Talk about a first impression. In his first at-bat with the Phillies after being acquired Aug. 9 from Cleveland, Russell Branyan hit a pinch-hit, 2-run shot for the go-ahead runs in a 3-2 victory over the Nationals. With the win, Philly kept the heat on the Mets in the NL East.
Roy Halladay pitched his major league-leading fifth complete game in the Blue Jays’ 4-1 win over the Angels. The right-hander won his third straight start and improved to 10-1 with a 3.36 ERA at home this season. Angels manager Mike Scioscia: “He’s an elite pitcher.”
Dontrelle Willis finally got a victory. He earned his first win since May 29, striking out 11 over seven innings against Arizona. Willis, who had gone 0-7 over 13 starts, must credit the Marlins’ bats for coming to his rescue. They scored 14 runs, including four in the first off …
THREE DOWN
… Byung-Hyun Kim, who lasted 17 pitches in his second start for the D’backs since they claimed him from Florida. He retired one and hiked his Arizona ERA to 23.62. His short outing taxed the bullpen; infielder Augie Ojeda made his pitching debut with a perfect eighth.
After scoring a two-out run in the top of the ninth to tie the game, the Giants bullpen melted down in a 5-4 loss to Atlanta. Steve Kline issued a walk and had a throwing error to put two runners on before Randy Messenger gave up Chipper Jones’ game-winning double.
Entering Tuesday, the Brewers had lost 14 consecutive Chris Capuano starts. Make that 15. The lefty gave up seven runs, six earned, and was knocked out by St. Louis in the fifth. The previous club record for a season was 11 straight losses in starts by Chris Bosio in 1988.
