Lowell’s Homer Spoils It for Looper

Mike Lowell and Braden Looper shared many great moments as teammates. They had another Saturday, one that only Lowell will recall fondly.

Lowell homered against Looper, Florida’s former closer, in the 10th inning to give the Marlins a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets at Miami.

The homer, Lowell’s 14th, tied him for the major league lead and helped Florida (29-20) move a season-best nine games over .500.

Looper (0-1) was making his first appearance in his former home park since signing with the Mets in the off-season. He worked out of a jam in the ninth, but couldn’t retire Lowell in the 10th, giving up a homer that easily cleared the left-field wall.

“It’s kind of what you dream about,” said Lowell, who was Looper’s teammate for five seasons. “Those are the situations you put yourself in when you play Wiffle Ball in the backyard.”

Former Stanford star Justin Wayne (3-1), the fourth Florida pitcher, worked a perfect 10th to cap a one-hit, three-inning showing by the bullpen, which helped the East Division-leading Marlins take a two-game lead over Philadelphia.

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St. Louis 10, Houston 3 -- Albert Pujols homered twice at Houston, going four for five with three runs batted in to lead the Cardinals to their fifth win in a row. They moved into a tie with the Astros for second place in the Central Division at 26-22.

Pujols has five homers in his last seven games, giving him 14, which tied Lowell, Arizona’s Steve Finley, Colorado’s Jeromy Burnitz and Vinny Castilla, and Boston’s Manny Ramirez for the major league lead.

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Atlanta 9, Philadelphia 3 -- J.D. Drew homered and drove in three runs, and Rafael Furcal had a two-run triple to lead the Braves at Philadelphia. John Thomson (4-2) gave up three runs -- one earned -- and eight hits to win his second straight start.

Vicente Padilla (4-5) yielded four runs and five hits in five innings before leaving with an inflamed right elbow. The Phillies put the right-hander, who had won his previous four starts, on the 15-day disabled list.

Padilla’s injury is the latest setback for the Phillies, who are without closer Billy Wagner (groin) and second baseman Placido Polanco (quadriceps).

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Cincinnati 4, Montreal 1 -- Adam Dunn homered for his first hit in a week to help the Reds win at Montreal. Dunn, hitless in his first two at-bats to extend his slump to 0 for 23, led off the seventh with a drive into the right-field stands against Zach Day (3-6). It was his 12th homer and first hit since May 22.

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Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 -- Wes Obermueller had been waiting more than two weeks to return to the mound. The wait for his first extra-base hit was even longer. Obermueller (3-1), pitching for the first time since May 12, hit a three-run double to lead the Brewers at Milwaukee. It was his first extra-base hit in 35 at-bats.

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Pittsburgh 10, Chicago 7 -- At Pittsburgh, Rob Mackowiak hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and a two-run double for a career-high five RBIs to lead the Pirates. They improved to 23-22, moving above .500 this late in a season for the first time since Aug. 15, 1999 (59-58).

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San Francisco 5, Colorado 3 -- At San Francisco, Barry Bonds hit a score-tying double in the sixth inning then scored on Yorvit Torrealba’s two-run double, and the Giants won their season-high eighth in a row.