NL roundup: Powerful Phillies pound the Pirates

PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Kendrick pitched eight impressive innings, Ryan Howard hit a grand slam and had six RBIs, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-2 on Monday night.

Jayson Werth had a three-run homer for the NL East-leading Phillies, who have won four straight and 12 of 15. The two-time defending NL champions are 24-13 despite a slew of injuries.

Pitching in a steady rain, Kendrick (2-1) allowed two runs and five hits, striking out four.

The Phillies got one of their injured stars back when Jimmy Rollins returned to the lineup after missing 29 games with a calf injury. The three-time All-Star shortstop and 2007 NL MVP had two hits and an RBI.

Pirates starter Charlie Morton (1-7) gave up six runs and six hits in four innings.

METS 3, BRAVES 2: At Atlanta, Mike Pelfrey gave the Mets a lift with 7 2/3 strong innings and New York beat the Braves to end a five-game losing streak. Pelfrey (5-1) became the first Mets starting pitcher to win a game this month. He was perhaps an unlikely choice to end the May drought as he improved to only 3-10 in 19 career starts in the month.

REDS 6, BREWERS 3: At Cincinnati, Jonny Gomes' three-run homer completed a five-run rally in the seventh inning, and the Reds made sure they'd stay in first place for yet another day by beating the Brewers. Gomes' homer off Todd Coffey (1-1) sent the Reds to their eighth victory in nine games. They moved into first place in the NL Central on Sunday — they haven't been there this deep into a season since 2006.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, MARLINS 1: At Miami, Edwin Jackson struck out a career-high 12 in eight shutout innings to lead the Diamondbacks to a victory over the Marlins. Stephen Drew, John Hester, and Conor Jackson each drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, who won for just the second time in 10 games.

CARDINALS 6, NATIONALS 2: At St. Louis, Albert Pujols had three hits and a walk and helped fuel a four-run first inning from the cleanup slot in the Cardinals' victory over the Nationals. Kyle Lohse (1-3) became the final member of the rotation to win, a day after the Cardinals fell out of the NL Central lead for the first time since July 30, 2009.

CUBS 4, ROCKIES 2 (11): At Chicago, Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, his first home run in more than a month, lifting the Cubs to victory over the Rockies. Starlin Castro opened the 11th with his third hit of the game, a single off Matt Belisle (1-1). After Derrek Lee lined out, Ramirez lined a 1-0 pitch through a stiff wind into the left-field bleachers.