Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, right, hits a one-run single which scored Jeff Karstens during the sixth inning on Sunday. (Jeff Curry/Associated Press)
ST. LOUIS — Pedro Alvarez homered in the 19th inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates won the longest game in the majors this season, outlasting the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 Sunday.
It took six hours, seven minutes to finish. Both teams scored a run in the 17th, and each club used eight pitchers.
Alvarez hit his 23rd homer, a solo shot off Barret Browning (1-3). Andrew McCutchen added a two-run single later in the inning.
Wandy Rodriguez (8-12), who was set to start for the Pirates on Monday night at San Diego, got the win with two scoreless innings of relief.
This was the longest game by innings in the big leagues this year. At 6:07, it tied for the longest by time, matching a game between Baltimore and Boston on May 6.
Reds 5, Cubs 4
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Xavier Paul led off the ninth inning with a pinch-hit triple and Ryan Hanigan followed with a single Sunday, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Paul lined the first pitch from Shawn Camp (3-6) over first base into the right-field corner. Hanigan hit the next pitch to left-centre over the drawn-in Chicago outfield.
The NL Central-leading Reds took three out of four from the Cubs and finished a 5-2 homestand.
Aroldis Chapman (5-4) struck out two in the ninth. Brett Jackson doubled with one out, but was caught trying to steal third.
Dodgers 5, Braves 0
ATLANTA — Chad Billingsley combined with two relievers for a three-hit shutout to win his sixth straight start, rookie Luis Cruz homered for the second game in a row and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0 on Sunday.
Mark Ellis drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in the ninth.
Billingsley (10-9) gave up three hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking two. He is 6-0 since the All-Star break after losing five straight. He reached 10 wins for the sixth straight season.
Ronald Belisario and Scott Elbert each pitched a perfect inning to complete the shutout.
The Dodgers now return home to open a series Monday night against San Francisco for the NL West lead.
Diamondbacks 8, Astros 1
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros lost in their first game under interim manager Tony DeFrancesco as Aaron Hill homered twice to give the Arizona Diamondbacks an 8-1 win Sunday and a sweep.
DeFrancesco was the manager at AAA Oklahoma City before being promoted. The Astros, with the worst record in the majors, fired Brad Mills late Saturday night.
Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow said he made the move to "bring in a new environment" to the National League's youngest team. But on Sunday, things didn't seem much different as the Astros dropped their fourth straight and fell to 7-33 in their last 40 games.
Phillies 8, Brewers 0
MILWAUKEE — Kyle Kendrick pitched three-hit ball for eight innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0 Sunday after waiting out a rare rain delay at Miller Park.
The game was held up for seven minutes when showers popped up in the first inning with the retractable roof still open. It takes about 10 minutes for the roof to fully shut, and the game was delayed with the Brewers batting in the bottom half when the rain became harder. Most of the Phillies stayed on the field.
Kendrick (6-9) struck out seven and walked one. In his previous start, he threw seven impressive innings and beat Miami 1-0.
Dominic Brown drove in four runs and scored twice. Michael Martinez, who began the day hitting .130, homered off Randy Wolf (3-10).
Nationals 5, Mets 2
WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper had a home run and a triple, and Danny Espinosa homered to lift the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory against the New York Mets on Sunday.
Gio Gonzalez (16-6) pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one run and seven hits, and the Nationals won for the third time in their past four games.
Washington (75-46) has the best record in the majors and a five-game lead in the National League East over the Atlanta Braves, who lost 5-0 to the Dodgers on Sunday. The Nationals host the Braves in a three-game series starting Monday.
Tyler Clippard pitched a perfect ninth for his 27th save in 31 chances.
Jeremy Hefner (2-5) gave up five runs and eight hits as the Mets lost for the ninth time in 13 games.
Rockies 3, Marlins 2
DENVER — Jordan Pacheco homered among his three hits as the banged-up Colorado Rockies slowed down Giancarlo Stanton and beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 Sunday.
Stanton went homerless for the first time in seven games at Coors Field. On Saturday night, he became the first player in big league history to homer in his first six games in a particular park, the Marlins said in citing the Elias Sports Bureau.
Stanton drew two intentional walks and went 0 for 2 in the series finale.
Rockies outfielder Eric Young Jr. left after one inning with a strain in his left ribcage and shortstop Josh Rutledge exited in the fifth with tightness in his left thigh.
Padres 7, Giants 1
SAN DIEGO — Clayton Richard pitched eight sparkling innings, Cameron Maybin drove in three runs and the San Diego Padres snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
The Giants dropped out of first in the NL West and trail the Dodgers by a half-game heading into their big three-game series in Los Angeles. Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to face Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the opener on Monday night.
Richard (10-12) allowed an unearned run and five hits while improving to 3-1 with a 2.02 ERA in his last five starts.
