Willis Wins 21st, Marlins in Wild-Card Lead

Dontrelle Willis gave Florida the National League wild-card lead with an outstanding all-around effort. The left-hander homered and earned his 21st win, pitching his seventh complete game this season in the Marlins’ 8-2 victory Monday night over the Houston Astros.

“He’s a complete guy,” Florida Manager Jack McKeon said. “He hits, he fields, he pitches. With him in the lineup, it’s like an extra bat.”

McKeon was asked if there is anything Willis can’t do.

“He probably is going to have to work on covering second base,” McKeon said with a smile. “He’s a gamer. He’s a competitor. You almost expect him to go out and have a game like this every time. It’s a surprise if it doesn’t happen.”

Florida moved half a game ahead of the Astros in the wild-card standings, taking the top spot for the first time since Aug. 30.

Willis (21-8) tied St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter for the major league lead in victories and complete games by winning his sixth straight start. He gave up eight hits, struck out four and walked one in the opener of a four-game series.

Willis connected for a two-run shot against Scott Strickland in the sixth inning, giving the Marlins a 6-1 lead. It was his third career homer. He also scored twice and has 11 RBIs this year. He hasn’t lost since Aug. 12 against San Francisco. The pitcher’s batting average of .259 is higher than his earned-run average of 2.49.

“He’s doing something amazing out there this year,” teammate Juan Pierre said. “He’s playing both sides of the plate and you don’t see that very often.”

Willis, 23, is the first pitcher younger than 24 to win 20 games since Ramon Martinez with the Dodgers in 1990.