NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cubs 8, Astros 6 (18 innings)

HOUSTON - Matt Murton tied the game in the ninth and drove in the winning runs in the 18th inning as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Houston Astros, 8-6, in the second of a three-game set at Minute Maid Park. Aramis Ramirez led off the top of the 18th with a double and moved to third on a Jacque Jones single. After John Mabry popped out and Ronny Cedeno grounded out, Michael Barrett was intentionally walked to load the bases. Murton then ripped a 2-1 pitch into right field to score Ramirez and Jones. Rich Hill (3-5), who came into the game in the 17th inning and is scheduled to start on Wednesday, retired the Astros in order in the 18th to finish the marathon game. The game lasted five hours and 36 minutes and was the longest regular season game, time-wise and inning-wise, in Minute Maid Park history. Murton finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and Jones went 2-for-7 with a three-run home run and two runs scored for the Cubs, who have won three straight. Juan Mateo started on the hill for Chicago and gave up two runs on four hits in five innings of work. Aubrey Huff went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Adam Everett and Orlando Palmeiro each drove in two runs for the Astros, who have dropped their last four games. Roger Clemens started on the mound and gave up five runs on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts in six innings of work. Dave Borowski (1-1) was charged with the loss after going six innings and being charged with two runs on four hits. Houston center fielder Willy Taveras finished the game 1-for-9 and extended his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest current streak in the majors.

Diamondbacks 2, Rockies 1 (18 innings)

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Luis Gonzalez singled in Eric Byrnes in the top of the 18th inning to lift Arizona to a 2-1 victory over Colorado in the longest game in Rockies history. Brandon Medders (5-2), Arizona's eighth pitcher, threw the final three innings of hitless ball to get the win. He walked Todd Helton to start the bottom of the 18th, but retired the next three batters, fanning Ryan Spilborghs to end the contest at 5 hours, 21 minutes, which was the longest by time in Colorado history. Byrnes and Chad Tracy each had three hits for Arizona, which snapped a two-game skid and moved within a game of Cincinnati for the wild card lead. Cory Sullivan had four hits for the Rockies in the second of the four-game set at Coors Field. Colorado has lost two of its last three games.

Nationals 5, Braves 0

Washington (Sports Network) - Pedro Astacio threw a two-hit shutout as the Washington Nationals defeated the Atlanta Braves, 5-0, in the second of a three-game set at RFK Stadium. Astacio (3-2) struck out five and didn't issue a single walk for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak. It was the 31st complete game and 12th shutout of his 15-year career. Also, it was the first shutout for him since May 14, 2002 against the Dodgers when he pitched for the Mets. Austin Kearns drove in two runs and Alfonso Soriano added two hits and a run scored for Washington. Lance Cormier (2-4), who was recalled from Triple-A Richmond before the game, was tagged with the loss as he gave up five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings for the Braves, who had a two- game winning streak stopped.

Phillies 11, Mets 4

PHILADELPHIA - Shane Victorino homered, tripled and drove in three runs, as the Philadelphia Phillies overcame three homers from New York's Jose Reyes to beat the Mets, 11-4, at Citizen's Bank Park. David Dellucci hit a three-run home run and starting pitcher Randy Wolf hit a two- run double for the Phillies, who have won two straight. Wolf (1-0) gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts over seven innings of work in the second contest of the four-game set. Reyes tied a Mets record for most homers in a game and drove in all four New York runs. Edgardo Alfonzo was the last Met to hit three homers in a contest, August 30, 1999 at Houston. Orlando Hernandez (8-9) was saddled with the loss after surrendering 11 runs on 10 hits with four walks and five strikeouts in just four innings of work for the Mets, who have dropped three of their last five games.

Brewers 6, Pirates 3

PITTSBURGH - Bill Hall singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Tony Graffanino added an important two-run double as insurance in the ninth, as Milwaukee held off the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-3, at PNC Park. Corey Hart homered for the Brewers, who snapped a two-game skid by taking the middle contest of the three-game series. Doug Davis (9-6) threw seven solid innings to win his fourth straight decision. The lefty allowed nine hits and three runs, while striking out six to remain unbeaten in his last seven outings. Tom Gorzelanny gave up six hits and two runs -- one earned -- and struck out five over seven frames for the Pirates, but the loss went to Damaso Marte (0-6) as he failed to retire a batter in the eighth.

Cardinals 5, Reds 0

ST. LOUIS - Chris Carpenter tossed a four-hit shutout and Chris Duncan smacked a two-run homer to lead St. Louis to a 5-0 win over Cincinnati in the opener of a three-game set at Busch Stadium. Carpenter (11-6) did not allow a walk and struck out six. He kept the ball down all game, as evidenced by his 14 ground-ball outs. It is his second complete- game of the season for the right-hander and 22nd of his career. Ronnie Belliard went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI for the Cardinals, who extended their lead in the National League Central to 2 1/2 games over the Reds. Aaron Harang (12-8) suffered the loss after yielding five runs on eight hits in five innings of work. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4 for the Reds, who have lost three of their last five.

Giants 3, Padres 2

SAN DIEGO - Shea Hillenbrand singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as San Francisco held on to beat San Diego, 3-2, in the second test of a four-game set at Petco Park. Eliezer Alfonzo went 3-for-4 with a run scored while Omar Vizquel and Moises Alou drove in the other runs for the Giants, who have won two straight after a five-game skid. Matt Morris pitched well, but did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs -- one earned -- on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Mike Stanton (4-6) picked up the win after he retired the final two batters in the seventh. Brian Giles and Dave Roberts each drove in a run for the Padres, who now find themselves 3 1/2 games behind first-place Los Angeles in the NL West. Scott Linebrink (6-3) was saddled with the loss as he allowed the winning run in the eighth.

Dodgers 4, Marlins 0

LOS ANGELES - Chad Billingsley combined with two relievers to hurl a three-hit shutout as Los Angeles bested Florida, 4-0, to win for the 17th time in 18 games. The rookie right-hander extended a recent run of solid starts by surrendering just three hits while fanning a career- high nine and walking one. Billingsley (4-3), a 22-year-old former first- round draft choice, has allowed one run or less in six of his last seven starts, going 4-1 with two no decisions in that stretch. Kenny Lofton was 2-for-4 with an RBI double for the Dodgers, who won their sixth straight contest and extended their lead in the National League West to 3 1/2 games. J.D. Drew, Jeff Kent and Andre Ethier each had an RBI for Los Angeles. Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Olivo and Alfredo Amezaga had a hit apiece for the Marlins, who are 0-5 versus Los Angeles this season. Anibal Sanchez started on the hill for Florida and was exceptional. The Maracay, Venezuela native allowed just three hits in six shutout innings en route to a no decision. Randy Messenger (1-7) imploded in the seventh and allowed four runs in just one-third of an inning to take the loss.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Tigers 3, Red Sox 2

BOSTON - Craig Monroe's run-scoring single in the ninth inning lifted Detroit to a 3-2 win over Boston in the middle contest of a three-game set at Fenway Park. Fernando Rodney (6-3) retired Manny Ramirez on a ground ball to end the eighth inning to get the victory. Todd Jones set the side down in order in the ninth to secure his 33rd save of the year. Jeremy Bonderman allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings for Detroit. Casey went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who now lead second-place Chicago by 6 1/2 games. Curt Schilling failed in his bid to become a 15-game winner despite conceding two runs on nine hits in a seven-inning span. Coco Crisp homered for the Red Sox, who have dropped seven of their last 10 contests and fell three games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.

Yankees 6, Orioles 3

BRONX, N.Y. - Johnny Damon tied the game with a two-run homer to highlight a three-run seventh inning as the New York Yankees came from behind to beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-3, in the opener of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium. Damon went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored while Bobby Abreu had three hits and scored a run for the Yankees, who lead the AL East by three games over the Boston Red Sox. Boston lost 3-2 to Detroit on Tuesday. Scott Proctor (5-3) picked up the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings while Mariano Rivera notched his 31st save of the season for New York, which has won three of its last four games. Kevin Millar finished 2-of-4 with a homer and Jay Gibbons drove in a run for the Orioles, who have lost four in a row and eight of their last 10 contests.

Blue Jays 4, Devil Rays 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Roy Halladay became the first major league pitcher to win 15 games this season as Toronto edged Tampa Bay, 4-3, in opener of a three-game set at Tropicana Field. Halladay (15-3) threw seven innings and allowed just two runs on six hits for the Blue Jays, who have won five of their past six games. Lyle Overbay finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored while Vernon Wells was 3-of-5 for Toronto. Greg Norton was 2- for-3 with a two-run home run for the Devil Rays, who lost their seventh straight. Baldelli was 1-of-3 with an RBI. Brian Meadows (2-3) picked up the loss after giving up the two runs in the eighth. B.J. Ryan hurled a scoreless ninth to pick up his 27th save.

Royals 4, White Sox 2

CHICAGO - Mark Teahen plated the game-winning run with a two-run home run in the sixth inning as the Kansas City Royals held on to defeat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2, in the second contest of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Emil Brown went 2-for-4 with a homer and Mark Grudzielanek had two hits and scored a run for the Royals, who snapped a five-game skid. Runelvys Hernandez (3-7) earned the win after giving up two runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings of work. Tadahito Iguchi had two hits and drove in a run and Scott Podsednik had a hit and an RBI for the White Sox, who had a five-game winning streak halted. Javier Vazquez (11-7) was saddled with the loss after surrendering four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits with a strikeout over 5 1/3 innings pitched for Chicago.

Angels 9, Rangers 7

ARLINGTON, Texas - Chone Figgins slapped the go-ahead two-run triple in the eighth inning to lead the Angels past Texas, 9-7, to open a two- game set at Ameriquest Field. Maicer Izturis drove in two runs for the Angels, who have alternated wins and losses in their last six contests. Hector Carrasco (3-3) threw one inning for the victory and Francisco Rodriguez retired the side in order in the ninth for his 31st save. Wes Littleton (2-1) allowed three hits in two innings for the Rangers, who had their five-game winning streak broken. Matt Stairs belted a three-run homer for Texas, while Hank Blalock, Michael Young and Rod Barajas added solo shots.

Twins 4, Indians 1

MINNEAPOLIS - Johan Santana hurled eight brilliant shutout innings as Minnesota bested Cleveland, 4-1, in the opener of a three- game set at the Metrodome. Santana (14-5) allowed just three hits while fanning nine and walking one as the Twins won their second straight and moved to within two games of Chicago for the lead in the American League wild card race. Michael Cuddyer was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in while the major league's leading hitter, Joe Mauer, was 1-of-2 with an RBI for Minnesota. His average stands at .362. Travis Hafner was 1-of-4 with the only RBI for the Indians, who had their six-game winning streak broken. Hector Luna finished 2-for-3. Jake Westbrook (9-8) allowed four runs on eight hits in eight innings en route to the loss.

A's 11, Mariners 2

OAKLAND, Calif. - Nick Swisher had three hits and drove in four runs, as Oakland beat the Mariners for the 14th straight time with a 11-2 romp at McAfee Coliseum. Marco Scutaro also finished with four RBI, a career- best, for the AL West-leading Athletics, who have won five straight overall and 11 of 12 to maintain a 5 1/2 game lead on the Angels in the division. Kirk Saarloos (5-6) scattered eight hits and allowed two runs in six innings to win back-to-back outings for the first time this season. Yuniesky Betancourt homered for the Mariners, who tied a season-high with their sixth straight defeat. Joel Pineiro (7-11), dropped his third consecutive start. He was pounded for 12 hits and nine runs in 3 2/3 innings and fell to 0-5 with a 10.80 ERA versus Oakland this season.