PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Kendrick outpitched Greg Maddux last night — and Maddux probably deserves some of the credit.

A week after a 40-minute meeting with Maddux to discuss pitching, Kendrick did an impersonation of the veteran while leading the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kendrick allowed the lone run on three hits while striking out three and walking two in 5 2/3 innings, spoiling Maddux's first start in his return to the Dodgers and leaving him stuck on 353 wins, one shy of tying Roger Clemens for eighth on the career list.

Philadelphia snapped a six-game losing streak to Los Angeles and remained 2 1/2 games behind the New York Mets in the NL East.

"It was exciting," Kendrick said of his meeting with Maddux in San Diego, which was set up by teammate Jamie Moyer. "He had advice for how he deals with struggles and the mental side. It was nice the way he put things. I told him I can be afraid of contact, and he said, 'I'm afraid of contact, too.' "

In that case, the Phillies must have been a nightmare.

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Chris Coste each homered as they pounded Maddux for seven runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander, acquired Tuesday from the Padres, allowed more than nine hits only three times in 26 starts with San Diego.

"They weren't going after bad pitches and were hitting strikes. This is a good lineup," Maddux said. "I couldn't keep the ball in the park. You have to keep the ball in the ballpark no matter where you pitch. When you give up five runs on two swings, it's hard to win like that."

Howard opened the scoring against Maddux, hitting an opposite-field shot for his 34th home run and giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.

The Phillies did most of their damage in the sixth inning, when they scored four runs and knocked Maddux (6-10) out of the game. Coste capped the scoring with a three-run homer to left field as the Phillies' slumbering offense tallied its most runs this month.

Kendrick (11-7) had allowed 13 runs on 15 hits in seven innings his last two outings, including an 8-6 loss against the Dodgers on Aug. 11 in Los Angeles.

CARDINALS 18, BRAVES 3

Adam Wainwright worked six dominant innings in his first start since early June, and Albert Pujols had three hits and three RBIs for host St. Louis. Wainwright (7-3) had been out with a sprained middle finger on his right hand. He added a career-high three hits and an RBI as the Cardinals set season bests for runs and hits (26). The right-hander allowed five hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

NATIONALS 13, CUBS 5

Willie Harris hit his first career grand slam and a two-run homer, and visiting Washington overcame a four-run deficit to beat Chicago. Harris hit his slam off reliever Neal Cotts (0-2) to cap a six-run sixth inning that put the Nationals ahead 6-4. He added a two-run shot in the ninth off Chad Gaudin for his first multi-homer game in the majors.

MARLINS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4

Cody Ross hit a go-ahead solo home run after Wes Helms had a tying sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, helping visiting Florida beat Arizona. It spoiled a 13-strikeout performance by Arizona's Randy Johnson, who pitched seven innings.

GIANTS 5, PADRES 0

Tim Lincecum pitched eight innings to earn his 14th victory of the year and Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run homer as host San Francisco beat San Diego. Lincecum (14-3) gave up four hits and struck out eight to extend his major league-leading total to 200.

METS 3, ASTROS 0

Johan Santana allowed eight hits in seven innings, and Brian Schneider hit a two-run homer for host New York. Santana (12-7) won his third straight start and fifth straight decision. Aaron Heilman and Luis Ayala both pitched an inning.

BREWERS 10, PIRATES 4

Mike Cameron homered to cap a six-run seventh inning and Dave Bush tossed seven sharp innings for host Milwaukee. Bush (8-9) allowed three runs and seven hits to improve to 6-2 in his last 11 starts.

REDS 8, ROCKIES 5

Brandon Phillips homered and Aaron Harang got his first win in more than two months as visiting Cincinnati beat Colorado. Harang (4-13) scattered six hits over six innings to get his first win since beating Boston on June 13.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

YANKEES 9, ORIOLES 4

Xavier Nady singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Bobby Abreu batted 5 for 5 for visiting New York, which improved to 3-50 when trailing after seven innings. Cody Ransom hit a three-homer in the ninth off Fernando Cabrera and Nady followed with a solo shot.

INDIANS 7, RANGERS 5

Fausto Carmona pitched six strong innings and Ryan Garko had a two-run double for visiting Cleveland. Carmona (6-5) allowed one run and six hits, struck out five and walked three as the Indians won for the 11th time in 14 games.

TIGERS 4, ROYALS 3

Miguel Cabrera hit two home runs and Justin Verlander pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings as visiting Detroit sent Kansas City to its sixth straight loss. Verlander (10-13) gave up eight hits, all singles, struck out six and walked three.

RAYS 9, WHITE SOX 4

Rocco Baldelli hit his first homer in more than a year, and Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist also went deep for visiting Tampa Bay. Baldelli has been sidelined most of the past two seasons with injuries and ailments.

TWINS 9, ANGELS 0

Glen Perkins pitched eight innings, and Denard Span and Delmon Young homered for visiting Minnesota, which took over first place in the AL Central. Perkins (11-3) held Los Angeles to five hits, struck out three and walked two.

MARINERS 7, ATHLETICS 5

Rookie catcher Jeff Clement had two run-scoring doubles to help host Seattle break its seven-game losing streak. Roy Corcoran (4-0), who allowed one hit in two innings, earned the victory.

RED SOX 8, BLUE JAYS 4

Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek hit solo home runs, and Paul Byrd won for the fifth time in six starts for visiting Boston. Byrd (8-11) allowed four runs and six hits in six innings.