Mike Hampton asked himself many a time in recent years: "Am I being told something? Is it time to go, to pack it up?"

Not just yet.

Hampton earned his first victory in nearly three years and hit an RBI double, leading the Atlanta Braves past the host San Francisco Giants, 11-4, last night.

The 35-year-old Hampton felt great about this outing. He was the closest to his old self he can remember in a long time. He hadn't won since Aug. 14, 2005, for the Braves against Arizona — 1,087 days earlier — and wondered if he would ever get another 'W' by his name.

"There's always been some doubt with all the things I've been through, all the health issues," Hampton said. "I just kept pushing to get to this point I'm at today. One thing I've learned through this whole process is don't take anything for granted — cherish every single one of them."

And this was just his third start of 2008 after he returned July 26 following a nearly three-year absence in which the two-time All-Star underwent two major surgeries on his left elbow.

This season, he was sidelined by both a strained chest muscle and an injured groin.

"He was the bulldog Hampton tonight," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He had the super-duper sinker going. He was just outstanding. Hopefully he's not too sore tomorrow. It's been a long time since he's done this. The bulldog was on the attack, getting ahead of hitters. It's big for the team to get Mike a win."

Hampton (1-0) allowed four hits and two runs in seven innings and improved to 14-4 in 25 career appearances against the Giants with his first win over them since May 11, 2003, which also was his last start versus San Francisco. He lowered his ERA from 10.00 to 6.75.

Hampton drove in his third run of the year during a stretch of three straight two-out doubles off Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez (8-8) in the fifth. Brian McCann led off the inning with a single and scored when Martin Prado grounded into a double play two batters later. Kelly Johnson doubled, Hampton followed with his second hit of 2008 and Yunel Escobar doubled Hampton home moments later.

MARLINS 8, PHILLIES 2: Josh Johnson pitched six scoreless innings, Jeremy Hermida drove in four runs and visiting Florida beat Philadelphia in a matchup of the two top teams in the NL East. The Marlins, who have by far the smallest payroll in the majors, closed within 1 1/2 games of first-place Philadelphia. The New York Mets are two games behind.

Philadelphia's Shane Victorino of Maui hit a two-out, two-run homer off Renyel Pinto in the seventh.

Brewers 8, Reds 1: Prince Fielder made amends by apologizing, then hit a two-run homer that helped Milwaukee beat host Cincinnati and quickly move beyond their ugly altercation in the dugout. The Brewers were on their best behavior a day after Fielder shoved pitcher Manny Parra in the dugout during a series-opening loss. Fielder apologized before the game yesterday, then helped Milwaukee's uptight offense relax by hitting his sixth homer in his last nine games.

Cubs 11, Astros 7: Alfonso Soriano hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning and the host Cubs rallied after blowing a five-run lead. Soriano's 20th homer highlighted a five-run burst and sent the NL Central-leading Cubs to their eighth win in 10 games. The Cubs also welcomed back Kerry Wood. The All-Star closer pitched a scoreless eighth after missing three weeks with a blister on his right index finger.

Diamondbacks 3, Pirates 1: Brandon Webb became the first 16-game winner in the majors, tossing a nine-hitter for his third complete game for host Arizona. Webb (16-4) carried a shutout into the ninth but surrendered a leadoff double to Freddie Sanchez and an RBI single to Doug Mientkiewicz. Webb had his signature sinker working most of the night, getting 21 outs on grounders in his third straight win. He struck out four and walked none in his 15th career complete game.

Cardinals 6, Dodgers 4: Ryan Ludwick hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning off Jason Johnson, a starter called into duty, to give St. Louis a win over visiting Los Angeles. Adam Kennedy singled to start the inning and Ludwick hit a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall with one out for his third career game-winning homer.

Rockies 8, Nationals 2: Brad Hawpe's bases-loaded, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth sparked a six-run rally and host Colorado rallied to beat Washington.

Mets 6, Padres 5: Fernando Tatis homered twice and drove in four runs to close out visiting San Diego.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RED SOX 8, ROYALS 2: Jason Bay had four hits and two RBIs, and Josh Beckett held the host Royals to four hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings to help Boston beat Kansas City. Beckett struck out seven and walked two. The Red Sox remained three games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Rangers 8, Yankees 6: Josh Hamilton hit his 27th homer, rookie Matt Harrison pitched into the seventh inning and Texas hung on to beat visiting New York. The Yankees lost their second straight to the Rangers, have dropped seven of 10 and fell 6 1/2 games behind AL-East leading Tampa Bay.

White Sox 10, Tigers 8: Nick Swisher hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 14th inning and the White Sox rallied for four runs off Joel Zumaya to beat visiting Detroit.

Rays 8, Indians 4: Evan Longoria, Dioner Navarro and Cliff Floyd homered to help the host Rays get the win. Longoria's two-run drive in Tampa Bay's four-run seventh was his 22nd of the season, setting a team record for a rookie.

Orioles 3, Angels 0: Chris Waters held the team with baseball's best record to one hit over eight innings in his major league debut, and visiting Baltimore beat Los Angeles. All-Star closer George Sherrill earned his 31st save in 37 chances, allowing a leadoff single in the ninth by Erick Aybar.

Mariners 8, Twins 7: Raul Ibanez drove in five more runs and the host Mariners rallied in the bottom of the eighth off Twins closer Joe Nathan, dropping Minnesota out of first in the AL Central.

Blue Jays 4, Athletics 3: Kevin Mench singled in the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning and the host Blue Jays extended the Athletics' season-long losing streak to eight games.