Micah Owings displayed both his hitting skill and his pitching talent in an 8-0 win over the Pirates, keeping the D’backs atop the NL West. He hit an RBI double in a three-run second and a two-run double in the seventh. He also scattered four hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Rookie right-hander Phil Hughes kept the Yankees’ slim hopes to win the AL East alive, scattering four hits over seven innings in a 3-1 victory over the Devil Rays. The 21-year-old rookie walked two and struck out five. Joba Chamberlain and Jose Veras finished off the win.
Ryan Howard hit his 44th homer and Pat Burrell also went deep as the Phillies defeated the Braves 6-4 and pulled into a first-place tie in the NL East. The Phillies have won 11 of 14 since they were seven games out after losing to the Rockies on Sept. 12. …
THREE DOWN
… Meanwhile, the Mets lost their fourth straight as they had just three hits in a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals. New York has dropped 10 of 14 and could become the first major-league team to miss the playoffs after having at least a seven-game lead with 17 remaining.
Rookie third baseman Ryan Braun committed three of the Brewers’ five errors in a 9-5 loss to the Padres. San Diego scored four unearned runs. Milwaukee failed to take advantage of a Cubs’ loss for the second straight night as it remained two games out in the NL Central.
Not even six perfect innings was enough to get Matt Belisle or the Reds a victory as the righty allowed two runs in the seventh against the Astros. Houston scored two in the ninth off Gary Majewski as Cincinnati suffered its fifth straight loss.
