Joey Votto had the hit that gave Edinson Volquez the little room he needed.
Votto's two-out RBI double in the seventh inning broke up Brett Myers' no-hit bid, and Volquez allowed two hits over seven innings as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Wednesday night.
``A shutout against this club in this ballpark is almost impossible,'' Reds manager Dusty Baker said. ``Volquez was awesome.''
Again.
The 24-year-old Volquez (8-2) struck out eight, walked two and hit two batters as he lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.32.
``I can't say enough about him,'' Votto said. ``He was great. He took care of us.''
In other NL games on Wednesday, it was: San Diego 2, Chicago 1; Pittsburgh 5, Houston 2; Milwaukee 10, Arizona 1; Florida 6, Atlanta 4; Colorado 2, Los Angeles 1; and New York 5, San Francisco 3. St. Louis at Washington was postponed by rain.
Ken Griffey Jr., who has 599 career homers, wasn't in the Reds' lineup for the third consecutive game because of general soreness. For the second straight game, he walked as a pinch hitter in the eighth and pitcher Bronson Arroyo ran for him.
Bill Bray got two outs in the eighth and Francisco Cordero got the last four to complete visiting Cincinnati's two-hitter and earn his 12th save.
Acquired from Texas in the trade for Josh Hamilton, Volquez hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his 12 starts.
``The biggest thing is more confidence,'' Volquez said.
Myers (3-7) retired the first 13 batters before walking Adam Dunn with one out in the fifth. He gave up one run, one hit and walked a season-high six in 7 1-3 innings, striking out eight.
Myers walked Brandon Phillips with one out in the seventh and he stole second. After Dunn flied to left, Votto ripped a hanging 0-2 pitch to left-center to put the Reds ahead 1-0.
``I tried to put something in play and get the runner home,'' Votto said. ``I'm glad I came through in that situation.''
Votto got another RBI double in the ninth off J.C. Romero.
``I knew it would come down to who would make the first mistake and unfortunately I made it,'' Myers said.Padres 2, Cubs 1
At San Diego, Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth and Greg Maddux and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as San Diego snapped the Cubs' nine-game winning streak.
Brian Giles led off the eighth with a double off Ted Lilly (5-5). After he moved to third on a flyout, Kouzmanoff hit his sacrifice fly to center off Carlos Marmol to make it 2-1.
Chicago's winning streak was its longest since 2001. The Cubs (38-22) still have the best record in the majors.
Maddux, ninth on the all-time wins list with 350, allowed one run and three hits in seven innings. Maddux has not won in five starts since getting his 350th victory on May 10 against Colorado. He has one loss and four straight no-decisions since.
Heath Bell (3-3) pitched a perfect eighth and Trevor Hoffman faced four batters for his 12th save.Pirates 5, Astros 2
Zach Duke allowed two runs over 7 2-3 innings and Raul Chavez drove in three runs for Pittsburgh.
Duke (3-4) gave up seven hits, struck out two and walked two. The left-hander had his longest outing of the season and won for the first time in seven career starts against Houston. Matt Capps pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save.
Ty Wigginton hit a solo home run and Carlos Lee had an RBI single for the visiting Astros, who have lost six of seven, scoring 10 runs in that stretch.
Roy Oswalt (4-6) lost to the Pirates for the first time since April 25, 2005. He went six innings, allowing three earned runs and nine hits.Brewers 10, Diamondbacks 1
Corey Hart hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer and Russell Branyan followed with a conventional shot for Milwaukee in its sixth straight win.
Brewers starter Manny Parra (4-2) tied a career high with eight strikeouts in seven innings, retiring his final 14 batters as Milwaukee finished its homestand 8-1 and swept Arizona for the first time since Aug. 21-23, 2000.
After Gabe Kapler singled with two outs, Ryan Braun hit an RBI triple and Prince Fielder walked to bring up Hart, who flared a pitch from reliever Edgar Gonzalez down the right-field line.
Justin Upton dived, but couldn't come up with the ball and slipped getting up as it rolled to the wall. That allowed Hart to circle the bases for Milwaukee's first inside-the-park homer since Fielder did it at Minnesota last June 17.Marlins 6, Braves 4
Hanley Ramirez hit two homers, including a two-run shot in a four-run ninth inning, to lead Florida's rally.
Mike Rabelo hit a tying two-run homer in the top of the ninth as Manny Acosta blew a 4-2 lead. Acosta (3-3) recorded only one out while giving up four hits, three for extra bases, and four runs for his second blown save in five opportunities.
Justin Miller (2-2) pitched two perfect innings for the win. Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his 11th save.Rockies 2, Dodgers 1
Aaron Cook pitched eight sharp innings and Jeff Baker drove in both Colorado runs with his first home run of the season in the top of the second.
Cook (8-3) allowed a run and six hits, struck out six and walked one. Brian Fuentes pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
Clayton Kershaw (0-1) threw 104 pitches in five innings, allowing two runs and five hits with five strikeouts and four walks. The Dodgers have lost 10 of 13 and are averaging 2.46 runs during that stretch.Mets 5, Giants 3
Jose Reyes had three hits, including a two-run home run, and Carlos Beltran added a two-run double as visiting New York won for the seventh time in nine games.
John Maine (6-4) got a 3-0 lead in the first inning and made it hold up. He pitched six innings for the third straight start, allowing one earned run and seven hits. Billy Wagner worked the ninth for his 13th save.
Reyes, who had his 18-game hitting streak stopped Tuesday night, connected off Matt Cain (2-4) in the fourth for his eighth home run of the season.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
