Chicago ? Once Matt Morris escaped the first inning, he was too tough for the Chicago Cubs.

“Later in the game I usually get better if I can make it that far,” Morris said after pitching the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 victory with eight strong innings Wednesday.

“It was important to go as long as I can.”

After allowing three hits in the first, including Sammy Sosa’s major league leading 14th homer, Morris allowed just one more in the second and then pitched six hitless innings.

“It was one of those ‘have to’ games where that early adversity hit us. I just wanted to lock it down and get some innings,” Morris said.

Morris (5-2) walked Sosa intentionally to put runners at first and second in the eighth before Albert Pujols made a nice running catch of Fred McGriff’s long liner to end the threat and preserve the one-run cushion.

“I didn’t say anything to Pujols, I just hugged him,” Morris said.

“I never like getting booed about intentionally walking Sammy, but that’s the situation. Don’t let him beat you. I almost did in the first. We could have lost the game 2-1. We battled back and I wasn’t going to let it happen again.”

Giants 8, Mets 2

New York Kirk Rueter won his 100th career game. J.T. Snow homered and drove in four runs and Barry Bonds was pitched around once again as the Giants won their sixth straight game. Bonds went 0-for-2 with two walks and was hit by a pitch. The homer king has been walked 44 times this season and is on pace for 222, which would smash the record of 177 he set last season.

Dodgers 3, Braves 1

Atlanta Odalis Perez pitched eight strong innings. Perez (4-1) limited the Braves to just five hits. Eric Gagne struck out all three batters on 11 pitches for his 11th save in 12 chances, one night after giving up a tying, two-out homer to Sheffield in the ninth.

Phillies 5, Astros 3

Philadelphia Pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth.

Reds 14, Brewers 5

Cincinnati Austin Kearns hit a three-run homer and Adam Dunn doubled with the bases loaded. Jose Acevedo (3-1), who was recalled from the minors Tuesday, pitched 1 2-3 innings in his first major league relief appearance.

Rockies 5, Expos 0

Montreal Todd Helton, Larry Walker and Todd Zeile homered,. Shawn Chacon (3-4) combined with four relievers on a six-hit shutout. He scattered five hits in six innings before leaving with a strained chest muscle. Chris Nichting, Kent Mercker, Rick White and Dennys Reyes allowed one hit in three innings of relief to secure Chacon’s first road win since last July 14.

Marlins 7, Padres 4

Miami Third baseman Cesar Crespo’s throwing error keyed Florida’s four-run rally in the eighth inning. Oswaldo Marino (1-0) worked two innings for the win.

Dbacks 4, Pirates 3

Phoenix Curt Schilling pitched became baseball’s first seven-game winner. Schilling surrendered a three-run homer to Craig Wilson in the first inning.