MILWAUKEE: Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer that backed Wily Peralta, and the Milwaukee Brewers extended their winning streak to seven with a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Francisco Liriano befuddled the Brewers with his slider over the first three innings before Ramirez sent a 1-2 fastball over the left-field wall for a 2-0 lead.

At 8-2 on the year, the Brewers are off to their best start since opening with 13 wins in 1987.

Peralta (1-0) allowed four hits in seven innings, but gave up a two-run homer to Neil Walker in the seventh.

Francisco Rodriguez struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.

Liriano (0-2) struck out seven over six innings. He was charged with four runs and four hits.

Phillies 6 Marlins 3: In Philadelphia, Marlon Byrd drove in two runs and Philadelphia knocked around Jose Fernandez in one of his worst major league starts, beating Miami to snap a four-game skid.

Phillies starter A.J. Burnett left in the fourth inning because of a sore groin, but Philadelphia chased Fernandez (2-1) with three runs in the fifth en route to its first home win of the season.

Fernandez, last season’s NL Rookie of the Year, was tagged for eight hits and a career-worst six earned runs in four-plus innings. The right-hander walked four, matching a career high, and struck out six.

Derek Dietrich homered for the Marlins, who lost their fifth straight. Miami has been outscored 32-13 during the slide.

Braves 7 Nationals 6, 10 innings: In Atlanta, Jordan Schafer scored from first base on Justin Upton’s bloop single to right field with two outs in the 10th inning, giving Atlanta the win.

Chris Johnson singled with two outs off left-hander Jerry Blevins (1-1), and Schafer came in to run. With a 2-2 count, Schafer ran on the pitch and Upton dropped a single in front of Bryce Harper.

Schafer already was rounding third when Harper bobbled the ball. No error was charged.


Dodgers 6 Diamondbacks 0: In Phoenix, Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and Adrian Gonzalez drove in five runs for the Dodgers.

Ryu (2-1) struck out eight and walked one, retiring 18 of his last 19 batters. The only hits off the South Korean left-hander were a pair of singles by Miguel Montero.

Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off Brandon McCarthy (0-2) in the first, doubled in two more in the third and had an RBI single in the eighth. The Dodgers’ Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 4 with two doubles, drove in a run and scored three times.

Cubs 6 Cardinals 3, 11 innings: In St. Louis, Welington Castillo hit a three-run homer off closer Trevor Rosenthal in the 11th inning, leading Chicago to the win.

Rosenthal also struck out with a chance to win the game in the 10th. The Cardinals had runners on first and second with two outs when manager Mike Matheny decided against a pinch hitter. Rosenthal (0-1) took a called third strike in his second career at-bat.

Nate Schierholtz doubled for his fourth straight hit leading off the 11th and advanced on a sacrifice. Starlin Castro was intentionally walked and Ryan Kalish popped out on a bunt attempt before Castillo lined a 1-1 fastball 426 feet to left for his second homer.