Phils blank

Braves 5-0

Cole Hamels pitched his first career shutout, Ryan Howard homered and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0 on Thursday night.

Pedro Feliz and Shane Victorino also homered and drove in two runs each for the Phillies, who lead the major leagues with 59 home runs. The Florida Marlins have hit 58, but their game against Cincinnati was rained out Thursday.

Because of the postponement, the Phillies also moved within a game of the Marlins for the top spot in the NL East.

Hamels (5-3) gave up just four hits, struck out six and walked two in his first complete game of the season. Only two runners reached second base against Hamels, who has lasted at least seven innings in eight of his nine starts this season.

Feliz supplied some quick offense with a solo homer in the first, and Howard followed with a 426-foot solo shot over the center field wall in the third. The home run pushed Howard's season-high hitting streak to seven games.

Griffey pays off

debt with pennies

Ken Griffey Jr. owed Cincinnati Reds teammate Josh Fogg $1,500, and paying by check just wouldn't do.

So when Fogg arrived in the Reds clubhouse Wednesday, he found his locker filled with 150,000 pennies - 60 boxes, each weighing 16 pounds and containing $25 worth of pennies.

''Basically, it's like having 60 bowling balls in your locker, only with no holes to pick them up with,'' Griffey said.

Neither player would say why Griffey owed Fogg the money. Griffey had threatened to pay it off in pennies, but Fogg didn't believe him.

''I'm going to take them out to the bullpen and count them,'' Fogg said. ''I've got a lot of time on my hands out there.''

Duncan leads

Spurs to win

The San Antonio Spurs just won't go away. Not that Chris Paul expected them to.

''They're the defending champs,'' the New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard said Thursday after the Spurs forced a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals. ''They weren't going to lay down for us.''

The Spurs avoided elimination with a 99-80 victory, and will head back to New Orleans for Monday's decisive game.

And for the first time in these playoffs, the Hornets are facing elimination.

''The great thing about it is when Game 7 comes, we're not down by 20,'' Paul said. ''It starts all over back at zero-to-zero.''

Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Parker added 15 points in Game 6.

''I think as a team, everybody played well,'' Parker said. ''For us to win, I think Timmy needs to be aggressive and he was aggressive tonight. He played very well, passing when he had to. ... Everyone was making their shots.''

Paterno released

from hospital

Penn State coach Joe Paterno is back home after spending several hours at a hospital being treated for dehydration.

Penn State spokesman Jeff Nelson says the 81-year-old coach was released Thursday from Mount Nittany Medical Center after being taken by ambulance from his home after feeling nauseous.

He underwent tests at the hospital but was not admitted.

Paterno has had a busy schedule of late, traveling to Philadelphia last weekend and meeting with fellow Big Ten football coaches earlier this week. Spokesman Guido D'Elia says JoePa was on the phone with recruits Thursday morning before going to the hospital.