The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Roger Clemens pitched six innings for his 324th victory and the Houston Astros made the most of three Chicago errors Saturday, hanging on to beat the Cubs 7-6.

Clemens (14-4) allowed five runs and eight hits on a cool, windy day at Wrigley Field as Houston won for the 10th time in 13 games. Staked to an early 5-0 lead, Clemens tied Don Sutton and Nolan Ryan for 12th place on the career wins list.

Brad Lidge struck out two in the eighth to stop a Chicago rally attempt and finished for his 18th save in 21 chances. With a man on first in the ninth, Michael Barrett hit a hard liner down the third-base line, and Mike Lamb made a diving catch on the line to end the game.

Houston pulled within five games of Chicago, which holds a one-game lead over San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

Dodgers 4, Mets 2

NEW YORK - Adrian Beltre went 5-for-5 with his major league-leading 42nd home run, and Los Angeles got a pair of big pinch hits.

Eric Gagne worked a perfect ninth for his 36th save in 38 chances and first since Aug. 15 at Wrigley Field. His 143rd save since 2002 broke Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley's major-league record for most in a three-year span. Eckersley had 142 from 1990-92 with Oakland.

Cardinals 6, Pirates 4

PITTSBURGH - Reggie Sanders hit a three-run homer and St. Louis matched last year's total with its 85th win.

Jim Edmonds hit his fifth homer in as many games for St. Louis, a major league-best 85-44. The Cardinals improved to 11-5 this year against the Pirates.

Braves 9, Giants 3

ATLANTA - Paul Byrd allowed one run in six innings and hit a pair of run-scoring singles off Jason Schmidt, leading Atlanta. Rafael Furcal had four hits and four RBI for the Braves, who have won six straight. They moved a season-high 22 games over .500 and are 15-1-3 in their past 19 series.

Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with an infield single, a day after hitting his 694th homer. He originally was scheduled for a day off Saturday, because he often skips day games that follow night games, but told manager Felipe Alou after Friday's 5-3 loss that he wanted to play.

Marlins 4, Rockies 3

MIAMI - Juan Encarnacion hit a two-run single in the first inning and a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth, and the Marlins extended the Rockies' losing streak to six. With Colorado leading 3-2 in the eighth, Jeff Conine singled off Steve Reed (3-4) leading off, and Encarnacion followed with his 14th homer.

Phillies 4, Brewers 3

PHILADELPHIA - Placido Polanco homered off Mike Adams with one out in the ninth inning, giving Philadelphia the win and extending Milwaukee's losing streak to 10.

Padres 5, Expos 2

MONTREAL - Jake Peavy won his sixth consecutive decision, and Phil Nevin homered and drove in three runs for San Diego. Peavy (11-3), unbeaten in nine starts since the All-Star break, held Montreal to five hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings. It was the 18th time in 20 starts he has allowed two earned runs or less.