Lance Berkman homered for the second straight night, and Jeff Kent and Morgan Ensberg drove in three runs each to lead the Houston Astros over the slumping Florida Marlins 10-2 Wednesday in Miami.
Tim Redding allowed two unearned runs and three hits in 6 2-3 innings, improving to 3-0 in four career starts against the Marlins.
Redding (2-3) beat the Marlins twice last season and had a no-decision last week against the defending World Series champions. He has allowed six runs — only four earned — in the four starts.
Florida has lost four of five games since winning two of three at Houston.
Berkman gave the Astros an early lead with his seventh homer, a solo shot in the second. He added an RBI double in a four-run ninth against Nate Bump.
Pinch-hitter Jose Vizcaino singled to start the ninth. Craig Biggio followed with a grounder back to the mound, but Bump threw wildly into center. With runners on the corners, Adam Everett blooped an RBI single into right to make it 6-2. Biggio scored on Kent's sacrifice fly.
Berkman then had an RBI double and scored on Ensberg's double.
Houston scored three runs in the third thanks to a couple of bloop singles against Carl Pavano.
Brad Ausmus led off the inning with a double and scored on Biggio's flair to right. Everett followed with a similar shot to center. With runners on the corners, Jeff Bagwell's grounder up the middle got through to make it 3-0.
Kent followed with an RBI single. Berkman had a chance to increase the lead, but hit into an inning-ending double play.
Pavano (3-2) allowed five runs and nine hits in seven innings, striking out five.
The Marlins cut the lead in half on Hee Seop Choi's inside-the-park homer in the fourth. It came with two outs and Miguel Cabrera on first. Cabrera reached base on Everett's error.
Choi drove Redding's fastball over Biggio in center. The ball caromed off an angled part of the wall and started rolling down the warning track toward right field.
By the time Biggio picked it up, Cabrera had scored and Choi was nearing third. Choi barely beat Kent's strong relay throw home.
It was Choi's 10th homer this season. It also was the second inside-the-park home run in the majors this season. Boston's Pokey Reese had one against Kansas City on May 8.
Houston extended its lead in the sixth. Kent doubled to start the inning, moved to third on Berkman's grounder and scored on Ensberg's sacrifice fly to make it 5-2.
Ensberg had an RBI single in the eighth.
PADRES 6-7, PIRATES 3-3: Jake Peavy allowed one run in six and San Diego again took advantage of Pittsburgh's deficient defense to sweep a road doubleheader for the first time in nearly 14 years.
In the opener, Phil Nevin drove in three runs and Brian Lawrence won his fourth start in a row, a victory aided by three Pirates errors. It ended Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak.
The Padres hadn't swept a road doubleheader since Aug. 7, 1990. They hadn't swept any twinbill since beating the Mets twice in San Diego on May 14, 1998.
The Padres took a 4-0 lead in the first against former Oliver Perez (3-2), then cruised as Peavy (4-2) held Pittsburgh to a run on five hits while striking nine. Pittsburgh made two more errors in the nightcap, and none of the runs off Perez were earned.
CARDINALS 1, METS 0: At New York, Scott Rolen hit an RBI double in the eighth inning for St. Louis. Jeff Suppan, Cal Eldred and Steve Kline combined on a four-hitter. Eldred (1-0) pitched two hitless innings and Kline worked a perfect ninth for his first save.
PHILLIES 9, DODGERS 4: At Philadelphia, Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer and Marlon Byrd had three RBIs to help surging Philadelphia hand Los Angeles its sixth straight loss. Eric Milton (5-0) allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings for the Phillies, who have won nine of 12. Hideo Nomo (3-5) left in the second inning after he split the nail on his right index finger.
CUBS 4, GIANTS 3: At Chicago, Moises Alou crossed up his father's strategy and homered in the bottom of the 10th inning. With one out, Giants manager Felipe Alou pulled lefty Jason Christiansen and brought in righty Jim Brower (1-3) to face his son. But Moises hit a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
DIAMONDBACKS 6, BRAVES 4: At Atlanta, Luis Gonzalez hit his second homer of the game and Steve Finley followed with another solo shot in the 11th inning for Arizona. Arizona bounced back in the 11th off Armando Almanza (0-1) after squandering a 4-0 lead in the eighth. Brian Bruney (2-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings.
REDS 4, ROCKIES 3: At Cincinnati, Danny Graves blew a chance for a record-setting save, but D'Angelo Jimenez singled with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to rally the Reds to their fourth victory in five games. Graves relieved with a chance to set a Reds record for career saves, but blew it on his first pitch.
BREWERS 6, EXPOS 3: At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Bill Hall hit a go-ahead, three-run triple through the steady rain to help Milwaukee snap Montreal's four-game winning streak. Victor Santos (2-0) threw five innings and allowed two runs for the win.