Houston ? Reggie Sanders slid into home plate, kicking up a cloud of dirt and chalk.

When the dust cleared, the Houston Astros had stopped St. Louis from scoring and were on their way to a critical 2-1 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Houston moved within a half-game of Chicago and San Francisco for the NL wild-card lead.

Carlos Beltran threw out Sanders from center field, completing a fifth-inning double play before scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning.

“I knew it was a do-or-die play,” Beltran said. The throw “was a little bit off-line, but Brad did a good job of bringing it back. I don’t know if (Sanders) was out or not.”

Sanders and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa vigorously protested the call to no avail.

“I couldn’t tell whether he scored or not,” Houston catcher Brad Ausmus said. “The dirt and the chalk was coming up in my face. It was flying everywhere. I haven’t seen a replay and I couldn’t tell whether the call was right.”

Replays appeared to show Sanders was safe.

“The umpire was right on top of it,” La Russa said. “You play nine innings, that’s just one out.”

Giants 7, Padres 5

St. Louis' Reggie Sanders argues with umpire Brian O'Nora after being thrown out at the plate by Carlos Beltran. Houston's catcher is Brad Ausmus. The Astros defeated the Cardinals, 2-1, Tuesday night in Houston.

San Diego — Edgardo Alfonzo’s two-run double capped a six-run rally in the fourth inning, and the San Francisco Giants tied Chicago for the wild-card lead by beating San Diego.

The Giants started the day three games behind NL West leader Los Angeles. The Cubs lost 8-3 at Cincinnati. The Padres remain three games out in the wild-card race with five to play.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 4

Los Angeles — Steve Finley’s two-run single capped a five-run rally in the ninth inning that gave Los Angeles a victory over Colorado. By scoring the improbable triumph, the Dodgers lowered their magic number for winning the NL West championship to three. They lead San Francisco by three games. The Rockies led 4-0 entering the ninth thanks to the three-hit pitching of Jamey Wright and three relievers.

Reds 8, Cubs 3

Chicago — Adam Dunn reached 100 RBIs for the first time with his 44th home run, and Cincinnati beat Chicago. D’Angelo Jimenez and Darren Bragg also connected off Greg Maddux (15-11), who lost his second straight start to the Reds.

D’backs 9, Brewers 8 11 innings

Phoenix — Alan Zinter hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th, giving Arizona a win over Milwaukee. Zinter followed Alex Cintron’s single with a 391-foot drive.

Marlins 5, Expos 2

Montreal — Jeff Conine homered, and Mike Lowell drove in two runs to lead Florida over Montreal in what might prove to be the Expos’ second-to-last game at Olympic Stadium.

Mets 2-2, Braves 1-5

Atlanta — Johnny Estrada’s sixth-inning single broke a 2-2 tie and started a three-run rally that carried Atlanta to a 5-2 victory over New York Mets for a split of a doubleheader. The Mets received strong pitching from starter Steve Trachsel to win the opener, 2-1.