The Associated Press

BOSTON - Brian Lawrence pitched five innings of shutout ball to help the San Diego Padres spoil Nomar Garciaparra's return to the Boston Red Sox with an 8-1 victory Wednesday night.

Neither Lawrence (8-3) nor Garciaparra remained in the game after a rain delay of two hours, 21 minutes, which came in the middle of the sixth. Only a few thousand fans stayed for the end of the game at 12:12 a.m.

Garciaparra missed the first 57 games of the season with Achilles tendinitis, but he returned to a rousing cheer from the sold-out crowd at Fenway. The All-Star waved and saluted the fans when he took his position in the first and got a standing ovation when he singled in his first at-bat of the 2004 season. He finished 1-for-2.

Cardinals 12, Cubs 4

CHICAGO - Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam, Jim Edmonds homered twice and St. Louis roughed up Mark Prior in a game that showed last year's feud between the NL Central rivals definitely is not over.

Matt Morris (6-5) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings, walking four. He also sparked the latest skirmish between the teams when he sent Derrek Lee sprawling in the dirt with a fastball near his head in the fifth inning. No punches were thrown and no one was ejected, but the game was delayed for about five minutes while umpires restored order.

Prior lasted 3 2/3 innings and matched his career high with five walks. He gave up five runs and five hits and also threw a wild pitch.

Twins 5, Mets 3

MINNEAPOLIS - Johan Santana pitched seven strong innings to snap his four-game losing streak, and Jacque Jones hit a three-run homer to lead Minnesota.

Matthew LeCroy followed Jones' homer with a solo shot for Minnesota, which has won three straight.

Astros 3, Mariners 0

SEATTLE - Wade Miller pitched Houston to its second straight shutout of Seattle, combining with three relievers.

Jeff Kent blooped a single to center in the eighth inning, extending his career-best hitting streak to 24 games and tying the Astros' record set by Tony Eusebio in 2000.

Seattle was blanked for the seventh time, most in the AL.

Phillies 13, White Sox 10

CHICAGO - Bobby Abreu homered twice and Eric Milton won his third straight start to lead Philadelphia. Abreu hit a solo home run in the first and a two-run shot in a seven-run fourth for the Phillies.

The teams combined to hit eight home runs after combing for nine in the White Sox's 14-11 win Tuesday. The 17 home runs over a two-game span set a U.S. Cellular Field record.