Cubs 3, Cardinals 2

St. Louis – Rich Harden worked six solid innings, and Kerry Wood got Albert Pujols to pop up with two men on for the final out in Chicago’s victory over St. Louis.

Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee and Mike Fontenot had RBIs for the Cubs, who lead Milwaukee in the NL Central by 51â2 games with 16 to play. The Cardinals remained 41â2 games behind the Brewers for the NL wild card.

Pujols drove in his 100th run with a sixth-inning double, becoming only the third player in major-league history to reach the milestone in his first eight seasons. Al Simmons did it his first 11 seasons, and Ted Williams also did it his first eight.

Phillies 6, Brewers 3

Philadelphia – Ryan Howard hit his major-league-leading 43rd homer, and Jamie Moyer pitched 52â3 effective innings for Philadelphia.

The Phillies pulled within three games of the NL East-leading Mets and the wild card-leading Brewers by roughing up Ben Sheets (13-8).

Prince Fielder hit his first homer since Aug. 13, but slumping Milwaukee lost for the eighth time in 11 games.

Astros 6, Pirates 0

Houston – Roy Oswalt threw a three-hitter for his second straight complete-game shutout and set a Houston record for consecutive scoreless innings.

Houston has won 14 of 15 to pull within three games of NL wild card-leading Milwaukee, which lost 6-3 at Philadelphia, but it’s uncertain when the Astros will play again. The first two games of their weekend series against Chicago were postponed, and Sunday’s matchup could be next, with Hurricane Ike closing in on Texas.

Braves 8, Rockies 4

Atlanta – Yunel Escobar’s three-run homer capped a five-run sixth inning for Atlanta, which completed a three-game sweep. The Rockies, who have lost five straight, fell 81â2 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.

Padres 11, Giants 3

San Diego – San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez homered twice and drove in four runs to set career highs with 31 homers and 103 RBIs.