PHILADELPHIA, 17 August 2003 — Albert Pujols extended his hitting streak to 29 games with a single, double and triple, but the St. Louis Cardinals still went down 7-4 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Friday. The Phillies posted five first-inning runs, all charged to loser Woody Williams (14-6). They added two more later on Jim Thome’s 31st homer of the season.
Vicente Padilla (11-8) worked the minimum five innings for the win, his fourth straight. Jim Edmonds took him deep for his 30th homer. Pujols’s streak ties former Cardinal Ken Boyer. Rogers Hornsby, another St Louis favorite, had a 33-game streak in 1922.
Cubs 2 Dodgers 1
In Chicago, the Cubs (64-57) continued their pursuit of a post-season berth by edging the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1. Sammy Sosa singled and doubled off hard-luck loser Masao Kida (0-1) to drive in both Chicago runs. Japanese Kida was making his first major league start.
Mark Prior (11-5) scattered seven hits as he went all the way for the third time this season. Paul Lo Duca’s eighth-inning single plated the lone Dodgers run, denying him a shutout. The second overall pick in the 2001 draft, Prior struck out five while walking none.
Mets 5 Rockies 0
In New York, Tom Glavine and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Mets thumped the Colorado Rockies 5-0. Glavine (8-11) worked six innings, scattering three hits while striking out three.
Mike Piazza, who returned Wednesday after being sidelined through injury since mid-May, collected a single in his four trips to the plate but did not figure in the scoring. Jose Reyes and Jason Phillips went deep to spark a three-run sixth inning, loser Darren Oliver (10-8) serving up Reyes’s blast.
Expos 4 Giants 1
In Montreal, Brian Schneider and Jose Vidro belted solo homers and Livan Hernandez went all the way against his old team as the Expos beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1.
Hernandez (13-7) scattered five hits while striking out nine as he chalked up a league-leading sixth complete game. Jesse Foppert (8-9) served up both homers to take the loss.
Wil Cordero singled and sacrificed to plate two more Montreal runs. It was a homecoming for Giants skipper Felipe Alou, who managed the Expos for a decade.
Braves 10 Diamondbacks 4
In Atlanta, Vinny Castilla, Marcus Giles and Andruw Jones went deep as the Braves roughed up four-times Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson (3-5), romping 10-4 over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Johnson’s ERA climbed to a lofty 5.08, a far cry from last season’s 2.32. Shane Reynolds (10-6) worked 5 2/3 innings for the win, scattering seven hits while striking out three. The Braves lead the NL with 185 homers.
Marlins 10 Padres 0
In Miami, Mike Lowell homered and sacrificed twice to plate three runs as the Florida Marlins pounded the San Diego Padres 10-0. Lowell’s blast, his 32nd of the season, was served up by loser Oliver Perez (4-6), who lasted four frames.
Brad Penny (11-9) tossed seven innings of five-hit ball and struck out seven. Earlier, Florida general manager Larry Beinfest was given a three-year contract extension by owner Jeff Loria.
Reds 9 Astros 7 (10 innings)
In Cincinnati, Adam Dunn cracked a two-run homer in the 10th inning as the Reds dumped Houston 9-7 to hand the Astros their fourth straight defeat.
The Astros fell to second in the NL Central, 1/2 game behind the Cubs. Dunn tagged Brad Lidge (4-3), the fourth Houston pitcher.
Ryan Wagner (2-0) tossed a near-perfect 10th to notch the victory. Half of Cincinnati’s 54 wins this season have come in the team’s last at-bats, the most in the majors.
Pirates 6 Brewers 3
In Pittsburgh, former Brewer Matt Stairs homered with two aboard in the seventh inning to plate the winning runs as the Pirates defeated Milwaukee 6-3. Stairs connected off reliever Mike DeJean, who took over from Matt Kinney (7-9) midway through the sixth.
Nelson Figueroa (2-0) worked the minimum five frames for the victory, scattering six hits, one of them Richie Sexson’s 33rd homer of the season.
