Emilio Bonifacio #1 of the Miami Marlins celebrates with Jose Reyes #7 after hitting a home run during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Park on July 23, 2012 in Miami, Florida.
(July 22, 2012 – Source: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images North America)
MIAMI (AP) – Josh Johnson pitched six scoreless innings and Emilio Bonifacio homered to lead the Florida Marlins to a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Four relievers combined to pitch the final three innings, including Steve Cishek, who recorded his third save in six chances to help the Marlins snap a five-game losing streak.
Chipper Jones hit an RBI single in the ninth to pull the Braves within 2-1 before Scott Cousins made a sliding catch in center field to rob Freddie Freeman of a hit and end the game.
Johnson (6-7) struck out nine, allowed one hit and did not walk a batter. He threw 53 of his 87 pitches for strikes.
Braves starter Mike Minor (5-7) allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings.
Cubs 2, Pirates 0
PITTSBURGH — Jeff Samardzija gave up one hit over eight innings and Alfonso Soriano hit two run-scoring doubles as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Samardzija allowed only a fourth-inning infield single to Andrew McCutchen, the major leagues’ leading hitter with a .373 average. The ball ricocheted off Samardzija.
Soriano provided two big one-out hits as Chicago ended its 28-inning scoreless streak that stretched to the second inning of last Friday’s game at St. Louis.
Samardzija (7-8) struck out five and walked one in ending Pittsburgh’s five-game winning streak. He was pulled after throwing 99 pitches.
McCutchen, who walked in the first inning, was the only Pirate to reach base until Josh Harrison led off the ninth inning with an infield single off closer Carlos Marmol, who retired the next three hitters for his 12th save.
Phillies 7, Brewers 6
PHILADELPHIA — Ty Wigginton hit a sacrifice fly to cap a four-run rally in the ninth inning against Francisco Rodriguez and lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Phillies were 0-42 when trailing after eight innings before coming back against Rodriguez, who replaced John Axford as the closer last week.
With one out, Jimmy Rollins walked, Juan Pierre singled and Chase Utley walked to load the bases. Ryan Howard ripped an 0-2 pitch up the middle to drive in a pair and cut it to 6-5. Carlos Ruiz followed with a line-drive hit to left-center to tie it at 6. Hunter Pence walked to load the bases again.
Eric Kratz entered to run for Howard. Wigginton followed with a liner to left and Kratz scored easily ahead of Ryan Braun’s off-target throw.
Rodriguez (2-5) has blown five saves in eight tries.
Dodgers 5, Cardinals 3
ST. LOUIS — Chad Billingsley returned from the 15-day disabled list with a strong outing that ended a five-start losing streak and Luis Cruz hit a three-run homer as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals for their fifth consecutive victory.
Cruz, recalled July 2 to replaced injured shortstop Dee Gordon, has two career homers and 12 RBI. Eight of his 14 hits are for extra bases. His three-run shot in the second barely cleared the left-field wall — the ball conked left fielder Matt Holliday on the rebound — to give the Dodgers the early jump in their eighth straight win over St. Louis dating to April 17, 2011.
Kenley Jansen struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 24 chances. The Dodgers also won eight in a row against St. Louis from 1975-76, their best streak in the series since moving to Los Angeles.
Reds 8, Astros 3
HOUSTON — Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier had three hits and two RBI each and Brandon Phillips continued his solid play since the injury to Joey Votto with three hits to help the Cincinnati Reds to a victory over the Houston Astros.
Ludwick connected on an RBI double in Cincinnati’s two-run third inning and added a run with a single in the eighth. Frazier singled in a run in the first and had an RBI double in the eighth.
Phillips has 12 hits and nine RBI in the eight games since moving to the third spot in the order when Votto went on the disabled list after arthroscopic surgery to repair his injured left knee.
The Reds have remained on track since Votto’s injury, winning five consecutive and six of eight to stay atop the NL Central standings.
The loss was Houston’s seventh straight and the Astros have lost 10 of 11 since the All-Star break including a 1-10 road trip.
Diamondbacks 6, Rockies 3
PHOENIX — Ian Kennedy had a bases-clearing triple and scattered five hits over eight strong innings Monday night, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies.
Paul Goldschmidt homered and Willie Bloomquist added an RBI double for the Diamondbacks, who have won a season-high seven consecutive home games and five of six overall.
Josh Rutledge hit his first career home run and doubled, and Carlos Gonzalez also homered for the Rockies, losers of five of six.
Kennedy (8-8) allowed two runs and struck out seven en route to his second straight win. Kennedy has lasted eight innings in each of his past two starts, giving up three runs on 13 hits across the 16 innings.
Giants 7, Padres 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey hit a three-run homer, Ryan Vogelsong won for the first time in nearly a month and the San Francisco Giants opened their longest homestand of the season with a victory over the San Diego Padres.
Ryan Theriot and Melky Cabrera had three hits apiece for the Giants, who benefited from an overturned call by the umpires. San Francisco improved to 8-2 since the All-Star break.
Vogelsong allowed one run and four hits over seven innings. The right-hander walked three and struck out six while lowering his ERA to 2.26.
Yasmani Grandal had two hits for San Diego, which has lost five of seven games to San Francisco this season.
