LOS ANGELES — The euphoria that filled Milwaukee's dugout after a game-tying rally in the ninth inning quickly disappeared when Andre Ethier came to bat again.

Ethier hit his second homer of the game and the Los Angeles Dodgers recovered to beat the Brewers 7-5 yesterday after Ryan Braun capped Milwaukee's comeback against Chan Ho Park with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth.

"Me and Matt Kemp were out there looking at each other when they tied it up, saying, 'What the heck's going on?' It's a big emotional swing, but you've got to jump right back on it and stay mentally tough in that situation," Ethier said. "We've had to come up big in some situations. And when they present themselves, don't back down. Go up there, tough it out, really grind out that at-bat and make the most of it."

The Dodgers also got homers from Kemp and Manny Ramirez to move into a first-place tie with Arizona in the NL West.

"We're certainly in a good place right now, with a lot of confidence," manager Joe Torre said. "We expect to win when we come out here. I mean, it's that intensity without being tense, which is where you really want to be. I like that type of attitude that we have right now."

Kemp led off the bottom of the ninth with a single against Carlos Villanueva (4-6) and Ethier followed with a drive to right field on a 1-2 pitch for his 15th homer.

Joe Beimel (4-0) relieved Park after Braun's homer and got one out for the win. Ramirez had three RBIs for the Dodgers, who have won six of seven.

Astros 3, Diamondbacks 0: Roy Oswalt (11-8) allowed one hit in eight innings and struck out 10, outpitching Randy Johnson (10-9) in host Houston's victory over Arizona. Ty Wigginton hit a three-run homer off Johnson in the first inning, sending the Astros to their ninth victory in 11 games.

Mets 4, Pirates 0: Johan Santana (11-7) pitched a three-hitter for his fifth career shutout and New York got home runs from Brian Schneider and Carlos Beltran to beat host Pittsburgh. Argenis Reyes added three hits for the Mets, who have won six straight and 10 of 13.

Cubs 9, Marlins 2: Two-run doubles by Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez and a three-run double by Reed Johnson sparked an eight-run seventh that rallied Chicago past host Florida. Ryan Dempster (14-5) allowed two runs, and struck out 10 batters in six innings for Chicago.

Reds 7, Cardinals 3: Edinson Volquez (15-5) pitched seven shutout innings and host Cincinnati ended St. Louis' four-game winning streak. Jay Bruce and Jeff Keppinger had run-scoring singles off Kyle Lohse (13-6), and Brandon Phillips hit a three-run homer in the seventh off Jaime Garcia.

Giants 3, Braves 1: Tim Lincecum (13-3) allowed three hits, one run and four walks while striking out 10 in 7 2/3 innings, and closer Brian Wilson got San Francisco out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth in a victory over host Atlanta.

Rockies 7, Nationals 2: Ian Stewart and Seth Smith hit three-run homers, Aaron Cook (15-8) allowed two runs and seven hits through five innings for his 15th victory and Colorado beat host Washington, handing the Nationals their season-high 10th straight loss.

Phillies 2, Padres 1: Cole Hamels (10-8) limited the Padres to one run on seven hits in eight innings to snap a seven-start winless skid, Pat Burrell hit a go-ahead homer and Philadelphia beat host San Diego.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Twins 11, Mariners 8: Joe Nathan left the bases loaded in the final two innings for his 33rd save as host Minnesota held off Seattle. Jason Kubel had four hits and scored four runs and Justin Morneau homered and drove in two for the Twins, who stayed tied with the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central lead.

White Sox 13, Athletics 1: Carlos Quentin hit his 34th homer and drove in four runs, Alexei Ramirez added a grand slam and Chicago won a series in Oakland for the first time in eight years. Javier Vazquez (10-10) allowed four hits in eight innings to help the White Sox win.

Blue Jays 15, Red Sox 4: Alex Rios had five hits, matching a club record with four doubles, and visiting Toronto chased Boston ace Josh Beckett in the third inning. Beckett (11-9) was roughed up for eight runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Yankees 15, Royals 6: Jason Giambi hit a grand slam, Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer and host New York battered Brian Bannister (7-12) for 10 runs to salvage a split of the 10-game season series. Mike Mussina (16-7) gave up three runs in the first but retired his last 14 batters for career win No. 266.

Indians 4, Angels 3: Jeremy Sowers (2-6) gave up two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings and host Cleveland took two of three from Los Angeles to hand them a rare series loss. It was the Angels' first series loss to an AL opponent since a three-game sweep in Tampa Bay from May 9-11.

Orioles 16, Tigers 8: Melvin Mora and Luke Scott hit two home runs apiece, leading Baltimore to a 22-hit rout of host Detroit. It was the most hits for the Orioles since they had 22 on July 22, 2006, at Tampa Bay. Baltimore's 16 runs and 12 extra-base hits were season highs.

Rays 7, Rangers 4: B.J. Upton homered and drove in three runs, Scott Kazmir (9-6) allowed two runs in six innings and Tampa Bay beat host Texas to add a game to its AL East lead. The victory gave the Rays a 4 1/2 game pad over the second-place Boston Red Sox.

NOTES

Trade: The New York Mets acquired right-handed reliever Luis Ayala from the Washington Nationals yesterday for a player to be named.

Yankees: Injured slugger Hideki Matsui (left knee) is back and is likely to be activated tomorrow, when the club begins a six-game trip at Toronto.

Tigers: Detroit placed right-handed reliever Todd Jones on the 15-day disabled list yesterday because of a sore right shoulder.

Rangers: Right-hander Vicente Padilla reported no problems with an inflamed joint in his neck following a bullpen session yesterday as is expected to start tomorrow against the Detroit Tigers.