Padilla Helps Phillies Sweep

Never mind a no-hitter, Vicente Padilla gave the Philadelphia Phillies all they really needed -- another victory.

Padilla held the New York Mets hitless for six innings and Jim Thome homered as Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep at Shea Stadium with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.

The Phillies, tied with Florida for the wild-card lead, finished 4-9 on a four-city trip. Philadelphia had lost six in a row before the series.

Met rookie Jose Reyes, who broke up the no-hit bid with an infield single leading off the seventh, injured his left ankle trying to break up a game-ending double play. He seemed to catch his spikes in the dirt as he slid into second.

But the Mets received good news after the game. X-rays did not reveal a fracture, and Reyes was day-to-day with a sprained ankle.

Padilla (12-9) yielded one run and two hits without issuing a walk in eight innings. He retired 24 of the batters he faced.

Florida 5, Montreal 3 -- Manager Jack McKeon wanted several players to step up and fill the void left by the injury to All-Star third baseman Mike Lowell.

Derrek Lee hit a three-run homer and Mark Redman (11-8) won for the first time in four starts to lead the Marlins at Miami.

Lowell broke a bone in his hand when he was hit by a fastball from Montreal’s Hector Almonte on Saturday. He saw a hand specialist Sunday, but the prognosis didn’t change: He’s out for the rest of the regular season.

San Diego 3, Houston 1 -- Jake Peavy and four relievers combined on a three-hitter at Houston as the Padres dropped the Astros into second place in the Central Division.

Peavy (10-10) gave up one run and one hit in six innings, striking out 10. Scott Linebrink and Mike Matthews pitched a hitless seventh before Jay Witasick yielded two singles in the eighth.

Rod Beck pitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save in as many chances.

Milwaukee 2, Chicago 0 -- Right fielder Jason Conti made a sliding, game-ending catch with the bases loaded to preserve the 12th victory in 13 games for the visiting Brewers, who won their fourth series in a row, the first time they have done that since August 1996.

The Cubs lost for the fourth time in five games, dropping back in the playoff race. They are 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the Central Division and 3 1/2 back in the wild-card race.

St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 0 -- Albert Pujols homered twice and tied a career high with five runs batted in, and Sterling Hitchcock (2-0) threw six shutout innings at Cincinnati.

Pujols has 37 homers this season and 108 in his career, moving him past Joe DiMaggio for third place on the list of most homers in a player’s first three years. Hitchcock gave up three hits in his first start for the Cardinals.

Atlanta 10, Pittsburgh 4 -- Andruw Jones, Vinny Castilla and Javy Lopez homered at Pittsburgh for the Braves, who can complete a sixth 100-win season under Manager Bobby Cox by going 13-13 in September. Only the Yankees’ Joe McCarthy has managed six 100-victory seasons with the same team.

San Francisco 3, Arizona 1 -- At Phoenix, Jason Schmidt (14-5) gave up seven hits, struck out six and walked one in 8 1/3 innings, improving to 9-1 in his last 12 starts. Benito Santiago and Edgardo Alfonzo had RBI doubles for the Giants.