Ledee Delivers Big for Streaking Phillies

Left-handed-hitting Ricky Ledee saw a left-hander warming up in New York’s bullpen and figured he wouldn’t get a chance to bat. He stayed in and delivered another key hit.

Ledee hit a tiebreaking, three-run double, and Marlon Byrd and Bobby Abreu hit solo homers that led the Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth consecutive victory, 9-6 over the Mets on Saturday night at Philadelphia.

The Phillies have won eight of nine and hold a one-game lead over the Florida Marlins in the National League wild-card race.

Ledee, starting in left field for the struggling Pat Burrell, put the Phillies ahead to stay with a two-out, bases-clearing double in the fifth.

“I though he would bring in the lefty,” Ledee said of Met Manager Art Howe. “I was looking out of the corner of my eye. I thought I wasn’t going to hit.”

In 227 at-bats, Ledee is batting .260 with 13 homers and 44 runs batted in.

The home runs by Byrd and Abreu in the sixth gave the Phillies a 9-3 lead.

Chicago 8, Milwaukee 4 -- Randall Simon hit a two-run homer and Mark Prior (15-5) struck out seven in seven innings at Milwaukee for his seventh consecutive victory.

While with Pittsburgh, Simon used a bat to hit a woman dressed as a sausage during a mascot race July 9 at Miller Park. Saturday, 330 fans in a section behind first base received an Italian sausage courtesy of Simon.

Florida 14, Montreal 4 -- At San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Marlins tagged Tomo Ohka (8-12) for nine runs in the first two innings, including five unearned in the first because of a throwing error by the right-hander.

St. Louis 13, Cincinnati 6 -- Woody Williams (15-8) won for the first time since July 26 and the host Cardinals overcame a three-run deficit.

Atlanta 9, Pittsburgh 2 -- Gary Sheffield had three hits, including his 35th homer, and Chipper Jones had a three-run double for the host Braves.

Houston 10, Padres 4 -- Morgan Ensberg drove in four runs, including a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning, and Geoff Blum hit a three-run double in the ninth for the Astros at San Diego.

Six Houston relievers allowed just one hit over seven innings.