Smoltz gets best of matchup with Maddux

Two old friends had their fun, then got down to business.

This could have been John Smoltz and Greg Maddux in the prime of their brilliant careers when they were Atlanta Braves teammates, not opponents.

Smoltz got the best of Maddux in their first head-to-head matchup since 1992, earning the win when the Braves rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to beat the visiting San Diego Padres, 3-2, last night.

Both pitchers - with 533 wins and five Cy Young Awards between them - were eager to get the best of the other after spending 11 years as teammates.

"What a special night," Smoltz said. "This one lived up to its billing, and we came out on top. That's extra icing on the cake."

Smoltz (5-1) gave up homers to Adrian Gonzalez and Geoff Blum before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the seventh with the Padres leading, 2-1. Maddux did not get a decision, having been been lifted an inning earlier. He had a single in two at-bats against Smoltz.

Kelly Johnson and Willie Harris both singled off reliever Cla Meredith, and they were driven in by Chipper Jones (double) and Andruw Jones (single) for the tieing and winning runs.

In other games:

* At Chicago, Jason Marquis retired the first 16 batters before finishing with a three-hitter and winning his fifth straight start, sending the Cubs to a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The only run came on Alfonso Soriano's leadoff homer in the first inning.

* At San Francisco, Carlos Delgado splashed a home run into McCovey Cove, only his second homer of the season, and David Wright had a two-run double in the ninth to lead the New York Mets past the Giants, 5-3. Giants centerfielder Doug Roberts homered and later announced that he expects to soon have arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

* At Milwaukee, Geoff Jenkins homered and Francisco Cordero picked up his 15th save as the Brewers completed a 9-1 homestand with a 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

* At Miami, Brett Tomko earned his first win of the season when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Marlins, 5-3. Takashi Saito picked up his 10th save, his 20th consecutive save over two seasons.

* At Cincinnati, Lance Berkman homered for the third game in a row and Woody Williams pitched his first victory for the Houston Astros, 3-2.

* At St. Louis, Adam Wainwright pitched six innings and the Cardinals scored a 9-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

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