Clemens Roughed Up by the Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers got to Roger Clemens for four runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 5-2 victory over the Astros on Thursday night at Houston.

Damian Miller’s bases-loaded, two-run double put the Brewers ahead and highlighted the seventh inning as the Brewers won their third game in a row.

Clemens (11-5) gave up a season-high five earned runs and lost for the first time since July 17. He was 4-0 in five starts since then.

Clemens retired the first seven hitters, before Miller had a bloop single to right in the third. He then retired 10 in a row until Rickie Weeks homered in the sixth, ending his season-high scoreless-innings streak at 26.

The loss was Houston’s third in a row and fifth in its last six games. It dropped the Astros into a second-place tie with Washington in the wild-card race, half a game behind Philadelphia.

Houston has now totaled 90 runs in Clemens’ 25 starts. The Astros have scored two or fewer in 11 of his starts, and he is 1-5 in those games.

Clemens’ previous season high for earned runs was four in a 6-4 win over St. Louis on June 5.

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Florida 2, San Diego 0 -- Josh Beckett pitched seven innings and hit a run-scoring single in the Marlins’ second consecutive shutout of the Padres at Miami.

Beckett (12-6) yielded four hits, walked two and struck out six in winning his fourth decision in a row.

Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his 26th save. The shutout tied Florida’s club record of 14 set last season.

Jake Peavy (10-6) gave up two runs and five hits, and struck out nine in losing consecutive starts for only the second time this season.

Mike Lowell led off the second with a triple. Following strikeouts by Alex Gonzalez and Matt Treanor, Lowell scored on Beckett’s bloop single to center.

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Pittsburgh 5, New York 0 -- Rookie Zach Duke won his sixth consecutive decision, limiting the Mets to two hits in seven innings at Shea Stadium.

The 22-year-old left-hander, who retired his first 11 batters, allowed only four baserunners. He struck out five and walked one.

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Cincinnati 4, San Francisco 2 -- Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 530th home run to help the Reds avoid the first four-game sweep by the Giants in Cincinnati since May 1983.

Giant reliever Armando Benitez made his first appearance since injuring his right hamstring on April 26. He got the last two outs of the eighth.

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Arizona 9, St. Louis 2 -- Luis Gonzalez homered twice, helping the Diamondbacks avoid a three-game sweep at St. Louis.

Cardinal pitcher Jason Marquis had an infield hit and a run-scoring double in his first two at-bats, giving him six consecutive hits. He has 25 hits and a .373 batting average.

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Philadelphia 2-4, Washington 1-5 -- Carlos Baerga’s go-ahead single in the eighth inning gave the Nationals a split of the day-night doubleheader at Philadelphia. The Phillies won the opener on Bobby Abreu’s two-run double.