The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles left-hander Odalis Perez held Arizona hitless through seven innings and combined with Eric Gagne on a four-hitter Saturday as the Dodgers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Shea Hillenbrand blooped a single to right field leading off the eighth, making it four times in two seasons Perez has flirted with a no-hitter and fallen short.

"I wanted it bad," he said. "But there will come a day when that's going to happen."

Perez threw a pair of one-hitters last year - giving up a seventh-inning infield single at Chicago on April 26 and a leadoff single in the sixth against Colorado on June 25. He took a perfect game into the seventh against the Mets on Aug. 17.

Hillenbrand spoiled this one, going the other way with an 0-1 pitch - Perez's 94th of the game - and dropping it into short right field.

Perez (5-7) was criticized by his teammates after complaining about the Dodgers' lack of offense following his previous start in Anaheim, so he wasn't about to get on right fielder Shawn Green for not diving for Hillenbrand's hit.

The ball was way out of Green's reach, anyway.

But the crowd of 38,957 booed Green when he came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth.

"I dive all the time, so if I had any chance I would have dove for it - especially with a no-hitter on the line," Green said. "But it was too far away."

Expos 3, Braves 2

ATLANTA - Montreal closer Rocky Biddle hit Javy Lopez with a pitch to force in the tying run, then walked Rafael Furcal with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to force in the game-winner. Furcal fell behind in the count 0-2 to Biddle (3-3), then worked it back to 3-2. After fouling off a pitch, Furcal took one high and outside to send Robert Fick home.

Rockies 9, Brewers 8

MILWAUKEE - Colorado's Todd Helton drove in four runs with a triple and a home run.

The Rockies got six solid innings from Darren Oliver (6-5), who allowed three runs on five hits for his second straight win on the road after beginning 0-5 in his first eight starts away from Coors Field.

Marlins 5, Phillies 4

PHILADELPHIA - Brad Penny pitched seven strong innings and Ivan Rodriguez homered as Florida beat Philadelphia for a second straight game. Rookie Miguel Cabrera had a single, double, and homer for the Marlins.

Pirates 4, Astros 3

PITTSBURGH - Jeff Suppan overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings in his second consecutive strong outing and also hit a run-scoring double for Pittsburgh, which overcame Houston's two-run first inning.

The Pirates scored three runs on four straight hits to start their half of the first against the Astros' Kirk Saarloos (2-1).

Cubs 6, Cardinals 5

CHICAGO - Alex Gonzalez hit an infield single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning as Chicago rallied from a five-run deficit for the first time since May 25, 2000.

Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou homered for the Cubs, who pulled within one game of the NL Central-leading Cardinals.

Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds homered for St. Louis.

Padres 5, Giants 2

SAN DIEGO - Brian Buchanan went 3-for-4 with two RBIs as San Diego beat Jason Schmidt.

The last-place Padres scored four runs on seven hits off Schmidt and beat the NL West-leading Giants for just the second time in eight games this year.

Schmidt (8-4), the likely NL starter for the All-Star game, had allowed just one earned run in throwing three straight complete games coming in, and his 2.14 ERA was the best in the majors. He did strike out nine in seven innings.

Kevin Jarvis (1-2) pitched into the eighth for his first win in more than a year. Rod Beck, the former Giants' closer, pitched the ninth for his seventh save in as many chances.