Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA ó Brett Myers got his stuff and his snarl back.
Myers pitched 7 2-3 sharp innings, Jimmy Rollins had four hits, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Saturday night.
Myers (5-9) allowed one run and five hits, striking out six. The feisty right-hander wasn’t pleased to leave with a runner on second and two outs in the eighth.
Myers muttered a few expletives when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel went to the mound. Manuel went after Myers in the dugout and the two briefly exchanged words nose-to-nose.
“I wanted to stay in,” Myers said. “I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. Sometimes your emotions get the best of you and you do something irrational. I should’ve respected his decision. It’s patched up. We’re buddies.”
Manuel said he prefers a pitcher who doesn’t want to exit a game.
“It was two strong-willed people kind of disagreeing,” Manuel said. “Everything is all right. He wanted to stay in. I like that. In fact, if he doesn’t want to stay in, I’d be mad.”
J.C. Romero retired Doug Mientkiewicz for the final out after Myers departed. Chad Durbin finished for his first save after allowing a run in the ninth. Brad Lidge, who is 28-for-28 in save chances, was unavailable after throwing 24 pitches in one-third of an inning Friday.
The NL East-leading Phillies remained one game ahead of the New York Mets and are 21/2 up on Florida.
Rollins, the reigning NL MVP, sparked a struggling offense that was shut out in consecutive games for the first time in nine years. He finished 4-for-4 with two triples in his four-hit game since last Sept. 1.
The Phillies snapped a 23-inning scoreless streak before making an out against Ian Snell (4-9).
Rollins led off with a line-drive triple down the right-field line and Shane Victorino followed with a double off the scoreboard in right. Ryan Howard’s one-out RBI single made it 2-0.
Mets 8, Marlins 6
NEW YORK ó Carlos Delgado hit a mammoth home run, Daniel Murphy added the first of his big league career and the New York Mets scratched out an 8-6 victory over Florida, pushing the Marlins further back in the NL East.
Carlos Beltran homered and drove in three runs, David Wright had three hits and the Mets kept pace a game behind division-leading Philadelphia. The Marlins dropped 21/2 back after losing for the third time in four games.
Cardinals 12, Cubs 3
CHICAGO ó Troy Glaus, hitless in his first 30 at-bats against the Cubs this season, had two of the Cardinals’ four homers off Carlos Zambrano and finished with five RBIs to help St. Louis beat Chicago.
Astros 3, Reds 1
CINCINNATI ó Miguel Tejada homered and Brian Moehler pitched seven solid innings.
Moehler (8-4) also doubled and scored, and Lance Berkman added an RBI single as Houston sent the Reds to their fifth consecutive loss, matching a season high. Cincinnati has had four other five-game losing streaks.
Brewers 6, Nationals 0
MILWAUKEE ó Ben Sheets pitched a five-hitter for his first win since July 4, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over the Washington Nationals 6-0.
Padres 8, Rockies 3
DENVER ó Adrian Gonzalez hit his 28th homer, Greg Maddux improved to 8-2 lifetime at Coors Field.