Bodog Beat

A marathon contest in Atlanta ended on Brandon Phillips' single in the 15th. (AP Images)

Brandon Phillips' two-run single off rookie Jose Ascanio in the 15th inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 victory over the Braves on Wednesday and their first three-game sweep in Atlanta since April 1990.

Phillips' hit drove in Norris Hopper and Ken Griffey Jr. and helped the Reds improve to 8-3 in their last 11 games. Hopper reached on second baseman Kelly Johnson's error to lead off the inning and Griffey singled to right with one out.

"I was just trying to hit the ball up the middle," said Phillips, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning then took his usual spot at second base. "He left one hanging, and I was lucky enough to hit it up the middle."

Ascanio (0-1), the seventh Atlanta pitcher, gave up two hits and two unearned runs in two innings. The Braves have lost three straight.

Griffey became the 84th player in history with 2,500 hits when he singled in the first.

The Reds were a solid bet again as +153 underdogs on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $100 would net a $153 profit).

In other early National League action:

Chicago Cubs 12, San Francisco 1: Carlos Zambrano pitched five shutout innings to become the NL's first 12-game winner, Koyie Hill drove in a career-high five runs on a pair of doubles, and the surging Cubs throttled the Giants at Wrigley Field. "I will try to win 20 games. After 16, after 17, it's good for a pitcher," Zambrano (12-7) said. "I just want to help this team to go to the playoffs." Slugger Barry Bonds was held out of San Francisco's starting lineup for the third consecutive day to rest his sore legs. Chicago was a -167 favorite.

Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Philadelphia 4: Andre Ethier hit a three-run homer and Luis Gonzalez added a tiebreaking solo shot in the sixth inning to help the Dodgers at home, where they were favored at -136. The NL West-leading Dodgers have won five of six since the All-Star break.

St. Louis 6, Florida 0: Kip Wells allowed two hits in eight innings, Juan Encarnacion drove in three runs and the Cardinals won in Miami as +142 underdogs. Wells (4-12) struck out four and walked two to win for the first time since he threw two shutout innings in relief against Kansas City on May 23. It was his first win in a start since he beat Pittsburgh on May 23.

Colorado 5, Pittsburgh 3: Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton each hit two-run homers as the visiting Rockies sent the Pirates to their sixth straight loss. Jeff Francis (10-5) won his fifth decision in a row and Colorado paid +102.

Washington 7, Houston 6: Ryan Langerhans hit a three-run homer, Jason Bergmann (2-5) won for the first time in more than two months, and the host Nationals claimed a victory as +108 underdogs.

For complete MLB odds for Thursday, visit the Bodog Sportsbook.