NEW YORK (AP) -Oliver Perez pitched two-hit ball for seven innings, David Wright and Carlos Delgado homered and the New York Mets took the first game of a key series against their division rival Florida Marlins, 3-0 Friday night.
Wright followed his game-winning homer on Thursday with a two-run shot in the first off Ricky Nolasco (11-7), helping the Mets win consecutive games for the first time since taking three in a row July 23-25.
Wes Helms' double in the second and Cody Ross' two-base hit in the seventh were the Marlins' only hits off Perez (8-7), 3-0 this season against Florida.
Aaron Heilman entered in the eighth to boos but won over the crowd with a perfect inning. He then struck out two of three batters in the ninth for his first save in three chances.
Pirates 2, Phillies 0, 12 innings
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Steve Pearce broke up a scoreless game with a run-scoring double in the 12th inning, and six Pittsburgh pitchers held down potent Philadelphia.
Ryan Doumit started the 12th with a double off Phillies reliever Les Walrond (0-1). Pearce smacked a ball down the left-field line, allowing Doumit to score. A two-out, bases-loaded infield single by Freddy Sanchez gave the Pirates a 2-0 edge.
T.J. Beam (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for Pittsburgh, and Craig Hansen worked the 12th for his third save of the season and first since he was traded from Boston on July 31.
The Phillies were shut out for the second straight day and had their NL East lead shrink to one game over New York. Philadelphia has gone 23 innings without scoring.
Philadelphia's Joe Blanton and Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm controlled the game for the first seven innings.
Cubs 3, Cardinals 2, 11 innings
CHICAGO (AP) - Henry Blanco singled home the winning run with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, and Chicago stayed dominant at Wrigley Field by beating St. Louis.
Chicago improved to an NL-best 44-16 at home, matching its Wrigley victory total from last year.
