Chicago ? Moises Alou was angry when he arrived at Wrigley Field Wednesday, and he took it out on the St. Louis Cardinals.

Alou had a career-high five hits, including a go-ahead single in the eighth inning that capped a comeback from a six-run deficit and led the Chicago Cubs over the Cardinals 8-7.

“Against St. Louis, right in the middle of a pennant race, for me to come up clutch and get the game-winning hit was awesome,” he said. “It was a huge game. Down 6-0 this team really showed a lot of heart.”

Before the game, Alou said he was still upset over an umpire’s call that the Cubs felt cost them the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. A bases-loaded drive down the line by Alou was called foul — even though a photo appeared to show it hit the line — and the Cubs lost 2-0.

Alou then went out and drove in four runs to lead the Cubs to a big win in a tension-filled game.

Chicago trailed 6-0 before scoring three runs in the sixth, then allowed a run in the seventh before closing to 7-6 with three more runs in the bottom half. Mark Grudzielanek hit an RBI triple in the eighth and scored on Alou’s single. Both hits came off Woody Williams (14-8), making his first relief appearance in seven years.

Padres 12, D’backs 0

San Diego — Gary Matthews Jr. hit a two-run triple to highlight the seven-run second inning as San Diego swept a two-game series and handed Arizona its fifth straight loss.

The Diamondbacks have lost 14 of their last 20, including four straight to the Padres.

Brian Lawrence (8-14) and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout. Lawrence allowed four hits in seven innings to win his third straight start.

Giants 7, Rockies 6

San Francisco — Pinch-runner Eric Young avoided a tag at the plate to score the winning run in the ninth on Edgardo Alfonzo’s sacrifice fly off Brian Fuentes (3-2), beating the throw by right fielder Larry Walker.

Joe Nathan (9-3) pitched one inning as the Giants won their fifth straight game and reduced their magic number for clinching the NL West to 13.

Phillies 8, Expos 3

Philadelphia — Jim Thome homered and drove in two runs to back Kevin Millwood (14-9), who struck out eight in eight innings as Philadelphia won for the fifth time in six games.

Montreal went ahead on Wil Cordero’s three-run homer in the first but lost its sixth straight following a five-game winning streak and dropped five games behind the Phillies and Marlins.

Mets 9, Braves 3

New York — Jorge Velandia hit a two-run triple off Russ Ortiz (18-6) and an RBI double a day after being called up from the minors as New York completed its first sweep of the Braves since Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1995.

Roger Cedeno broke an 0-for-18 slump with two hits and also drove in a run, and Steve Trachsel (14-8) allowed one run in eight innings and added an RBI single in a steady drizzle.

Marlins 3, Pirates 0

Miami — Josh Beckett (7-7) won for just the second time in seven starts, allowing three hits over 7 2/3 innings and hitting an RBI single in the fifth.

Ugueth Urbina got four outs for his 28th save as the Marlins stopped a four-game losing streak to the Pirates.

Josh Fogg (8-8) allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in six innings.

Brewers 9, Reds 6

Milwaukee — Brady Clark hit a homer, triple and double and scored four runs as Milwaukee won for the 14th time in 16 games.

Clark, 3-for-4 with two RBIs, flied out to right in the bottom of the eighth, missing his first career cycle by just a single.

Leo Estrella (6-2) allowed a two-run single before getting the last out of the seventh for the win.

Astros 8, Dodgers 2

Los Angeles — Jeriome Robertson set a franchise record for wins by a rookie left-hander, and Houston jumped on Kevin Brown for four first-inning runs.

By winning the rubber game of a three-game series, the Astros moved into first place in the NL Central — a half-game ahead of St. Louis and one game in front of Chicago.

The loss was just the second in seven games for the Dodgers, who fell 21/2 games behind co-leaders Philadelphia and Florida in the NL wild-card race.