Alou belts 2 homers to lead Cubs

CHICAGO — Greg Maddux pitched a four-hitter for his 298th career win, Moises Alou hit two of Chicago's four homers and the Cubs routed the Cincinnati Reds 13-2 Thursday.

Working quickly, Maddux (9-7) pitched his second straight complete game and 105th of his career. It was the first time he pitched back-to-back complete games since July 21 and 26, 1999.

Maddux walked none and struck out six. He needed just 92 pitches in a game that took 2 hours, 15 minutes.

The only hitter to give him much trouble was Reds catcher Javier Valentin, who entered the game batting .182 but homered twice, solo shots in the third and fifth innings.

Cory Lidle (6-8) allowed 10 hits and eighth runs in 4 1-3 innings.

MARLINS 10, PHILLIES 8: At Philadelphia, Alex Gonzalez and Jeff Conine each hit three-run homers, and Mike Redmond added a solo shot to lead Florida over the Phillies. Armando Benitez bailed the Marlins out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning, helping Florida move within two games of the Phillies and Atlanta for the NL East lead.

Carl Pavano (10-4) got the win.

Down by two runs, the Phillies loaded the bases against Billy Koch in the eighth. When the count went to 3-1 on Jason Michaels, Marlins manager Jack McKeon took out Koch and brought in Benitez.

Benitez came back to strike out Michaels and got Mike Lieberthal to fly out on the first pitch. Benitez then worked the ninth for his 33rd save.

With the Phillies trailing 10-4, Chase Utley hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the sixth. He added two-out, two-run double in the seventh that made it 10-8.

Randy Wolf (4-6) failed to go deep in the game for the fifth time in his last six starts. He gave up eight hits and six earned runs in four innings.

BRAVES 2, PIRATES 1 (10): At Atlanta, Johnny Estrada drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, leading the Braves past Pittsburgh. The Braves rallied against Salomon Torres (6-4), who was pitching for the first time since serving a three-game suspension for throwing twice at Oakland's Damian Miller last month.

Eli Marrero reached on an error by shortstop Jack Wilson to open the 10th, and Marcus Giles walked. Rafael Furcal bunted perfectly down the third-base line for a hit, leaving catcher Jason Kendall with no play.

Estrada, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, followed with a long fly to left to bring in Marrero.