Reds overcome flu, Brewers; Cubs triumph

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnatti Reds overcame a flu bug and the Milwaukee Brewers to post a 6-5 win in a clash of National League Central rivals on Thursday.

Pitcher Micah Owings worked through six innings and had a tiebreaking triple with the bat.

The Reds needed everything they could get from Owings, No. 5 in their rotation and occasional pinch hitter. The lineup was missing two starting pitchers with the flu, and the pitching staff was so worn out that shortstop Paul Janish was called to the mound the previous day.

Cincinatti closed within a game of the Brewers in the NL Central standings.

In St. Louis, Todd Wellemeyer pitched seven solid innings to guide St. Louis past Pittsburgh, 5-2.

Jason LaRue hit a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning. St. Louis batted through the order in a four-run fifth that started with LaRue’s first homer of the season.

The Pirates have lost nine of 10.

In Los Angeles, the hosts’ first game without Manny Ramirez, on drug suspension, began ominously as they were beaten by the league’s worst team Washington, 11-9.

Nick Johnson and Adam Dunn both had three RBIs, and the Nationals rallied for 10 runs over the final three innings.

Washington had lost its previous 10 games at Dodger Stadium. The defending NL West champion Dodgers lost at Chavez Ravine for the first time this season after setting a modern major league record with a 13-0 start at home.

In New York, the home team notched a fourth straight win, downing NL East rival Philadelphia, 7-5.

Carlos Beltran and David Wright hit two-run homers in the first inning to set the Mets on their way.

New York closed within half a game of the Phillies for the NL East lead.

In Miami, Jair Jurrjens gave up just three hits in seven innings, steering Atlanta past Florida, 4-2.

Jurrjens has an impressive 2.01 ERA this season.

Florida extended a club-record slump of 20 consecutive games without a win by a starting pitcher. During that span the starters are 0-10.

In Houston, Alfonso Soriano homered twice to lead Chicago over Houston, 8-5.

Soriano hit a solo home run in the fourth and a two-run shot in the ninth. He has nine home runs for the season.

In Denver, Bengie Molina homered twice to lift San Francisco over Colorado, 8-3.

Molina was hitless in 12 career plate appearances against Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis before lining a solo homer to left-center in the second and crushing a two-run shot to right the following inning. It was Molina’s sixth multihomer game and first this season.

Giants pitcher Matt Cain threw six innings of one-hit ball. Cain struggled early, walking four in the first two innings, then settled down. He retired nine of his last 10 batters.

In San Diego, David Eckstein singled in the winning run for San Diego with one out in the 10th inning, driving the final nail into the managerial coffin of Arizona’s Bob Melvin in a 4-3 win.

Eckstein, who entered the game for defensive purposes in the top of the inning, lined a shot just past first base. Kevin Kouzmanoff started the winning rally with a one-out double to left-center, his third straight hit. Nick Hundley and Chris Burke walked to load the bases and bring up Eckstein. (AP)