VandenHurk, Marlins repeat over Phillies

PHILADELPHIA – Rick VandenHurk overcame Ryan Howard’s early home run and the Florida Marlins once again beat the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies, 7-2, Friday night.

Cameron Maybin had four hits, scored three times and drove in a run, and Jorge Cantu drove in three runs. The Marlins have won six of the last seven against the Phillies.

Howard’s 44th homer accounted for the Phillies’ only runs. He connected in the first inning and leads the majors with 140 RBIs.

At Los Angeles, Ubaldo Jimenez struck out 10 and the streaking Colorado Rockies forced the NL West race down to the final two games with a 4-3 win over the first-place Dodgers.

With both teams already assured playoff spots, the Rockies cut the Dodgers’ division lead to one game. Colorado needs to sweep the three-game series to win the West.

The Rockies won their fifth in a row and Dodgers lost their season-worst fifth straight. Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to start Saturday for Los Angeles against Jorge De La Rosa.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer and Yorvit Torrealba had a two-run double for the Rockies.

Dodgers star Manny Ramirez struck out all four times up, matching a career high. He fanned in the seventh inning with two runners on base.

Jimenez (15-12) allowed one run and two hits, and matched a season high for strikeouts. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.51, the best by a starting pitcher in franchise history.

At Chicago, Eric Byrnes had his first multihomer game in more than two years and drove in five runs in the Diamondbacks’ 12-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Chris Young homered and had four hits, and Rusty Ryal drove in four runs for Arizona (69-91), which already is assured of finishing last in the NL West. The Diamondbacks have missed the playoffs two years in a row since sweeping the Cubs in the first round in 2007 and then losing in four games to Colorado.

Chicago had been expected to win a third consecutive NL Central title but instead is 82-77 and headed to a second-place finish behind St. Louis.         (AP)