Associated Press
The National League roundup …
ATLANTA ó Derek Lowe combined with four relievers on a six-hitter and Atlanta hit three homers in a 4-2 victory over Arizona on Friday night in a matchup of NL playoff contenders.
Michael Bourn led off the bottom of the first with his first homer since coming to the Braves in a trade last month. Brian McCann added a two-run shot in the third, and Chipper Jones extended the lead in the sixth with his second homer in two nights.
Lowe (8-11) allowed four hits and struck out seven over the first five innings. He put the first two hitters in the sixth on base. Rookie Arodys Vizcaino got out of the jam. Eric O’Flaherty worked the seventh, Jonny Venters breezed through the eighth and Craig Kimbrel got his 38th save. He has gone 29 consecutive appearances without allowing a run, covering more than two months and 29 2-3 innings.
Daniel Hudson (12-9) went six innings, giving up seven hits and losing for the fourth time in his last six starts.
Astros 6, Giants 0
HOUSTON ó Wandy Rodriguez pitched eight innings and had a two-run single to lead Houston.
The Astros were leading 2-0 in the sixth when Carlos Corporan hit an RBI single with two outs and Rodriguez followed with a long single down the right field line on the first pitch from Ryan Vogelsong (10-3).
The Giants have lost 15 of their last 21 games, including four of five.
The Astros won their third straight game.
Rodriguez (9-9) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked two. It was his third eight-inning performance of the season.
Brian Bogusevic made it 6-0 with a homer in the eighth.
It was the Astro’s fourth shutout of the season and their first since June 30 against Texas.
Vogelsong pitched seven innings, allowed four hits, two earned runs and walked four with three strikeouts.
Cubs 5, Cardinals 4, 10 innings
CHICAGO ó Tyler Colvin’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th off Octavio Dotel lifted Chicago to the victory.
Geovany Soto led off the inning with a single off Dotel (0-2), advanced to second on Marlon Byrd’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Colvin’s hit to center field just hours after the Cubs fired general manager Jim Hendry.
Soto had a game-tying RBI double in the eighth. Darwin Barney homered and tripled, and Starlin Castro added two hits for the Cubs. Sean Marshall (6-5) pitched a perfect 10th to earn the win.
Castro, who leads the NL with 162 hits, has 301 in his career. He is the fifth Cubs player to pass 300 in his first two seasons.
Chicago beat the Cardinals for the third time in 10 games this season.