HOUSTON, 27 July 2003 — Moises Alou and Carlos Zambrano clubbed two-run homers in the seventh and eighth innings respectively as the Chicago Cubs rallied for a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros in National League action on Friday.
Alou added an RBI single in the sixth inning for the Cubs, who overturned a first inning three-run deficit.
Zambrano (8-8) won his second straight start after giving up three runs — all unearned — and five hits in 8 1/3 innings.
Joe Borowski retired the final two batters for his 18th save. Octavio Dotel (6-4) gave up two runs and a pair of hits in one inning of relief after starter Wade Miller gave up three runs in seven innings.
Mets 3 Reds 1
In New York, Vance Wilson smacked a run-scoring triple in the seventh inning to help the Mets to a 3-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Al Leiter (9-5) won for the first time in four starts after tossing seven scoreless innings.
He gave up six hits and two walks and struck out five batters.
Marlins 11 Phillies 5
In Florida, Juan Pierre had two hits, including an RBI single to cap an eight-run eighth inning that gave the Marlins an 11-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Derrek Lee added a solo homer and Miguel Cabrera added a pair of hits, drove in two runs and scored twice in the win.
Pirates 10 Cardinals 5
In St. Louis, Reggie Sanders hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to help the Pittsburgh Pirates double the Cardinals 10-5. Brian Giles also homered and Jose Hernandez was three-for-five with a run scored for the Pirates. Brian Meadows (1-1) threw three innings of relief, giving up one run and two hits for the win.
Expos 9 Braves 8 (11 innings)
In Montreal, Orlando Cabrera scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the 11th inning to give the Expos a 9-8 win over the Atlanta Braves. Vladimir Guerrero hit a solo homer and Michael Barrett added a three run blast for the Expos, who rallied from a six-run deficit in the eighth inning.
Rockies 7 Brewers 3
In Denver, Preston Wilson and Larry Walker homered in the fourth inning to help the Rockies a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Chin-Hui Tsao became the first Taiwanese pitcher to play in the major leagues and won his first start by holding the Brewers to three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Giants 5 Padres 2
In San Francisco, Pedro Felix hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Felix Rodriguez (6-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win, the Giants ninth straight. Edgardo Alfonzo drove in the other two runs for the winners.
Jay Witasick (2-2) went 1 1/3 innings to take the loss, allowing three runs on one hit.
D-Backs 2 Dodgers 1 (15 innings)
In Phoenix, Shea Hillenbrand drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the 15th inning, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1. Stephen Randolph (5-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win. Mike Kata homered for the Diamondbacks while Jeromy Burnitz went deep for the Dodgers.
Yankees Edge Red Sox to Stretch AL East Lead
In Boston, Derek Jeter’s sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning scored the winning run as the New York Yankees edged the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in American League action on Friday.
The win in the opener in a crucial three-game series between the AL East rivals gave the Yankees a 3 1/2 game lead over their rivals at the top of the division.
The game, played before a sell-out crowd in a playoff atmosphere at Fenway Park, featured a showdown between starting pitchers Red Sox Pedro Martinez and Yankees David Wells.
Wells gave up two runs in 5 2-3 innings, struck out three and walked five but it was Mariano Mariano Rivera (5-0) who took credit for the win tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two batters and gave up a pair of hits.
Royals 8 Tigers 3
In Detroit, Aaron Guiel had a pair of hits, including a three-run home run to help the Kansas City Royals to an 8-3 win over the Tigers. Runelvys Hernandez (5-3) worked eight innings, giving up two runs and eight hits for his first win in seven appearances.
Twins 6 Indians 5
In Cleveland, Doug Mientkiewicz smacked three hits, including a ninth-inning double that brought home the winning run giving the Minnesota Twins a 6-5 win over the Indians. Mientkiewicz also had an RBI double and then scored the tying run in the seventh inning.
Blue Jays 5 Orioles 3
In Toronto, Carlos Delgado crushed a three-run home run in the third inning and added an RBI single in the seventh to pace the Blue Jays to a 5-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Delgado drove in his league-leading 103rd RBI and is the first Blue Jays player to drive in 100 or more runs in six consecutive seasons.
White Sox 7 Devil Rays 2
In Chicago, Frank Thomas launched his 400th career home run to help the White Sox to a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Carlos Lee also homered for Chicago, a two-run blast in the fifth inning, and Magglio Ordonez clubbed a two-run double in the first inning.
Mariners 11 Rangers 5
In Seattle, Bret Boone hit a pair of two-run homers to lead the Mariners to an 11-5 win over the Texas Rangers. Mike Cameron and Ichiro Suzuki also homered for the Mariners and both drove in three runs.
Jamie Moyer (13-5) went five innings for the win, allowing five runs on eight hits, while Rafael Soriano earned his first save with four innings of two-hit, shutout relief.
Athletics 3 Angels 2
In Anaheim, Ted Lilly threw seven solid innings to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Angels. Lilly (6-8) allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Keith Foulke allowed one run in the ninth but still got his 26th save, while Ramon Hernandez drove in the winning run in the eighth inning and Billy McMillon homered.
