Pinch hit in 10th carries Braves to another win

Kelly Johnson hits a late two-run homer to give Atlanta a win and back-to-back extra-inning victories over the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 2-1 win and back-to-back extra-inning victories over the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Johnson, who came into the game in the eighth as a pinch hitter, drove a Guillermo Mota pitch a couple of rows behind the short fence in the right-field corner. In Philadelphia, the Florida Marlins edged closer to divisional rival Philadelphia Phillies with a 6-4 win. Cody Ross hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning as Florida moved within five games of the NL East-leading Phillies.

The Colorado Rockies' run of 15 straight wins over National League Central teams was ended by the Chicago Cubs. Kosuke Fukudome and Derrek Lee homered for the Cubs who won 6-5 and remained a game behind St Louis in the NL Central. In Houston, Prince Fielder and Mike Rivera drove in three runs apiece as the Milwaukee Brewers thrashed the Houston Astros 12-5. Fielder hit his 27th home run of the season as the Brewers finished with 14 hits. The Astros' bullpen gave up nine runs as the Brewers reached their highest run total since mid-June.

Bengie Molina homered among his three hits and drove in three runs as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnatti Reds 4-2. The Giants' pitcher Barry Zito gave up only three hits over six innings. Zito, who has struggled to justify his huge salary in San Francisco, won a third straight decision for the first time in more than two years. In Pittsburgh, Albert Pujols hit a three-run double to reach the 100 RBIs mark for the ninth consecutive season, helping the St Louis Cardinals see off the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3.

* Reuters