New York ? Phillies manager Larry Bowa knows he has one of baseball’s best hitters in the middle of his lineup. And he’s not talking about Jim Thome.

Bobby Abreu homered and drove in two runs, and Kevin Millwood pitched three-hit ball for seven innings to lead Philadelphia over the New York Mets, 5-1, Friday night.

Abreu connected against Mike Stanton leading off the eighth for his 20th home run and second in two nights. That gave the All-Star right fielder six consecutive seasons with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases. No other active player has five in a row.

“He gets that average up a little bit, you’re talking MVP numbers,” Bowa said. “This guy’s done everything.”

Thome hit his major-league-leading 29th home run and finished with three RBIs for the Phillies, who bounced back from an 11-inning loss in the opener of the four-game series. Leadoff batter Jimmy Rollins stole two bases, helping Philadelphia regain sole possession of first place in the NL East.

Millwood (7-5) didn’t give up a hit until the fifth and outpitched Jae Seo.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him use the inside part of the plate in a long, long time,” Bowa said.

Seo (4-6) got the start when the Mets changed their minds about calling up Scott Erickson. After New York’s bullpen was forced to work hard Thursday night, the Mets didn’t want to demote a reliever to make roster space for Erickson and leave themselves short in the bullpen.

Expos 5, Braves 1

Atlanta — Jose Vidro homered and had three hits, helping Montreal knock the Braves out of first place. Nick Johnson added two hits, including an RBI double in the eighth off Chris Reitsma, and the Expos’ bullpen pitched 41/3 shutout innings. Joe Horgan (2-0) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth after he relieved Claudio Vargas. Atlanta lost for only the fourth time in 17 games and fell one game behind Philadelphia in the NL East.

Padres 5, Astros 1

Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins, left, congratulates Jim Thome after Thome hit a two-run home run in the third inning. Thome's major-league-best 29th homer helped the Phillies to a 5-1 victory over the New York Mets on Friday at Shea Stadium.

Houston — Phil Garner opened his tenure as manager of the Astros with a loss. Mark Loretta’s three-run double backed Jake Peavy, who sent Andy Pettitte to his second straight home loss. Garner, who managed Milwaukee and Detroit to a combined 708-802 record during parts of 11 seasons, replaced Jimy Williams on Wednesday, the day after Houston played host to the All-Star game. Houston dropped a season-high 12 games behind Central-leading St. Louis, which has won 10 of 11 games. Pettitte (5-3) allowed four runs and seven hits over five innings in his first career start against San Diego.

Pirates 6, Marlins 2

Pittsburgh — Kris Benson made another strong start as he apparently winds down his Pirates career, limiting Florida to two runs over 81/3 innings. Benson (7-7), being eyed by a half-dozen contending teams as the July 31 deadline for trades without waivers approaches, helped the Pirates win their eighth in a row at home.

Cardinals 7, Reds 5

Cincinnati — Pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning off Cincinnati closer Danny Graves, the major-league saves leader with 33.

Brewers 3, Cubs 2

Chicago — Pinch-hitter Brooks Kieschnick singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. Victor Santos (9-3) allowed four hits and two runs in six innings to win for the seventh time in his last eight decisions. Dan Kolb pitched a perfect ninth for his 27th save. Matt Clement (7-9) lost his fifth straight decision, but the Cubs have scored just seven runs in his last six starts.

Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 2

Phoenix — Alex Cora drove in two runs with squeeze bunts, helping Los Angeles win for the 11th time in 12 games. Kazuhisa Ishii (11-4) improved to 7-1 against the Diamondbacks.