Mets win third straight to keep lead in NL East
Carlos Delgado added a sacrifice fly, helping the NL East-leading Mets to their third consecutive victory and 11th in 15 games. They improved to a season-best 21 games over .500.
Houston starter Brandon Backe came off the disabled list and lasted four innings in his first start in more than three months. The Astros dropped their third straight and eighth in 11 games to fall a season-worst six games below .500.
A two-run homer by Lance Berkman and a solo shot by Preston Wilson off Hernandez (6-8) in the first gave Backe a 3-0 lead.
But after Delgado?s sacrifice fly in the bottom half, Backe (1-1) ran into trouble in the fourth. He issued a leadoff walk to Delgado before Cliff Floyd singled. Nady then drove a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for his 14th homer and a 4-3 New York lead.
Hernandez made it hold up, striking out eight in seven solid innings. He gave up only four hits and walked two, improving to 2-3 in his last seven outings.
El Duque followed John Maine?s four-hitter in a 7-0 victory Friday night, giving the Mets consecutive strong outings from the unsettled back end of their rotation.
Nationals 7, Cubs 3
WASHINGTON (AP) ? If, as trade rumors would have it, Alfonso Soriano and Livan Hernandez are on their way out of town, they?re still helping Washington win for now, and the pair led the Nationals to a 7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
With other clubs? scouts in town ahead of the July 31 trading deadline, Soriano hit three doubles and a triple, drove in one run and scored two, while Hernandez (7-8) threw six solid innings for his first win in nearly a month.
Soriano is hitting .467 (14-for-30) since the All-Star break.
The Nationals got key contributions from up and down the roster in earning their first two-game winning streak since taking four in a row against Tampa Bay and Florida from July 1-4.
American League
A?s 9, Tigers 5
DETROIT (AP) ? Mark Kotsay?s three-run homer in the second inning helped Oakland erase a five-run deficit, then Milton Bradley and Marco Scutaro each added homers to give the Athletics a cushion in a 9-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
The A?s, who can win their third straight series on the road Sunday, maintained their slim lead over Texas in the AL West.
Detroit lost for the first time in four games, but still has the best record in the majors and a comfortable lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
The Tigers got off to a great start with five runs in the first inning, three on Carlos Guillen?s double.
Joe Blanton (10-8) gave up five runs and nine hits over five innings. His 10th victory came in his 20th start after reaching double digits in wins on his 30th start last season, when he finished 12-12 and set an A?s rookie record with 33 starts.
Oakland went ahead 6-5 in the fifth on Mark Ellis? second sacrifice fly.