The 2009 overall No. 1 draft pick again displayed the repertoire that wowed the baseball world last year during a rookie season cut short when his elbow popped in a game at Philadelphia on Aug. 21. His long road back began when he had ligament replacement surgery last Sept. 3.

Strasburg threw 56 pitches, 40 for strikes. He struck out four.

The Nationals led 3-0 when he left, but the Dodgers took the lead for good on Rod Barajas’ two-run double in the eighth inning off Henry Rodriguez (3-3). Kelly Jansen (2-1) got the win.

In Philadelphia, rookie Vance Worley pitched six effective innings and the Phillies extended their lead in the NL East to 9 1/2 games.

The major league-leading Phillies won their 90th game and reduced their magic number for clinching their fifth straight division title to 14 games. They have won 90 games in four consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.

Worley (11-1) allowed two runs and seven hits, striking out six to earn his ninth straight win. The Phillies have won Worley’s last 14 starts. That’s the most for a rookie since Cincinnati won 14 consecutive starts by Wayne Simpson in 1970.

In St. Louis, Kyle Lohse threw six scoreless innings on eight days’ rest and the Cardinals got home runs from Jon Jay and Matt Holliday in the third inning.

Lohse (13-8), who leads the Cardinals in victories, gave up four hits, struck out six and walked three. He was pushed back two days behind Chris Carpenter and Jake Westbrook after giving up four runs in five innings in a win against Pittsburgh in his last start.

Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo (15-10) gave up three runs in six innings, and has allowed six home runs in 10 2-3 innings over his last two starts, both losses to the Cardinals.

In Denver, Troy Tulowitzki homered, Seth Smith tripled twice and the Rockies rallied for the win.

Jordan Pacheco and Carlos Gonzalez had two hits apiece for Colorado, which beat Arizona for just the fifth time in 17 games.

Aaron Hill and Justin Upton had two hits each for the Diamondbacks, who had won 12 of their last 13 to take a seven-game lead in the NL West.

Arizona led 3-1 and appeared headed to its fourth straight win when the Rockies rallied for seven runs with two outs in the eighth.

In Chicago, Joey Votto hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 13th inning and the Cincinnati Reds bounced back after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.

Reds starter Mike Leake was closing in on his first career shutout when Starlin Castro reached on a two-out single and pinch-hitter Bryan LaHair drove a 2-0 pitch over the wall in right for Chicago’s third hit of the game and his first homer since Sept. 20, 2008, for the Seattle Mariners.

Leake bent over on the front of the mound as LaHair rounded the bases with the tying shot, but the Reds eventually recovered.

In Miami, Nick Evans drove in three runs, including a go-ahead single in the 12th inning, to lead the Mets to the win.

Jose Reyes , Justin Turner, Angel Pagan, and Evans each had three hits for New York, which lost a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Jose Ceda (0-1) gave up three straight hits to begin the 12th, including Evan’s soft liner to center that scored Pagan. Later in the inning, Reyes hit an RBI single and Lucas Duda drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Mets a 7-4 lead.

In San Diego, Brett Pill hit a two-run homer in his first big league at-bat, Eric Surkamp earned his first major league win and the Giants escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning to get the victory.

The defending World Series champions pulled within six games of NL West-leading Arizona with 20 to go. The Diamondbacks lost 8-3 at Colorado.

With the Giants leading 6-3, Javier Lopez walked Orlando Hudson on four pitches to open the Padres ninth. In Pittsburgh, Brett Myers pitched into the eighth inning to earn his first win in 2 1/2 months, leading the Astros to the victory.

Myers (4-13) allowed one run and four hits over 7 2-3 innings at soggy, chilly PNC Park as last-place Houston snapped a four-game losing streak. The right-hander had lost seven consecutive decisions since he pitched a four-hitter in a 7-3 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 17.

The Astros have four of their last five against Pittsburgh but are 2-9 in their past 11 against everyone else.