ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies piled on a season-best nine runs in the eighth inning to overwhelm the St. Louis Cardinals 10-2 in Major League Baseball on Tuesday.
In the only all-National League meeting amid interleague play, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley each had a two-run single in the eighth, while Carlos Ruiz had four hits and one of two bases-loaded walks.
The NL East-leading Phillies have won Roy Halladay's last seven starts, even if Tuesday's surge came too late for him to be credited with the win. That instead went to reliever Michael Stutes (2-0), who pitched one inning, allowing one run.
Cardinals reliever Trever Miller (0-1) took the loss.
In Milwaukee, Zack Greinke struck out 10 over seven innings to direct Milwaukee to a win over Tampa Bay.
Greinke (7-2) struck out at least a batter in every inning, including the side in the third, and gave up one run.
Yuniesky Betancourt homered in the second off Rays rookie Jeremy Hellickson (7-6) and Ryan Braun hit a two-run single in the seventh.
Tampa Bay lost its first game in five, while Milwaukee remains the only team in the majors not to lose consecutive home games this year.
In Atlanta, Brian McCann hit a two-run homer that powered Atlanta past Toronto.
Atlanta took a 4-1 lead in the third on McCann's 12th homer and Alex Gonzalez's RBI double off Toronto rookie Zach Stewart (0-1), who allowed five runs and three walks in 3 2-3 innings.
Jason Heyward had an RBI single and Braves starter Mike Minor (1-2) ended a nine-start winless streak, allowing one run and striking out a season-best eight in seven innings.
Atlanta has won three in a row, while the Blue Jays have scored just two runs in losing three straight on the road.
In Cleveland, Seth Smith's second homer of the game snapped a ninth-inning tie and gave Colorado victory over Cleveland.
Smith connected off Cleveland closer Chris Perez (2-3), hitting a 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats for his fourth career multihomer game.
Jason Giambi had three hits for Colorado, which has won six of seven and moved over .500 for the first time in a month.
The Rockies held Cleveland hitless until the sixth, and reliever Matt Belisle (5-2) worked one inning for the win. Huston Street pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 22nd save in 24 chances.
In Boston, former Boston prospect Anthony Rizzo drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning against his old team, helping San Diego snap a season-worst six-game losing streak.
Rizzo grounded out with the bases loaded, allowing Chase Headley to score, as Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez fumbled before getting the out at first. Rizzo and two other prospects were traded to San Diego in exchange for Gonzalez.
Padres reliever Chad Qualls (4-3) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings to get the win. Heath Bell worked the ninth for his 19th save in 20 opportunities.
Boston's Dan Wheeler (0-1) took the loss.
In Washington, Wilson Ramos capped a five-run ninth inning with a game-ending three-run homer as Washington stormed home to edge Seattle.
Jerry Hairston and Danny Espinosa each had two-out RBI singles before Ramos connected off David Pauley (4-1), hitting a drive deep to center.
Todd Coffey (3-0) pitched the ninth for Washington, which has won nine of 10.
In Los Angeles, Chad Billingsley bounced back from two poor outings to pitch Los Angeles to victory over Detroit.
Billingsley (6-6) allowed one run over 5 1-3 innings — the first time in four starts that he made it past the fifth. He struck out six and left after loading the bases with a 4-1 lead. A double play ended the threat.
Andre Ethier hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who notched a third straight win.
Tigers starter Max Scherzer (9-3) failed to become the first pitcher to reach 10 wins this year. He gave up six runs in six innings.
In Kansas City, Wily Mo Pena and Chris Young homered to help Arizona down Kansas City.
Diamondbacks starter Joe Saunders (4-7) held the Royals to two runs over seven innings; his 10th consecutive start pitching at least six innings.
Royals starter Luke Hochevar (4-8) picked up the loss, yielding five runs in seven innings — with his ERA climbing to 4.97.
In San Francisco, Minnesota tied a major league record by opening a game with eight consecutive hits and went on to comfortably account for San Francisco.
Ben Revere had two hits and two RBIs to highlight the Twins' eight-run first inning. Luke Hughes had a two-run single and four others had an RBI in the first to chase Giants starter Madison Bumgarner (3-9) before some fans even found their seats.
Bumgarner recorded only one out, striking out opposing pitcher Carl Pavano (5-5) who by contrast gave up only one run in eight innings.
Minnesota has won eight straight in a bid to overcome a poor start to the season, while San Francisco has lost five in a row and fallen half a game behind Arizona in the NL West.
In Miami, Florida's new 80-year-old manager Jack McKeon showed he still has the winning touch, leading the Marlins to victory over Los Angeles in his second game, ending an 11-game losing skid.
Florida starter Javier Vazquez (4-7) and five relievers gave up 13 hits but the Angels went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position.
Vazquez (4-7) went 5 1-3 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 6.37, still the highest in the majors. He had lost his previous three decisions.
Florida's Gaby Sanchez hit his 13th home run and Hanley Ramirez had his first multi-hit game in a month.
Los Angeles starter Ervin Santana (3-8) was lifted in the sixth trailing 2-0. He fell to 0-4 in his past five starts.
In New York, Josh Outman threw another impressive game to guide Oakland past New York.
Outman (3-1) lived up to his pitcher-perfect name, allowing one earned run in six innings.
Jemile Weeks scored three times and Ryan Sweeney had four hits, including an RBI single, and the A's won their sixth straight.
Mets starter Dillon Gee (7-1) was lifted in the fourth after throwing only 45 of 87 pitches for strikes. He gave up four earned runs and walked six in suffering his first loss of the season.
In Pittsburgh, Neil Walker had two hits and drove in three runs to help Pittsburgh defeat Baltimore and snap a four-game skid.
Chris Resop (3-2) picked up the victory in relief, while Jose Tabata, Garrett Jones and Xavier Paul all knocked in two runs apiece for the Pirates.
Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie (2-9) settled down after a rocky first inning but dropped into a tie for the AL lead in losses. He gave up six runs in 6 1-3 innings.
| Rangers 5, Astros 4, 11 innings |
In Arlington, Texas, Mitch Moreland blasted the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th inning into the upper deck in right field to lift Texas past state rival Houston.
Moreland's second homer in as many games gave reliever Yoshinori Tateyama (1-0) his first career win and handed Houston rookie reliever Enerio del Rosario (0-2) the loss.
Rangers star Josh Hamilton forced extra innings with a solo homer leading off the eighth. Texas also got solo homers from Michael Young and Nelson Cruz to send the Astros to their third straight loss.
In Chicago, Brent Morel hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh inning as the White Sox leveled the Chicago series at a game apiece.
Paul Konerko homered for a fifth straight game for the White Sox and Carlos Pena hit his second in as many nights for the Cubs.
Sergio Santos got the final out with two on in the eighth and then pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances.
Jesse Crain (3-2) got the win in relief of Mark Buehrle, who left after rain delayed the game for 1 hour, 44 minutes.
Jeff Samardzija (5-3) took the loss.
