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PHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez came out tied in their own game of home run derby.

The scary thought about Philadelphia's loaded long-ball lineup is that their manager believes it can even be better.

"We can strike out less," Charlie Manuel said. "There's a lot of things we can do."

Utley, Howard, Rollins and Ibanez all hit two-run homers to back Joe Blanton and lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

The Phillies are atop the National League with 138 homers, and Rollins' 10th of the season gave them five players with double-digit totals.

They still want more.

"I'm sure there's always somewhere we can improve, or whatever," Ibanez said. "But I like what I'm seeing right now."

Blanton (7-4) is turning these low-run, deep-inning outings into the norm. He struck out six and allowed two runs over eight strong innings. Blanton has allowed two runs or less and pitched at least seven innings in five of his last six starts for the NL East leaders.

"As long as he keeps doing what he does, people can continue to overlook him," Howard said. "As of late, he's right where we need him to be."

Blanton has been Philadelphia's most dependable starter the last two months and put a slow start way behind him. He's lost only once in seven decisions since May 9 and the Phillies are now 20-12 in Blanton's 32 starts since he was acquired from Oakland last season.

"He's surprised me from the time I saw him in Oakland to coming over here," Manuel said.

He received a huge standing ovation from another sellout crowd when he struck out Matt Holliday to end the eighth inning. Blanton fanned the side in eighth and matched his longest outing of the season.

"I've put a couple of good stretches together before," Blanton said.

Holliday's sacrifice fly in the first and Mark DeRosa's fourth homer of the year in the fifth were the only runs off Blanton.

The burly right-hander is a big reason why the Phillies are starting to pull away toward their third straight NL East title. Acquiring Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay would go a long way toward boosting their odds at a second straight World Series championship.

The Phillies are still actively pursuing the former Cy Young winner and could return from their seven-game road trip with another ace to pair with Cole Hamels in the rotation.

"I think you're always looking for a horse," Manuel said. "You're always looking to get better. You always want to try and improve your team."

Utley, who hit his 22nd, was the first to go deep when he gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead in the third. Howard's 25th home run ricochet off the ivy-covered brick wall in center in the fifth for a 5-2 lead. Rollins hit the third homer off Todd Wellemeyer (7-9) in the sixth

Ibanez made it 9-2 in the seventh when he hit his 26th homer of the season.

Cubs 5, Reds 2

At Chicago, Rich Harden pitched six stellar innings to win a day game at Wrigley Field for the first time since last August and the Cubs moved into first place.

The Cubs have won 10 of their last 13 games to move a half-game ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central, their first appearance in the top spot since April 21.

The Reds wrapped up an 0-6 road trip, getting outscored 43-20 in their first winless multi-series trip in five years. After laboring through three innings, Cincinnati starter Micah Owings (6-11) was pulled with what the team called a tight right shoulder.

Mets 8, Astros 3

At Houston, Livan Hernandez struck out a season-high seven after a rough start, and the New York Mets put together another well-balanced offensive performance in a win over the Astros.

Hernandez (7-5) allowed only four singles after the Astros built a 3-0 lead in the first inning. He threw 107 pitches in seven innings and won his second straight start after losing the previous four.

Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur and David Wright drove in two runs apiece for the Mets, who had at least 12 hits for the third straight game. New York beat Houston 10-3 on Saturday after scoring fewer than five runs in 15 of its previous 20 games.

Braves 10, Brewers 2

At Milwaukee, Casey Kotchman hit a three-run homer and Nate McLouth made a pair of great catches in center when starter Derek Lowe began to tire.

Kotchman's deep drive to right field off Braden Looper in the sixth was the difference for Atlanta, which has won eight of 11 since the All-Star break.

Brian McCann, who went 3 for 4, added a solo homer in the seventh and Kelly Johnson hit a two-run shot in the ninth as the Brewers' bullpen imploded for five runs, including two more in the eighth on a dropped fly by center fielder Jody Gerut and a bases loaded walk by Mike Burns.

Nationals 3, Padres 2, 10 innings

At Washington, Austin Kearns drove in the winning run with a two-out, 10th-inning single.

Joe Beimel (1-5) got the final two outs of the 10th for the victory. Josh Willingham also homered for Washington, which finished its first homestand under interim manager Jim Riggleman with a 4-7 record.

Rockies 4, Giants 2

At Denver, Aaron Cook pitched seven sharp innings to win his seventh straight decision and Seth Smith scored two runs.

Cook (10-3) had his trademark sinker working all afternoon, getting the Giants to hit into 16 groundouts. He allowed nine hits and struck out two. Cook hasn't lost since June 1 at Houston.

Franklin Morales pitched a perfect eighth and Huston Street retired the Giants in order in the ninth for his 25th save in 26 chances.

Ryan Sadowski (2-3) turned in his shortest start this season, leaving after just 2 2-3 innings as he gave up three runs and five hits.

Diamondbacks 9, Pirates 0

At Phoenix, Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra each hit two-run homers, Parra finished with four RBIS and the Diamondbacks made it easy for right-hander Max Scherzer.

Reynolds' homer in the third inning, his 26th of the season, gave Arizona a 4-0 lead, and Parra's fifth homer of the season capped the scoring with two outs in the eighth. He finished a triple short of the cycle.

Scherzer (6-6) gave up five singles in seven shutout innings for his first victory since June 23 against Texas.

Marlins 8, Dodgers 6

At Los Angeles, Dan Uggla homered and NL batting leader Hanley Ramirez drove in three runs, leading Florida to a victory over the Dodgers and helping the Marlins win their third straight series at Chavez Ravine.

Chris Volstad (8-9) allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. The 22-year-old right-hander was helped by three double plays, one of them in the first when Orlando Hudson took off from first base on Andre Ethier's long drive to center fielder Cody Ross and couldn't get back in time after having to retouch second.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index