Pittsburgh, PA -- (Sports Network) - Jason Marquis threw seven scoreless innings and combined with two relievers on a five-hit shutout, as the Chicago Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 2-0 victory at PNC Park. Ronny Cedeno and Henry Blanco knocked in runs for the Cubs, who have won five in a row and increased their lead in the NL Central to six games over the Milwaukee Brewers, who lost Wednesday. Chicago swept Pittsburgh for the third time this year and finished 14-4 against the cellar-dwelling Pirates for the season. Marquis (9-7) allowed five hits and struck out three without walking a batter. Zach Duke (4-13) was the hard-luck loser and fell to 0-9 in 14 starts since his last victory on June 9 against Arizona. The lefty was charged with two runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in eight innings. Raul Chavez had two hits for the Pirates, who have lost seven in a row and 11 of their last 13.

Final Score: San Diego 5, Arizona 4

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Jody Gerut had three hits, including the game-winning RBI single in the eighth, as San Diego defeated Arizona, 5-4, to complete a three-game sweep of the NL West-leading Diamondbacks. Nick Hundley hit a two-run homer while Edgar Gonzalez and Chase Headley had RBI singles as part of San Diego's five-run comeback. San Diego, playing the role of spoiler, swept the D'Backs with wins against Dan Haren and NL Cy Young Award candidate Brandon Webb before besting future Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson. The Padres entered the series on a seven-game skid and hold the National League's second-worst mark at 51-82. Despite the sweep, Arizona continues to hold a three-game advantage in the NL West by virtue of the LA Dodgers' current, season-long six-game skid. The Dodgers continued their slide with a 5-4 setback to Washington Wednesday. Miguel Montero, Chris Young, and Mark Reynolds also knocked in a run each as part of a four-run sixth. The D'Backs, who have lost four straight and five of their last six, have had the bullpen register losses in three of those games.

Final Score: Florida 4, Atlanta 1

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Josh Johnson's brilliant four-hitter marked the first complete game of his career and Dan Uggla was the offensive catalyst, as the Florida Marlins defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-1, and evened their three- game series at Turner Field. Johnson (4-0) took a no-hitter into the fifth and allowed one run to go along with the four hits and eight strikeouts for the Marlins, who rebounded after blowing a ninth-inning lead in Tuesday's 10-9 series-opening loss. Uggla homered and scored three runs while Hanley Ramirez knocked in two runs in the win. Florida, which improved to 68-65, has not been able to string together consecutive wins since the end of July. The Mets defeated the Phillies on Wednesday, so the Marlins remained 5 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East. Kelly Johnson scored the lone run for the Braves, who have lost eight of their last 10 games.

Final Score: Washington 5, Los Angeles 4

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Tim Redding pitched six solid innings and Ryan Zimmerman hit his first home run since May 17, as the Washington Nationals held on for a 5-4 win over the reeling Los Angeles Dodgers, in the second installment of a three-game series from Nationals Park. Redding (9-8) allowed eight hits, including three solo home runs, while issuing one walk and zero strikeouts to get the win, while Lastings Milledge, Ronnie Belliard and Jesus Flores had an RBI each for the Nationals, who won back- to-back games for the first time since taking both games of a doubleheader August 7 against Colorado. Greg Maddux (6-11) dropped his second consecutive start since joining the Dodgers last week in a trade with the San Diego. The veteran right-hander surrendered four runs -- two earned -- on eight hits and one walk while failing to record a strikeout in 5 1/3 frames. Casey Blake, James Loney and Andre Ethier each hit a solo home run while Ethier also doubled twice in a 3-for-5 effort. Loney also doubled and finished 3-for-5 while Blake had a pair of RBI with as many hits. The Dodgers have dropped a season-high six straight games and remain three back.

Final Score: New York 6, Philadelphia 3

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Carlos Delgado hit a pair of home runs and drove in three, as the New York Mets rallied to beat Philadelphia, 6-3, and leapfrog the Phillies to retake the lead in the NL East. In the first game of the series on Tuesday, Philadelphia came back from a seven-run deficit to win in 13 innings. On Wednesday, the Mets used a four-run eighth to earn a split in the two-game set and take a half-game lead in the division. Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes each had three hits, while Brian Schneider had a key two-run single for the Mets, who have won two of three. Johan Santana labored through six innings, and didn't factor into the decision after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks. He also struck out six. Brian Stokes (1-0) took the win after throwing a scoreless seventh, while Luis Ayala picked up his second save with a perfect ninth. Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer and Jayson Werth added a solo shot for the Phillies, who had a five-game win streak snapped.

Final Score: Houston 4, Cincinnati 1

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Roy Oswalt continued his mastery of the Reds with seven strong innings to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over Cincinnati at Minute Maid Park. Oswalt (12-9) allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts for the Astros, who evened this three-game series and in the process snapped a two-game skid. Oswalt improved to an incredible 22-1 in his career against the Reds, including a 3-0 mark this season. Hunter Pence and Ty Wigginton both hit a two-run homer and Lance Berkman registered three hits with a run scored in the win. Jeff Keppinger scored the only run for the Reds, who have dropped three of their last four games.

Final Score: St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 3

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Ryan Ludwick finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, as St. Louis used a four-run eighth inning to upend Milwaukee, 5-3, and earn a split in the two-game set with the Brewers. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina each had two hits, while Aaron Miles drove in the go-ahead run for the Cardinals, who have won four of six. St. Louis also moved within 3 1/2 games of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Wild Card standings. Adam Wainwright allowed three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits in a six- inning start for the Cardinals, but didn't factor into the decision. Ryan Franklin (5-5) threw a scoreless eighth to earn the win. David Riske (1-2) took the loss for the Brewers after giving up three runs in the eighth. Starter Manny Parra was solid in six-plus innings, as he gave up one run on six hits and struck out seven for Milwaukee, whose five-game win streak ended. The Brewers also fell to six games back of the Chicago Cubs for first in the NL Central.

Final Score: San Francisco 4, Colorado 1

San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Bengie Molina and Pablo Sandoval hit back-to-back homers to give San Francisco the lead, and the Giants pulled away for a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game set. Tim Lincecum (15-3) took the win after allowing just one run on five hits and three walks in 7 2/3 frames. He also struck out 10 in winning his third consecutive start and fourth decision in a row. Dave Roberts and Omar Vizquel each had two hits for the Giants, who had lost the first two games of the series. Livan Hernandez (11-11) took the loss despite giving up only two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings for Colorado. Luis Vizcaino allowed two runs -- one earned -- in two-thirds of an inning. Chris Iannetta finished 3-for-4, while Troy Tulowitzki drove in the sole run for the Rockies, whose four-game win streak was ended.