Washington ? First things first: The Washington Nationals actually scored in the first inning, the only time they’ve managed to do that all season.

Austin Kearns hit a three-run homer to stake Washington to an early lead, Matt Chico earned his second major-league victory, and the NL-worst Nationals held off the New York Mets, 4-3, on Friday night.

Washington set a league record by playing 22 games at the start of a season without scoring a first-inning run, but Kearns ended the drought with a shot to left-center off Oliver Perez (2-2). Kearns’ second homer of 2007 followed singles by Ronnie Belliard and Dmitri Young – a real outburst from a club that was hitting .071 (5-for-70) in first innings until Friday.

That turned out to be enough for Chico (2-2), who was much sharper than in his previous outing. He gave up two runs and walked only one batter in 51â3 steady innings – a significant improvement from his previous time on the mound, when he walked seven and threw two wild pitches, including one into the stands.

Dodgers 6, Padres 5

San Diego – Trevor Hoffman, baseball’s career saves leader, disappointed a sellout crowd at Petco Park by giving up four runs in the ninth inning. Nomar Garciaparra’s fourth hit, a two-run double, tied the game at 4 with one out, and Russell Martin’s two-run double with two outs handed Hoffman his second loss in his last two appearances.

Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2

Phoenix – Arizona manager Bob Melvin walked Barry Bonds intentionally three times with runners in scoring position, including in the ninth inning, and the strategy worked. Stephen Drew’s two-run double in the sixth provided the go-ahead runs for starter Doug Davis (2-2).

Brewers 4, Astros 1

Houston – J.J. Hardy’s two-run double off Roy Oswalt capped a three-run seventh inning, and Milwaukee beat Houston to hand the Astros their seventh consecutive loss.

Phillies 6, Marlins 5

Philadelphia – Carlos Ruiz’s infield single with the bases loaded in the ninth sent Philadelphia past Florida.

Cubs 5, Cardinals 3

St. Louis – Jason Marquis beat his old team for the second straight time, and Felix Pie hit his first career home run. Pie and Aramis Ramirez hit two-run homers in the fourth inning for the Cubs.

Pirates 3, Reds 1

Pittsburgh – Ian Snell limited Cincinnati to six hits over seven shutout innings, and Jason Bay’s two-run double got Pittsburgh going in the first inning.

Braves 9, Rockies 7

Denver – Andruw Jones hit a three-run homer, and Atlanta scored eight runs with two outs.