Astros Win, Pad Their Lead To 5 1/2 Games

Lance Berkman and Moises Alou each drove in two runs in a seven-run fifth inning to help the Houston Astros defeat visiting St. Louis, 9-3, Monday and extend their lead in the National League Central to 51/2 games over the Cardinals.

Houston’s magic number for clinching its fourth division title in five years is seven.

The Cardinals are the only other team to win the division title in that span, doing it last season. St. Louis has lost two straight after a nine-game winning streak.

Dave Mlicki (7-1) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings to win his third consecutive decision.

Matt Morris (20-8) allowed eight runs and nine hits in 42/3innings to end an eight-game winning streak.

Florida 1, Atlanta 0--Ken Caminiti grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded at Miami and the Braves dropped into a tie with Philadelphia for first place in the East.

The Marlins scored in the second inning on catcher Javy Lopez’s throwing error. Brad Penny (9-9) and two Florida relievers made it stand up, blunting the Braves’ bid for a second straight ninth-inning comeback.

The Phillies, who were idle, and the Braves each have 12 games remaining, including three against each other next week in Atlanta.

Colorado 15, San Diego 11--Rickey Henderson closed in on two milestones, but Larry Walker went four for four with two solo homers and five runs scored to power the Rockies at Denver.

Henderson was four for five with three runs, leaving him three runs short of tying Ty Cobb’s major league record of 2,245 and seven hits shy of 3,000. Henderson also hit his 500th career double.

Walker, who had three runs batted in, raised his major league-leading average to .353.

Todd Helton hit his 44th homer and drove in four runs and Juan Uribe had four hits and three RBIs for Colorado.

Pittsburgh 7, Chicago 6--Gary Matthews Jr., waived by the Cubs last month, hit a tiebreaking homer off Scott Chiasson (0-1) in the eighth inning and the Pirates rallied from a five-run deficit at Pittsburgh.

It was the second tough loss for the Cubs in as many games, and came after Kerry Wood squandered a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning. Sunday, the Cubs wasted Sammy Sosa’s three homers in a 7-6 loss at Houston.

The Cubs stayed 31/2 games behind St. Louis with 12 games to play in the National League wild-card race.