The 26-year-old lefthander returned to the rotation after a nearly 3-week demotion to the bullpen - and he only got the call because 303-game winner Randy Johnson went on the disabled list earlier this week with a shoulder injury. Sanchez, who had a five-start winless stretch in which he went 0-4, carried a perfect game into the eighth inning before third baseman Juan Uribe booted a routine grounder by Chase Headley for an error. He improved to 3-8.

In other games:

* At Houston, Geoff Blum's ninth-inning RBI single lifted the Astros over the Washington Nationals, 6-5. Houston righthander Roy Oswalt left the game in the seventh inning with numbness in two fingers of his pitching hand.

* At New York, Bronson Arroyo threw a four-hitter for his second career shutout, Joey Votto and Laynce Nix homered off Fernando Nieve, and the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Mets, 3-0.

* At Milwaukee, Matt Kemp's three-run homer in the 10th inning helped lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Brewers, 12-8.

* At Phoenix, All-Star Dan Haren (9-5) threw his second career shutout, Felipe Lopez hit a three-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the Florida Marlins, 8-0.

* At Chicago, Albert Pujols hit his 32nd homer, Ryan Ludwick drove in four runs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cubs, 8-3.

Noteworthy

The rare deal between NL East rivals came with both teams below .500. The Mets are desperate for a spark with stars Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado on the disabled list and also are looking toward 2010, preferring Francoeur's righthanded bat and strong throwing arm in right at spacious Citi Field.

Church is hitting .280 with two home runs and 22 RBI. A solid rightfielder with a good arm, he got off to a terrific start last year in his first season with the Mets before he was slowed by a second concussion. Church collided with teammate Marlon Anderson during spring training, then was accidentally kneed in the head by Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar while trying to break up a game-ending doubleplay at Atlanta on May 20.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel never seemed to warm up to him, and seemed particularly peeved after Church missed third base while running home earlier this season in a game New York eventually lost. The 30-year-old is in his sixth major league season and is a career .273 hitter.

An Atlanta native, Francoeur is hitting .250 with five homers and 35 RBI. He was a favorite with Braves fans and management during his first full season in 2006, when he hit 29 home runs with 103 RBI while playing all 162 games.

Francoeur hit .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBI in 2007, when he won a Gold Glove, but slumped badly last year and was demoted to Double A Mississippi for three games last July, a move that he found embarrassing. He was benched for three games last weekend by Atlanta manager Bobby Cox.

* Searchers in southwest Texas recovered the body of former Chicago Cubs reliever Jessie Hollins, 39, who apparently drowned while fishing below Lake Livingston Dam on Thursday.

* As soon as the Cubs find a replacement, catcher Geovany Soto will go on the disabled list with a strained muscle in his left side, and he could miss up to a month. *