PHILADELPHIA — Cliff Lee tossed seven sharp innings to earn his first home win in nearly a year, and the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep against the major league-leading Washington Nationals with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.
The Nationals have lost four straight for the first time since June 15-19.
Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homer, and Laynce Nix had a solo shot to back Lee (3-7). The 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner hadn’t won at Citizens Bank Park since Sept. 5, going 0-6 in his previous 12 starts.
Lee outpitched Jordan Zimmermann (9-8) by allowing one run and seven hits, striking out five. Jeremy Horst got an out in the eighth, and Josh Lindblom got the last five outs for his first career save. Jonathan Papelbon had the day off after closing three straight games.
CARDINALS 8, REDS 2
CINCINNATI — Matt Holliday had four hits and four RBIs, Adam Wainwright won his fifth consecutive start, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Cincinnati.
Allen Craig homered and drove in three runs as St. Louis handed the Reds just their second series loss in 13 sets since the All-Star break. The Cardinals have won five of six to move within six games of the NL Central-leading Reds.
St. Louis’ 17 hits were the most allowed by Cincinnati in a game this season.
Wainwright (13-10) gave up two runs and six hits in 5 2⁄3 innings while improving to 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last seven starts overall.
Reds right-hander Homer Bailey (10-9) gave up five runs in six innings while falling to 1-3 with a 6.04 ERA in five August starts.
BRAVES 7, GIANTS 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Tim Hudson pitched seven strong innings for his seventh consecutive victory, and Paul Janish tripled home two runs to help Atlanta beat San Francisco.
Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Juan Francisco homered for the Braves, who won their second straight after losing six of seven. Martin Prado and Brian McCann also drove in runs for the NL wild-card leaders.
Hudson (13-4) gave up five hits and beat the Giants for the sixth straight time. He hasn’t lost since July 1.
Tim Lincecum (7-14) lasted five innings, allowing three runs and seven hits.
MARLINS 6, DODGERS 2
LOS ANGELES — Rob Brantly gave Miami the lead for good with his first major league home run, and the Marlins also got long balls from Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes and Carlos Lee to beat the revamped Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of an 11-game road trip.
Mark Buehrle (12-11) won his third straight start, allowing a run and six hits in 5 2⁄3 innings. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by retiring Hanley Ramirez on a popup and Andre Ethier on a grounder with the Marlins holding a 3-1 lead.
Steve Cishek retired new Dodgers slugger Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the eighth, then pitched a hitless ninth for his 11th save after Reyes and Lee homered back-to-back against rookie Shawn Tolleson in the top of the inning.
Aaron Harang (9-8) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1⁄3 innings.
BREWERS 7, PIRATES 0
PITTSBURGH — Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez homered off Erik Bedard, leading Mark Rogers and the Milwaukee Brewers over the wobbling Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bedard (7-14) lasted only 4 2⁄3 innings and leads the majors in losses.
The Pirates have lost five of six. They trail St. Louis by two games for the second NL wild-card spot, with the Cardinals coming to PNC Park for a three-game series starting tonight.
Rogers (2-1) allowed three hits in five innings, helping the Brewers win for the fifth time in six games.
PADRES 5, d’BACKS 4
PHOENIX — Edinson Volquez pitched seven effective innings, and the San Diego Padres extended their winning streak to a season-high seven games by beating Arizona.
The Padres roughed up Trevor Cahill (9-11) and had at least 10 hits for the sixth time in eight games to complete their second sweep in the desert this season.
Volquez (9-9) recovered after a shaky first inning, and San Diego’s bullpen escaped some sketchy moments of its own to win its sixth straight over Arizona.
Aaron Hill hit a two-run homer off Brad Brach in the eighth to pull Arizona within one, but Luke Gregerson escaped a jam to finish off the inning and pitched a perfect ninth for his first save since 2010.
CUBS 5, ROCKIES 0 (8)
CHICAGO — Chris Volstad ended a 24-start winless streak, allowing three hits in 6 2⁄3 strong innings as the Chicago Cubs beat Colorado in a game shortened to eight innings by rain.
Volstad (1-9), acquired from Miami for Carlos Zambrano, earned his first win since he beat Houston while pitching for the Marlins on July 10, 2011. He was 0-14 during his skid.
The major league record for consecutive winless starts is 28, shared by Jo-Jo Reyes, Matt Keough and Cliff Curtis.
Shawn Camp got his second save, completing a four-hitter.
METS 2, ASTROS 1
NEW YORK — Ike Davis hit his second homer of the day with one out in the ninth inning soon after new left fielder Lucas Duda cut a runner down at the plate, lifting the New York Mets over Houston for their first series win at home since early July.
Mets rookie Jeremy Hefner took a shutout into the ninth before giving up a tying double to Marwin Gonzalez.
Gonzalez then tried to score on Ben Francisco’s single off Bobby Parnell (3-3), and Duda, recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day, made a strong throw home.