MLB roundup: Philadelphia sweeps Atlanta

ATLANTA — Ryan Howard drove in two runs in the ninth inning with his third double of the game and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Howard finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

The game was tied at 3 through eight innings, but the Phillies bullied Blaine Boyer (1-4) for four hits and three runs in the ninth, including a single by Shane Victorino that drove in the go-ahead run.

The Phillies boosted their road record to 18-13, best in the National League, and have won 15 of 19 overall.

Philadelphia also improved to 5-1 against the Braves and became the first visiting team to sweep a three-game series in Atlanta this season.

The Braves played without Chipper Jones, who said he has a small tear of his right quadriceps. He also could miss one or two games at the Chicago Cubs this week.

Chad Durbin (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win and Brad Lidge earned his 17th save with a perfect ninth.

MARLINS 9, REDS 2: At Miami, Hanley Ramirez homered twice and Ryan Tucker pitched five effective innings to win his major league debut, leading Florida past Cincinnati. Ken Griffey Jr. remained one home run shy of becoming the sixth player to reach 600.

PADRES 8, METS 6: At San Diego, pinch-hitter Tony Clark connected for a go-ahead, three-run homer off Billy Wagner with two outs in the eighth inning to give San Diego a four-game sweep of New York. The victory gave San Diego its first four-game sweep of New York since August 2004.

CARDINALS 5, ASTROS 4: At Houston, Brendan Ryan hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to cap a St. Louis comeback fueled by two Houston errors. Kyle Lohse (7-2) gave up a three-run homer to Lance Berkman, but otherwise pitched six strong innings to beat the Astros for the third time this season.

PIRATES 6, DIAMONDBACKS 4: At Pittsburgh, Jason Bay's two-run double completed Pittsburgh's five-run fourth inning and the Pirates shook off Mark Reynolds' two home runs to beat Arizona.

GIANTS 6, NATIONALS 3: At Washington, Barry Zito earned his second win of the season and Ray Durham finished with four hits, leading San Francisco past Washington. Aaron Rowand's bad-hop single gave San Francisco the go-ahead run and capped a four-run fifth inning.