CHICAGO — Alfonso Soriano homered, Jim Edmonds drove in two runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the reeling Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Sunday to complete a perfect seven-game homestand.
The Cubs entered June with the best record in baseball for the first time since 1908, when they last won a World Series. They started the new month by finishing a four-game sweep of the defending National League champions and sending them to their seventh straight loss.
Chicago is 26-8 at Wrigley Field after wrapping up its first perfect homestand of at least seven games since April 14-26, 1970.
Rookie Sean Gallagher (3-1) gave up three runs and six hits while striking out a career-high eight in 5 2/3 innings for the Cubs. Kerry Wood worked the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances.
Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez (1-6) remained winless since April 8, allowing four runs, three earned, and seven hits in five innings.
Phillies 7, Marlins 5
PHILADELPHIA — Chase Utley hit his major league-leading 20th homer, Pat Burrell had a tiebreaking, two-run double and the Phillies rallied to get the win.
Utley went deep for the fourth straight game and Geoff Jenkins connected for the second pinch-hit homer of his career to help Philadelphia win the weekend series and move back into first in the NL East.
Mike Jacobs hit a solo homer in the second and a three-run drive in the third to help the Marlins build a 5-1 lead. Jacobs improved to 5-for-8 with three homers in his career against 45-year-old Philadelphia left-hander Jamie Moyer (6-3).
Jenkins’ two-run drive off Doug Waechter (0-1) tied it at 5 in the sixth. Burrell gave the Phillies the lead with his double down the left-field line in the seventh.
Reds 6, Braves 2
CINCINNATI — Ken Griffey Jr. remained one homer shy of 600, but Jay Bruce had a solo shot and a run-scoring single to lead the Reds to the victory.
Rookie right-hander Johnny Cueto (4-5) returned to his first-game form, allowing only a bunt single through the first six innings against a team that can’t do anything right on the road.
Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann homered off Cueto in the seventh. Atlanta dropped to 7-21 on the road and was swept in Cincinnati for the first time since September 1996.
Griffey singled, doubled and flied out against starter Tim Hudson (7-4), who left after straining his left hamstring in the seventh. The crowd of 35,942 booed when Blaine Boyer intentionally walked Griffey later in the inning.
Bruce, the Reds’ top prospect, went 13-for-22 with six walks, two homers, two steals and six RBI in his first six games.
Mets 6, Dodgers 1
NEW YORK — Johan Santana pitched into the eighth inning to earn his 100th win, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church each hit a two-run homer and the suddenly surging Mets beat Los Angeles.
Back in the lineup after his second concussion this year, Church capped a five-run third with his shot to right off Hiroki Kuroda (2-5). He finished with a double and three hits for the Mets (28-27), who took three of four from the Dodgers in manager Joe Torre’s return to New York to win consecutive series for the first time since mid-April.
Matt Kemp had three hits and drove in the only run for Los Angeles, which heads home after winning just once on a seven-game trip.
New York has won five of six following manager Willie Randolph’s much-publicized meeting with ownership last Monday. Santana (7-3) gave up six hits in 7 2/3 innings to win for the sixth time in seven decisions.
Diamondbacks 5, Nationals 0
PHOENIX — Dan Haren tossed seven sharp innings and Orlando Hudson hit a three-run homer for Arizona.
Hudson’s homer, his second in three days and sixth of the season, came in the first inning and gave Haren (6-4) all the support he would need against the NL’s weakest-hitting club. Haren gave up four hits, walked three and struck out five.
The Diamondbacks have posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since May 26-27, 2006, at Cincinnati. Brandon Webb beat the Nationals 4-0 on Saturday.
Chad Tracy added a solo homer for the Diamondbacks, who salvaged the final two games of a six-game homestand.
Shawn Hill (0-2) went four innings for the Nationals, allowing five runs and seven hits.
Brewers 10, Astros 1
MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun and Russell Branyan hit two-run homers and the Brewers finished off a sweep of the weekend series.
Gabe Kapler and Craig Counsell each went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Brewers, who have won six of seven and earned their first sweep since they took three from San Francisco on April 4-6.
Mark Loretta homered for the Astros, who have lost a season-worst five straight.
Milwaukee scored four in the first against Shawn Chacon (2-1) and six in the fourth. Chacon lasted just one inning, allowing just two hits but issuing two walks and hitting two batters with pitches.
Dave Bush (2-5) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings for the Brewers.
Cardinals 7, Pirates 4
ST. LOUIS — Braden Looper continued his torrid hitting to help earn himself a win.
Looper had two singles, scored twice, and drove in a run to raise his batting average to .429 — tops among pitchers in the majors. On the mound, Looper (7-4) allowed eight hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Ryan Franklin, the fifth Cardinals pitcher, got three outs for his sixth save in eight attempts.
Skip Schumaker drove in a career-high three runs to help the Cardinals.
Ian Snell (2-5) lost his fifth consecutive decision and is 0-5 in his last nine starts. His last win came on April 12. He allowed six runs and eight hits in four-plus innings.
Looper got some defensive help from center fielder Rick Ankiel, who made a terrific catch at the warning track on a flyball hit by Xavier Nady in the second.
Giants 4, Padres 3 (10)
SAN FRANCISCO — Pinch-hitter Fred Lewis hit a two-run, game-tying triple off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman in the 10th inning and scored the winning run on Jose Castillo’s infield single.
San Diego had taken a 3-1 lead when Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the top half of the inning against Alex Hinshaw (1-0) and appeared on its way to its season-high fourth straight win.
But Hoffman was unable to hold the lead, blowing his third save of the season and first since April 23.
Giants starter Tim Lincecum allowed one run and four hits in seven-plus innings, lowering his ERA to 2.23, second best in the NL.
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