBBSO
Atlanta
JSWright W,15-78 1-332215
Smoltz S,39 2-310000
Florida
Beckett L,7-9674434
Bump200012
Perisho110010
HBP--by JSWright (AGonzalez). WP--Beckett. Umpires--Home, Mark Wegner; First, Mike Everitt; Second, Larry Young; Third, Angel Hernandez. T--2:19. A--34,714.
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