Hamels stifles Reds, 4-3

CINCINNATI (AP) " Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hit a solo homer, and left-hander Cole Hamels stayed unbeaten against the Cincinnati Reds with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night, the Phillies' fifth in a row.

The NL East leaders matched their best winning streak of the season with a solid performance by Hamels (2-2), who allowed five hits in six innings, including solo homers by Jay Bruce and Jerry Hairston Jr.

Hamels improved to 4-0 in five career starts against Cincinnati, allowing five earned runs in 36 innings. Brad Lidge escaped a threat in the ninth for his eighth save.

Howard's ninth homer off Johnny Cueto (4-2) helped the Phillies end his streak of four straight wins. Slumping Jimmy Rollins doubled home a run, and Pedro Feliz had two hits.

Diamondbacks 5, Marlins 3

MIAMI (AP) " Mark Reynolds homered leading off a five-run seventh and Jon Garland pitched six strong innings to help lift the Diamondbacks past the Marlins.

It was Arizona's second straight win after dropping seven of eight.

Hanley Ramirez homered for Florida, which has lost seven of eight and 13 of 17.

Garland (4-2) allowed two runs " one earned " and seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Chad Qualls pitched the ninth to earn his ninth save in 10 opportunities.

Marlins starter Josh Johnson (3-1) had retired 11 in a row when he began the seventh. Reynolds then hit the third pitch to left-center for his ninth homer to pull Arizona within 2-1.

Braves 8, Rockies 1

ATLANTA (AP) " Jair Jurrjens pitched seven strong innings and Casey Kotchman had three hits and three RBIs to help the Braves beat the Rockies.

Jurrjens (4-2) lowered his ERA to 1.96 by scattering three hits and allowing one run in seven innings. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight and walked three.

The Braves had scored just four runs in their previous three games, but they improved to 7-11 at Turner Field. They began the night with a .353 home winning percentage that was second-worst in the majors.

One of the few highlights for Colorado, which has lost five of seven, was Todd Helton's 2,000 career hit. The Rockies' first baseman singled in third to become the 255th player to reach the milestone. Cardinals 3, Cubs 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) " Joel Pineiro threw a three-hitter for his first shutout in six seasons and first complete game since 2006 as the Cardinals snapped a three-game slide with a victory over the Cubs.

Colby Rasmus hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning for the Cardinals, who rebounded after getting swept in a three-game series by the Brewers. St. Louis has won only three of 10 overall, but expects to get pitcher Chris Carpenter and outfielder Rick Ankiel back for Wednesday's game. Pirates 8, Nationals 5, 10 innings

WASHINGTON (AP) " Adam LaRoche had a two-run double in the 10th inning, and the Pirates won their season-high fourth straight, beating the Nationals, who lost their sixth in a row.

Both streaks feature plenty of offense.

The Pirates are averaging 9.5 runs in their last four games, including 11 against Colorado on Sunday and 12 against the Nationals on Monday.

Washington became the fourth team in major league history to score at least five runs in a six-game losing streak, according to STATS, LLC.

The Nationals rallied to tie the game with a run in the ninth, but another letdown from a bullpen with a collective 1-14 record allowed them to join the 1929 Pirates, 2004 Cincinnati Reds and 2005 Texas Rangers with such a streak.

Brewers 4, Astros 2

HOUSTON (AP) " Dave Bush pitched six solid innings to remain unbeaten and Trevor Hoffman earned his 10th save, leading the Brewers over the Astros for their seventh straight win.

J.J. Hardy drove in two runs for Milwaukee and Prince Fielder had an RBI and two runs scored. Bush (3-0) allowed two runs and seven hits for the NL Central leaders, who have won 13 of 15.

Hoffman set down the Astros in order in the ninth to improve to 10-for-10 on save chances with his new team.

Kaz Matsui stole home while Houston teammate Michael Bourn was in a rundown, and relief pitcher Russ Ortiz hit an unlikely homer for the Astros.

Padres 2, Giants 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) " Barry Zito's first complete game since 2003 was spoiled by home runs by Scott Hairston and Nick Hundley, which carried the Padres to a win over the Giants.

The Padres won their fourth straight game. Randy Winn had three hits for the Giants, who lost for the fifth time in six games and dropped to .500.

Zito (1-4) pitched his 10th career complete game and first since Aug. 7, 2003, with Oakland at Detroit. The left-hander, who was the 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner, outlasted San Diego's Chris Young, but the early homers did him in. Zito held San Diego to five hits while walking four and striking out three. Dodgers 5, Mets 3

LOS ANGELES (AP) " Casey Blake hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off John Maine in the sixth inning and the Dodgers scored earlier with the help of another Mets error.

Chad Billingsley (6-1) struck out seven in 6 1-3 innings for the win, helping the NL West champions improve their major league-leading record to 28-13 and extend their division lead over San Francisco to 7 1/2 games.

Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson bruised his left shoulder diving for a bloop single by Jose Reyes in the seventh and had to leave the game.