Washington Nationals' starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco Wednesday. — ReutersSAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Strasburg outpitched Tim Lincecum, Danny Espinosa hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the third inning and the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 Wednesday. One hitter Strasburg (14-5) didn't have to face: All-Star game MVP Melky Cabrera, who was suspended 50 games earlier in the day for a positive testosterone test. Jayson Werth drove in three runs and Kurt Suzuki added a sacrifice fly for the NL East-leading Nationals, who won their fourth straight series and now head home for key series against divisional opponents New York and Atlanta. Strasburg struck out seven and walked four in six innings to win his third straight start, while Lincecum's latest shaky outing was over after just four innings. Brandon Crawford hit a two-run single for the Giants, who began the day in a first-place tie atop the NL West with rival Los Angeles. The Dodgers were playing a night game at Pittsburgh. Lincecum (6-13) lost his second straight start after winning three of the previous four. Marlins 9, Phillies 2: Greg Dobbs drove in Miami's first run in 31 innings then hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth off Roy Halladay to help the Marlins beat Philadelphia. Mark Buehrle (10-11) achieved the 10-win milestone on his sixth try, extending his streak reaching double digits wins to 12 straight years. The lefty allowed two runs in seven innings. Cubs 7, Astros 2: David DeJesus homered twice and tied a career best with four hits, and Justin Germano cruised through six innings to lead Chicago over Houston. Rockies 7, Brewers 6: Tyler Colvin hit a two-run double down the first base line in the ninth inning, rallying Colorado to a win over Milwaukee. Dodgers 9, Pirates 3: Clayton Kershaw won his fourth straight start and Matt Kemp drove in three runs for Los Angeles, which moved into first place in the NL West. Reds 6, Mets 1: Scott Rolen and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back home runs, and Mike Leake pitched his second complete game of the season to help Cincinnati extend its winning streak to five. Braves 6, Padres 1: Dan Uggla's three-run homer in the third inning gave Atlanta the lead and Paul Maholm threw seven strong innings. Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 2: Adam Wainwright allowed two runs over six innings and St. Louis got home runs from David Freese and Allen Craig. — Agencies
