Washington ? Plugging in parts as they go, the Washington Nationals are finding ways to win the close ones and stay right near the top of the NL East.

They did it again Tuesday night, coming back against the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen after starter Mike Hampton left because of tightness in his pitching arm. Washington won 5-4 for its third straight victory – each by a single run.

Nick Johnson hit a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning, starter John Patterson came off the disabled list to pitch five innings of one-run ball, and a trio of relievers made a late lead hold up, if barely.

“We have to keep grinding,” said Johnson, one of five Nationals with at least two hits.

Cleanup hitter Jose Guillen went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Vinny Castilla added two singles. They’re supposed to produce the big hits. But pinch-hitter Ryan Church came on to go 2-for-2 with a double, and reserve catcher Gary Bennett contributed two hits and drove in a run. Those are just the kind of everyone-chips-in performance needed on a team that has 10 players on the disabled list.

The Nationals rallied from a 3-0 deficit with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh.

Phillies 5, Giants 2

Philadelphia – Randy Wolf pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, and Chase Utley had a two-run single to lead Philadelphia.

Wolf (5-4) allowed six hits, struck out five and walked three in 62â3 innings. The left-hander won his fourth straight decision, matching his win total for last season. Ryan Madson got four outs and Billy Wagner worked the ninth, allowing a two-run homer to Jason Ellison.

The last-place Phillies have won 10 of 16.

Pirates 5, Marlins 4

Pittsburgh – Daryle Ward hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Pirates withstood a shaky start by Oliver Perez to hand the Marlins their eighth consecutive loss in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates trailed 2-1 and 4-3 as the Marlins hit three solo home runs off Perez – by Carlos Delgado, Juan Encarnacion and Miguel Cabrera – but took the lead after reliever Nate Bump (0-2) retired the first two batters in the seventh.

Brian Meadows (1-0) and Mike Gonzalez each followed Perez with a scoreless relief inning before Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 16 opportunities.

Diamondbacks 7, Mets 0

New York – Rookie left-hander Brad Halsey shut out New York for seven innings, Jose Cruz Jr. gave Arizona a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning with his sixth home run of the season, and Craig Counsell delivered two runs with a two-out single in the sixth.

Then the Diamondbacks put it away with three more runs in the seventh.

Astros 4, Reds 3

Houston – Brandon Backe remained unbeaten at home as a starter and sparked a two-run fifth-inning rally to lead Houston.

Backe (5-3) improved to 7-0 in nine career starts – all Houston wins – at Minute Maid Park. Backe, who broke into the starting rotation last season, is 8-1 at home in his career.

Rockies 2, Cardinals 1

Denver – Jason Jennings became the winningest pitcher in Coors Field history, allowing one run over seven innings to Colorado snap a four-game losing skid.

Dustan Mohr and Todd Greene hit back-to-back homers in the fourth, and Mark Mulder’s seven-game winning streak was snapped.

Padres 8, Brewers 4

San Diego – Geoff Blum hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning, and San Diego rallied for its 22nd victory in May.

The Padres set a team record with their 11th straight home victory, and won their sixth straight overall. They haven’t lost at Petco Park since a 5-2 defeat to Arizona on May 1. The Padres lead the Diamondbacks by three games in the NL West.

San Diego was 22-6 in May, setting the club record for victories in a month.

Cubs 2, Dodgers 1, 10 inn.

Los Angeles – Carlos Zambrano and two relievers combined on a one-hitter, Neifi Perez drove in the go-ahead run with a one-out single in the 10th inning, and the Cubs extended their winning streak to a season-high five games.

Pinch-hitter Michael Barrett singled off Yhency Brazoban (2-1), the third Dodgers’ pitcher, to start the 10th and Todd Hollandsworth sacrificed. Perez then sliced a single to left to drive in Barrett.

Michael Wuertz (4-2) blanked the Dodgers in the ninth, and Ryan Dempster worked the 10th for his second save in two nights and sixth in seven chances.