Astros 3, Phillies 2
Humberto Quintero snapped a tie with an RBI single in the seventh and J.A. Happ tossed six-plus strong innings as the Houston Astros bested Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies with a 3-2 triumph on Wednesday.
Hunter Pence and former Phillie Michael Bourn belted solo homers and Chris Johnson and Quintero had two hits apiece for Houston (57-69), which secured its fourth win in a row and ninth in 13 games.
Happ (4-2) made his return to Citizens Bank Park after he was sent to Houston along with two prospects on July 29 for veteran hurler Roy Oswalt. The 27-year-old left-hander allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Three relievers bridged the gap to Brandon Lyon, who recorded two scoreless innings for his eighth save of the season.
Jayson Werth launched a solo homer and Placido Polanco had an RBI double for Philadelphia (70-56), which remained 2.5 games in back of NL East-leading Atlanta. The Braves squandered a nine-run lead and dropped a 12-10 decision to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon.
The Phillies also failed to gain sole possession of first in the race for the wild card as the Cincinnati Reds recorded a 12-11 triumph over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon.
Halladay (16-9) failed in his bid for his seventh consecutive victory in this one. The 33-year-old right-hander permitted three runs and six hits while striking out six in seven innings.