Pittsburgh ? Jason Schmidt dominated his former team, just as he’s done against almost everybody this season.

Schmidt pitched a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts for his NL-leading 15th win, and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-0, Thursday night.

“It’s nice to come back here and win, but it’s not like I was thriving on it,” Schmidt said. “It was like I was facing any other team, to be honest with you.”

Edgardo Alfonzo, Marquis Grissom and Michael Tucker each drove in two runs, helping the Giants avoid a season sweep by Pittsburgh. Barry Bonds had an RBI double.

Schmidt (15-4) walked one and allowed only four singles — two by Rob Mackowiak. It was Schmidt’s eighth career shutout and third this season. All three of his complete games this year have been shutouts.

“That’s your goal when you go out there is to go the whole way,” Schmidt said.

The right-hander struck out at least 10 for the third straight start and ninth time this season. He joined Oakland’s Mark Mulder as the only 15-game winners in the majors.

“When (Schmidt is) pitching, we have a feeling we’re going to win,” Giants manager Felipe Alou said. “There aren’t very many good pitchers, not like that. I remember when I played for this team, when (Juan) Marichal was pitching, we knew we would win the game.

“We always played better, we always hit better behind a guy like that.”

Schmidt is 4-1 lifetime against the Pirates, who dealt him to San Francisco on July 30, 2001, for outfielder Jon Vander Wal, outfielder Armando Rios and pitcher Ryan Vogelsong.

Mets 2, Astros 1

New York — Andy Pettitte had another frustrating outing in his return to New York. Pitching across town from the ballpark where he became a standout during nine seasons with the Yankees, he allowed just one run but struggled with his control and didn’t make it out of the sixth inning. The Mets went on to beat Pettitte and Houston behind Joe McEwing’s go-ahead single in the seventh off former Met David Weathers.

Pettitte was back on the mound in the city where he started the Yankees’ clinching win over the Mets in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series.

Braves 4, Brewers 2

Atlanta — Jaret Wright won his ninth straight decision, and J.D. Drew hit a go-ahead homer, helping Atlanta beat Ben Sheets and Milwaukee. Andruw Jones and Johnny Estrada also connected off Sheets (9-9), who struck out 13 after fanning 18 Braves during a game in May. Atlanta improved to 20-6 since the All-Star break. Sheets, who ranks among the NL leaders in earned-run average and strikeouts, fell to 0-4 in six starts since the break.

Expos 7, D’backs 5

Montreal — Tony Batista hit his 20th homer and drove in four runs, leading Montreal over Arizona to complete a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks. The Expos won their fifth straight game and sent Arizona to its seventh loss in a row.

Rockies 3, Phillies 1

Philadelphia — Shawn Estes allowed one run in six innings, and Royce Clayton hit a two-run homer, leading Colorado over Philadelphia. The Rockies took three of four in the series, keeping the Phillies 31/2 games behind Chicago in the NL wild-card race. After hitting a season-high six home runs Wednesday, the Phillies were stymied by Estes (13-4).

Marlins 8, Cardinals 2

Miami — A.J. Burnett pitched seven innings, Damion Easley drove in three runs, and Florida took advantage of sloppy defense by St. Louis to end the Cardinals’ seven-game winning streak. Burnett (3-5) allowed five hits and two runs, struck out seven and reached 100 mph at least once on the radar gun. It was perhaps his best performance since returning in June after reconstructive elbow surgery forced him to miss the 2003 season. Larry Walker hit his first home run since joining the Cardinals last week.

Reds 6, Dodgers 5

Cincinnati — D’Angelo Jimenez singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and Cincinnati rallied past Los Angeles to avoid a three-game sweep. The Reds scored three times in the eighth off Darren Dreifort (1-3), including a two-run homer by Wily Mo Pena, his 19th.

Padres 5, Cubs 4, 11 innings

Chicago — Khalil Greene singled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, and San Diego beat Chicago to move within a game of the NL wild-card lead.