Rookie Soler Gives Mets a Boost, 5-0

Orlando Hernandez wrapped fellow New York Mets pitcher Alay Soler in a bearhug Saturday night after the rookie threw a two-hitter to beat Arizona, 5-0, at Phoenix in his fourth major league start.

Both pitchers made it to the major leagues from Cuba, and both shut down the Diamondbacks this week.

Two games after Hernandez tossed a three-hitter in a 7-1 victory, Soler threw New York’s first complete-game shutout of the season.

“I felt very happy having a guy like El Duque, that had so much success at the major league level, right after the game he went to the mound and hugged me,” Soler said through an interpreter.

Hernandez has 74 major league victories in 170 starts. Soler (2-1) has two in four starts. It may be a while before he tops this one.

“I was very happy for him,” Hernandez said. “He was very aggressive tonight. He threw everything he had with big confidence.”

It was the first shutout by a Mets rookie since Jason Jacome beat the Dodgers, 3-0, on July 7, 1994.

Florida 2, San Diego 1 -- Mike Jacobs’ tiebreaking single in the eighth inning lifted the Marlins over the Padres at San Diego.

Atlanta 4, Houston 2 -- Tim Hudson (6-4) gave up only three hits in eight innings at Houston, and the Braves won for the third time in 13 games

Astros rookie Taylor Buchholz (3-6) struck out eight in eight innings.

Philadelphia 6, Washington 2 -- Pat Burrell’s two-run homer against Livan Hernandez sparked a five-run rally in the eighth inning at Washington, and the Phillies ended a two-game losing skid.

Geoff Geary (4-0) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. The Phillies have won five of seven.

Pittsburgh 2, San Francisco 0 -- Ian Snell (7-3) pitched three-hit ball for seven innings to win his fifth consecutive start, and the Pirates got homers from Jose Castillo and Jose Bautista in the victory at San Francisco.

The Pirates have won consecutive road games for the first time this season. They are 7-25 away from home but 3-3 on their current trip.

Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 3 -- Pinch-hitter Corey Hart’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning lifted the Brewers over the Cardinals at Milwaukee.

The Cardinals’ Hector Luna ended an 0-for-15 skid with a single in the second inning.

Chicago 4, Cincinnati 2 -- Michael Barrett’s grand slam in the seventh inning sent Carlos Zambrano (5-3) and the Cubs to victory at Cincinnati.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run -- the 547th of his career -- for Cincinnati, which has lost two in a row to Chicago.