Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher brad penny delivers against Florida. Penny struck out a career-high 14 in the Dodgers' 6-1 victory Monday in Miami.

Miami ? When Brad Penny threw his 110th and final pitch for one last strikeout, he pumped his fist, retrieved the ball from his catcher and stuck it in his pants pocket as he walked off the field.

Penny wanted a souvenir after striking out a career-high 14 Monday. He allowed only five base-runners in seven shutout innings to help the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-1 victory over his former team, the Florida Marlins.

“I love pitching here,” Penny said. “The mound is huge, and it’s perfect for a guy like me who likes to throw hard. My fastball was the best it has been all year.”

Penny (4-0) walked none and gave up five hits, including two infield singles, and lowered his earned-run average to 1.39. Following no-decisions in his past three games, he became the first Dodgers starter to begin a season 4-0 since Kazuhisa Ishii in 2002.

Penny’s strikeout total was the highest by a Dodgers pitcher since Chan Ho Park had 14 at Milwaukee on Aug. 29, 2000. Second-year Los Angeles manager Grady Little said the performance was the best he has seen by Penny.

“He played hardball tonight,” Little said. “Brad didn’t shy away from anyone.”

Penny also drove in two runs with a single. Dan Uggla hit his sixth homer off Rudy Seanez in the eighth for Florida’s run.

The Marlins began the week leading the NL in scoring, but they’re also on pace to set a major-league season record for strikeouts. In the past two games, they’ve fanned 26 times while totaling two runs and eight hits.

Penny came into the game with only 15 strikeouts in 381â3 innings, but he fanned seven of the first nine hitters and retired the first 11 before Miguel Cabrera beat out an infield single. Almost all of the right-hander’s pitches registered at 93 mph or faster, and many were chest-high.

“He had a really good fastball. They weren’t hitting it, so we just kept going to it,” catcher Russell Martin said.

“I don’t think I threw 10 off-speed pitches,” Penny said.

Brewers 3, Nationals 0

Milwaukee – Chris Capuano struck out a season-high nine, Geoff Jenkins hit a homer, and Milwaukee won for the eighth time in nine games.

The victory pushed the surging Brewers to 22-10, 51â2 games up on the idle Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

Astros 5, Reds 4

Cincinnati – Luke Scott broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run homer in the eighth off Todd Coffey. Craig Biggio had singled against Kyle Lohse (1-3), and Mike Stanton had walked Lance Berkman before the homer.

Padres 4, Braves 2

Atlanta – Chris Young (4-2) struck out eight in six innings, allowing two runs and two hits.

Scott Linebrink, Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman completed the three-hitter, with Hoffman getting his ninth save to finish off San Diego’s third straight victory.

Giants 9, Mets 4

San Francisco – Bengie Molina hit a disputed two-run homer in the fifth, then added a three-run drive later in the same inning.

Molina became the first Giants player to homer twice in an inning since Willie McCovey in 1977, and Rich Aurilia also hit a three-run homer in the nine-run fifth to lead San Francisco.

Barry Zito (3-3) struck out five in six innings to win for the first time in three starts.

Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 3

Phoenix – Carlos Quentin had been waiting all season to break out of his slump. The rookie hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, leading Arizona.

Batting .203 (12-for-59) at the start of the night, Quentin also doubled and scored.

Rockies 3, Cardinals 2

St. Louis – Brad Hawpe drew a full-count walk with the bases loaded in the ninth inning for the tiebreaking run.

Todd Helton homered for Colorado, which has won three of four after taking the opener of a three-game series. The Rockies were 1-5 at Busch Stadium last year.