Chicago ? Tom Goodwin accepts his role as a part-time player and pinch-hitter. His time on the field might be limited, yet he still has the chance to determine an important game.

And that’s what he did Friday for the Chicago Cubs, who blew a late lead, waited out a 49-minute rain delay and then rallied to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-6.

“You have to have those type of guys on the team because the superstars can’t do it every day,” Goodwin said after delivering a bases-loaded, two-run single as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

Chicago, which began the day one game behind first-place Houston in the NL Central, squandered a 5-1 lead when the Reds scored five times in the seventh against Mark Guthrie and Antonio Alfonseca (2-1).

But after a rain delay with one out in the bottom half, the Cubs came out energized and staged one of their most crucial rallies of the season.

“It might have helped us because momentum was definitely on their side,” Goodwin said of the rain.

“Nobody was panicking when we came in. I thought we felt we could get the runs. It might have been a good time for a break because they came out and put a five-spot on us. It’s not an easy thing to regroup from and come right back out and try to get some runs.”

Astros 14, Cardinals 5

Houston — Jeff Bagwell homered, Richard Hidalgo had four hits and pitcher Wade Miller drove in a career-high four runs as Houston routed St. Louis. The Astros roughed up Woody Williams and finished with 19 hits, remaining a game ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. St. Louis dropped 3 1/2 off the pace.

Miller allowed two runs and two hits in six innings. He also went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

Rockies 8, D’backs 2

Phoenix — Preston Wilson homered twice and had five RBIs as Colorado beat Arizona. Wilson raised his major-league-leading RBI total to 134 with a two-run double in the ninth. Alex Cintron hit his 12th homer for the Diamondbacks, who fell 7 1/2 games behind Florida in the NL wild-card race with 14 games left.

Giants 8, Brewers 2

San Francisco — Jason Schmidt struck out 12 in his 15th win, and San Francisco defeated Milwaukee. Marquis Grissom drove in three runs for the Giants.

Dodgers 6, Padres 0

Los Angeles — Wilson Alvarez threw a four-hitter for his first shutout in six years, and Adrian Beltre hit a pair of solo homers as Los Angeles beat San Diego. Shawn Green added a solo shot for the Dodgers, who remained 31/2 games behind Florida, the NL wild-card leader.

Pirates 8, Phillies 4

Pittsburgh — Reggie Sanders hit a three-run homer during a three-hit night and Pittsburgh stalled Philadelphia’s pursuit of the NL wild card. Jose Hernandez stopped an 0-for-26 September skid.

Marlins 5, Braves 4

Miami — Juan Pierre singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning, leading Florida past Atlanta. Florida increased its wild-card lead to 1 1/2 games over Philadelphia. Brad Penny allowed three runs before departing because of a hyperextended pitching elbow.

Expos 7, Mets 4

Montreal — Michael Barrett hit a two-run homer in his first game in nearly seven weeks, and Vladimir Guerrero had a three-run double to lead Montreal over New York. Montreal won its 10th in a row at Olympic Stadium.