Diamondbacks Extend Their Lead to 2 1/2

Randy Johnson set a franchise record with his eighth consecutive victory and Luis Gonzalez hit his 46th home run Saturday night as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their eighth game in a row, 5-3, over the Chicago Cubs at Phoenix.

Johnson (17-5) struck out 10, walked one and hit a batter in 6 2/3 innings, his 19th double-digit strikeout game of the season and 167th of his career. He gave up three runs and nine hits to improve to 8-0 in his last 10 starts.

Gonzalez also doubled and walked twice.

The Diamondbacks pulled 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Francisco in the National League West. Chicago fell out of a tie with Houston for first in the NL Central and trail the Astros by one game.

Johnson needs 13 strikeouts to become the first pitcher in major league history to compile at least 300 in four consecutive seasons.

However, he gave up a run in the sixth and two in the seventh as the Cubs rallied to cut Arizona’s lead to 5-3.

Ron Coomer, five for seven in the series, drove in three runs with a pair of singles for the Cubs. Chicago has lost five of seven.

Sammy Sosa, who was three for five including a triple after striking out four times the previous night, singled to load the bases in seventh, then Coomer singled to drive in two to make it 5-3, knocking Johnson out of the game.

Left-hander Troy Brohawn came on to get Matt Stairs to ground out to end the inning.

Damian Miller tied his career high with his 11th home run for Arizona, a solo shot that made it 5-1 in the sixth.

St. Louis 6, Philadelphia 3--Pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning at St. Louis to give the Cardinals their 10th consecutive victory.

The Cardinals, who won 10 in a row from May 7-17, have put together two 10-game winning streaks in a season for the first time since 1941.

St. Louis has the best record in the National League since the All-Star break at 24-12, and trail Houston by three games in the NL Central.

Houston 3, Pittsburgh 0--Carlos Hernandez pitched seven shutout innings in his major league debut to lead the Astros to a victory at Houston.

Hernandez, a 21-year-old called up from double-A Round Rock Tuesday, replaced Shane Reynolds, who was scratched with a stiff lower back. He limited the Pirates to two hits and only one of those left the infield.

Milwaukee 6, Cincinnati 5--Catcher Kevin Brown, playing his first major league game in nearly a year, homered twice for the Brewers in their victory at Cincinnati.

Brown, who last homered on Aug. 18, 1998, for Toronto against Oakland, hit Elmer Dessens’ first pitch of the seventh inning over the left-field wall. Brown was recalled from triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 11 and was making his first appearance for the Brewers.

Colorado 8, Florida 3--Jose Ortiz homered for the fourth time in two games to help Denny Neagle win for the first time in nearly two months as the Rockies won for the second consecutive night at Denver.

San Diego 4, Montreal 3--Mark Kotsay and Ray Lankford hit two-run home runs in the sixth inning to lift the Padres to a victory at San Diego.