NL Capsules

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PHILADELPHIA -- Brian McCann hit a grand slam, Tim Hudson tossed four-hit ball over seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 to spoil Ryan Howard's season debut Friday night.

Howard doubled in his first at-bat and was 2 for 4 in his first game since rupturing his left Achilles tendon on the final swing in a postseason elimination loss to St. Louis last October.

But even with their regulars together for the first time, the struggling Phillies generated nothing on offense. The five-time defending NL East champions are a season-worst 11 games under .500.

Hudson (7-4) nearly went pitch-for-pitch with Kyle Kendrick, who also threw seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits. Kendrick had five strikeouts; Hudson had none.

Antonio Bastardo (2-3) replaced Kendrick to start the eighth and immediately ran into trouble.

ROCKIES 5, NATIONALS 1

WASHINGTON -- Tyler Colvin homered twice off Stephen Strasburg to back a masterful pitching performance by Drew Pomeranz and lead Colorado past Washington, ending the Nationals' four-game winning streak.

Colvin hit a solo shot in the second inning and a two-run drive in the fourth to become the first player to hit two home runs against Strasburg in the same game.

Strasburg (9-4) allowed three runs, two earned, and eight hits in six innings. The All-Star struck out six and walked one, but lost a third straight start for the first time in his three-year career.

Pomeranz (1-3) gave up only one hit over 6 1-3 scoreless innings -- a bloop to center by Bryce Harper in the fourth.

CUBS 8, METS 7

NEW YORK -- Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run homer and Cubs closer Carlos Marmol caught a line drive and started a game-ending double play that blunted the Mets' bid for another ninth-inning comeback.

Travis Wood (4-3) won his fourth straight start while Mets star Johan Santana (6-5) was tagged for a career high-tying 13 hits in only 4 2-3 innings.

A night after they got two runs with two outs in the ninth to beat Philadelphia closer Jonathan Papelbon, the Mets scored three times off a wild Marmol.

But with runners at first and second, Lucas Duda hit a liner up the middle that Marmol speared and flipped to first for the final out.

GIANTS 6, PIRATES 5

PITTSBURGH -- Melky Cabrera hit his eighth homer of the season, Ryan Theriot drove in two runs and San Francisco beat the Pirates.

Barry Zito (7-6) survived five eventful innings to win for the second time in his last six starts as the Giants snapped a three-game losing streak.

Andrew McCutchen had three hits to raise his batting average to a National League-leading .360. Pedro Alvarez and Casey McGehee added solo homers, but couldn't stop Pittsburgh from having its four-game winning streak snapped.

Erik Bedard (4-10) endured another short outing, failing to get through the fourth inning.

BREWERS 7, ASTROS 1

HOUSTON -- Norichika Aoki and Ryan Braun hit consecutive homers in the first inning and Rickie Weeks later hit a two-run shot, leading Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers over the slumping Astros.

The Astros lost their season-worst ninth game in a row.

Gallardo (7-6) beat Houston for the eighth straight start, allowing one run and four hits in six innings.

J.A. Happ (6-9) allowed nine hits -- including a season-high three homers -- and seven runs in 6 1-3 innings.

MARLINS 3, CARDINALS 2

ST. LOUIS -- Ricky Nolasco allowed an unearned run in six innings and Jose Reyes got the go-ahead RBI with an infield hit in the seventh, leading Miami to a victory over the Cardinals.

Logan Morrison added his second home run in three games in the eighth for the Marlins, who won their third in a row and beat the Cardinals for just the second time in the last 10 meetings. St. Louis was 2 for 16 with runners in scoring position, stranding five at third base to frustrate a sellout crowd that waited patiently in a game that began in 103-degree heat.

Jake Westbrook (7-7) allowed two runs, one earned, in 6 2-3 innings. He had the Cardinals' third error with a wild throw on Reyes' soft tapper not far from the plate.

Nolasco (8-6) gave up nine hits but got the big outs when it counted against the Cardinals, holding them to 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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

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