Maddux Reaches 15-Win Mark

Greg Maddux reached 15 wins for a record 17th consecutive season. Getting to 200 innings made him just as happy,

“You always have your goals,” Maddux said Thursday after leading the Chicago Cubs over the Pirates, 6-3, at Pittsburgh. “One of them is always to win 20, but you always have a goal to pitch 200 innings. If you can go out there and get your 200 innings, you have to be doing something right.”

Maddux also hit a two-run single in a four-run second inning for the Cubs, who completed their third series sweep of the Pirates this year. Maddux raised his total to 201 2/3 innings, reaching 200 for the 16th time in 17 years -- he missed by two-thirds of an inning in 2002.

“I think 200 innings for me personally means more than the wins,” Maddux said, “because you can’t control the wins and losses as much as you can control showing up every fifth day and getting your 200 innings.”

The Cubs are 7-2 on their trip and are headed to New York for a three-game series, then finish the season at home with four games against Cincinnati and three against Atlanta.

Philadelphia 9, Florida 8 -- Jimmy Rollins’ two-out homer in the 10th inning at Miami moved the defending World Series champion Marlins closer to elimination from the postseason.

Chase Utley and David Bell hit solo home runs in the seventh inning as the Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to take a 7-6 lead. Utley’s leadoff home run off Marlin reliever Guillermo Mota tied the score, 6-6, and Bell homered with two out.

St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 2 -- The Cardinals reached 100 wins for the first time since 1985, winning at Milwaukee behind Yadier Molina’s first major league home run.

St. Louis (100-52), which clinched the NL Central title last weekend, has 10 games remaining and can surpass its club record of 106 wins, set in 1942.

Dan Haren, pitching because Chris Carpenter strained his right biceps, made his first start for St. Louis since Aug. 20. He gave up one run and two hits in five innings.

Colorado 7-2, Arizona 1-1 -- Jeromy Burnitz drove in the winning run with a single in the 10th inning at Denver to give the Rockies a doubleheader sweep. In the opener, Jeff Francis pitched six strong innings for Colorado. Francis (3-2), Colorado’s first-round pick in the 2002 first-year player draft, gave up one run and seven hits.

Cincinnati 3, Atlanta 2 -- Gabe White earned his first save in more than four years at Atlanta, preventing the Braves from clinching their 13th consecutive division title.

New York 4, Montreal 2 -- Tom Glavine won for just the third time since mid-June, and Gerald Williams and Victor Diaz homered for the Mets at Montreal.