Lieber, Philly top Braves in pitching duel

After an 0-5 start, the Mets beat Florida to win their sixth straight game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA -- Jon Lieber outdueled John Smoltz and Chase Utley had a tiebreaking RBI single and game-saving catch, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Lieber (3-0) allowed one run and seven hits in eight innings to win his third straight start since joining the Phillies. Billy Wagner pitched a shaky ninth for his second save. He allowed two hits, two long fly outs and threw a wild pitch, but second baseman Utley made a diving, backhanded catch on Brian Jordan's liner to end it with runners at second and third.
Jimmy Rollins hit a tying homer off Smoltz (0-3) in the sixth, helping the Phillies snap a three-game losing streak.
Smoltz gave up two runs and five hits, striking out four in seven innings. The former Cy Young Award winner is winless since returning to the starting rotation after saving 154 games. But the Braves have scored just two runs in his three starts.
ATLANTAPHILA
abrhbiabrhbi
Furcal ss4010Rollins ss4121
MGiles 2b4000Lofton cf3120
CJones 3b4020BAbreu rf3000
AJones cf4000Thome 1b3000
JEstda c4110Burrell lf4000
Lroche 1b3010Utley 2b3021
JuFrco ph1010DaBell 3b3000
Btemit pr0000Pratt c3000
BJordn lf4011Lieber p3000
Mndesi rf3020BWgnr p0000
Smoltz p2000
Orr ph1000
Ritsma p0000
Totals34191Totals29262
Atlanta000010000--1
Philadelphia00000200x--2
E--Furcal (1), Mondesi (1). DP--Atlanta 1. LOB--Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 6. 2B--CJones (4), JEstrada (4), Utley (1). HR--Rollins (1). SB--Rollins (3), BAbreu (5). CS--Furcal (1), Mondesi (1).
IPHRERBBSO
Atlanta
Smoltz L,0-3752234
Reitsma110001
Philadelphia
Lieber W,3-0871102
BWagner S,2120000
WP--BWagner. Umpires--Home, Ted Barrett; First, Alfonso Marquez; Second, Rick Reed; Third, Terry Craft. T--2:11. A--36,820.
Mets 4, Marlins 3
NEW YORK -- Ramon Castro singled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning, leading the Mets to their sixth straight victory.
Pedro Martinez struck out nine in a stellar home debut for New York -- but the Mets' new ace was outpitched by their old one, Al Leiter.
The left-hander allowed only three hits in seven innings and left with a 2-1 lead before New York rallied against reliever Todd Jones in the eighth.
Carlos Beltran tied it with a two-out single and Mike Piazza followed with a go-ahead double to give the Mets a 3-2 edge, overcoming Martinez's career-high three wild pitches.
Braden Looper (1-1) couldn't hold it. He gave up three hits in the ninth, including Juan Encarnacion's tying double with two outs, for his second blown save in three chances this year.
But Victor Diaz, doubled off Guillermo Mota (0-1) with two outs in the ninth and scored when Castro lined a 1-1 pitch to right-center for the game-winning hit.
FLORIDANEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Pierre cf3110Reyes ss4000
LCstillo 2b4111Cairo 2b3210
Cbrera lf3010Beltran cf4031
CDlgdo 1b4110Piazza c4011
Lowell 3b4000Looper p0000
L Duca c4010Wdwrd lf2000
JEcrcn rf4011Valent lf1000
AGnzlz ss4000Mntkw 1b4000
Leiter p2000Wright 3b3000
LHarrs ph1000Diaz rf4220
TJones p0000PMrtnz p2000
Mecir p0000DeJean p0000
Mota p0000KMtsui ph0000
RCstro c1011
Totals33362Totals32483
Florida100100001--3
New York000100021--4
Two outs when winning run scored.
E--Pierre (1). DP--Florida 1, New York 1. LOB--Florida 5, New York 6. 2B--JEncarnacion (2), Cairo (2), Piazza (4), Diaz (2). SB--LCastillo (2). S--KMatsui.
IPHRERBBSO
Florida
Leiter731124
TJones2-332211
Mecir1-300001
Mota L,0-12-321100
New York
PMartinez732219
DeJean100010
Looper W,1-1131100
WP--PMartinez 3. Umpires--Home, Charlie Reliford; First, Angel Hernandez; Second, Greg Gibson; Third, Brian Runge. T--2:46. A--55,351.
Reds 3, Astros 2
CINCINNATI -- Left-hander Eric Milton finally pitched like a pricey and prized acquisition, and the Reds ended their 12-game losing streak against Houston.
Milton (2-1) gave up three hits in seven innings, his first impressive showing in three starts for the team that made him the centerpiece of its offseason overhaul. Milton got a $4 million bonus as part of a three-year, $25.5 million deal last December.
The Reds had to beat left-hander Andy Pettitte (0-1) to break one of the longest head-to-head losing streaks in franchise history.
Danny Graves gave up a pinch-hit RBI single to Mike Lamb in the ninth, but finished the combined five-hitter to get his third save.
HOUSTONCINCINNATI
abrhbiabrhbi
AEvrtt ss4000DJmnz 2b4000
Biggio 2b4000Grf Jr. cf3120
Hrvlle p0000Casey 1b4020
Bgwell 1b3110Randa 3b4000
Ensbrg 3b3010Kearns rf3100
Lane rf4000WPena lf4121
Burke lf3110Aurilia ss2012
Lamb ph1011LaRue c3010
Brntlett pr0000Milton p2000
Asmus c3011Freel ph1000
JVzcno ph1000RWgnr p0000
Tveras cf3000Graves p0000
Pettitte p2000
OPlmro lf1000
Totals32252Totals30383
Houston000010001--2
Cincinnati00030000x--3
DP--Houston 2. LOB--Houston 5, Cincinnati 6. 2B--Bagwell (2), Ausmus (1), Griffey Jr. 2 (4), WPena (2).
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Pettitte L,0-1783333
Harville100002
Cincinnati
Milton W,2-1731127
RWagner100002
Graves S,3121100
Umpires--Home, Sam Holbrook; First, Jim Wolf; Second, Randy Marsh; Third, Larry Vanover. T--2:28. A--26,926.
Cardinals 5, Brewers 3
MILWAUKEE -- Scott Rolen snapped out of his early-season slump with a two-run homer and two singles.
St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter (2-1) left in the seventh inning with a 5-0 lead and the bases loaded. Brady Clark greeted reliever Al Reyes with a three-run double to make it 5-3.
Jason Isringhausen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.
Rolen, who entered batting .125 (4-for-32), homered in the first and hit singles in the fifth and seventh innings. The homer was his first of the season.
Milwaukee starter Doug Davis (2-1) pitched 41/3 innings, giving up four runs -- three earned -- on six hits and two walks. He struck out two.
ST. LOUISMILWAUKEE
abrhbiabrhbi
Eckstin ss3000BClark cf4033
Grdzln 2b4110Spivey 2b4010
Pujols 1b4111Ovrbay 1b3010
Rolen 3b5232CaLee lf4000
RSndrs lf5010DMiller c4110
Luna rf3110Cirillo 3b4000
Edmnd cf1010Mgrder rf4000
Tguchi cf5021Hardy ss3100
YMlina c4000DDavis p1000
Crpnter p1000Obrmlr p1000
AReyes p0000Brnyan ph0100
Cedeno ph1000Turnbw p0000
Flors p0000
Tvarez p0000
Isrnghs p0000
Totals365104Totals32363
St. Louis201100100--5
Milwaukee000000300--3
E--DMiller (1), Cirillo (1). LOB--St. Louis 12, Milwaukee 5. 2B--Luna (1), BClark (2), DMiller (2). HR--Pujols (3), Rolen (1). S--Carpenter 2.
IPHRERBBSO
St. Louis
Carpenter W,2-16 2-353335
Al Reyes1-310001
Flores1-300000
Tavarez2-300000
Isringhausen S,4100002
Milwaukee
DDavis L,2-14 1-364322
Obermueller2 2-341111
Turnbow200033
WP--Turnbow. Umpires--Home, Fieldin Culbreth; First, Eric Cooper; Second, Ed Hickox; Third, Larry Young. T--3:07. A--30,732.
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