CINCINNATI — Jon Lieber became only the second pitcher in Chicago Cubs history to give up four homers in an inning, and Joey Votto connected three times in all as the Cincinnati Reds powered their way to a 9-0 victory on Wednesday.
Votto started a four-homer second inning off Lieber (2-2), who was making his first start of the season. Adam Dunn and Paul Bako also had solo shots, and Jerry Hairston Jr.'s two-run homer completed the history-matching rally.
Brandon Phillips and Votto had back-to-back solo homers off Sean Marshall in the fifth. An inning later, Votto completed the biggest game of his two-year career with a two-run drive off Sean Gallagher, giving him seven overall for the season.
Given a chance to hit a fourth homer, Votto grounded out in the eighth against Michael Wuertz.
The seven homers were Cincinnati's most since it hit an NL-record nine at Philadelphia on Sept. 4, 1999. Votto became the 23rd Reds player to hit three in a game, the first since Aaron Boone on May 8, 2003.
Lieber joined Phil Norton as the only Cubs pitchers to allow four homers in an inning.
Edinson Volquez (5-1) struck out 10 in seven innings for the Reds and lowered his ERA to 1.04, best in the NL.
METS 12, DODGERS 1: At Los Angeles, John Maine became the first New York starter this season to pitch more than seven innings, taking a shutout into the ninth. Maine (4-2) hit a two-run single and was two outs from his third shutout and complete game in the majors when Matt Kemp hit an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 12 games.
BRAVES 5, PADRES 2: At Atlanta, pinch-hitter Greg Norton broke a seventh-inning tie with a bases-loaded single and Atlanta won its fifth straight. With the game tied 2-2, Padres starter Randy Wolf (2-2) was lifted after loading the bases in the seventh on Brian McCann's double, Matt Diaz's single and Mark Kotsay's walk. Kelly Johnson's fly ball to center drove in Diaz, and Yunel Escobar added a run-scoring single to left for a 5-2 lead. Wolf gave up eight hits and five runs with four walks and one strikeout.
PIRATES 3, GIANTS 1: At Pittsburgh, Xavier Nady hit a two-run homer to spoil Barry Zito's mostly effective return to the Giants rotation and Pittsburgh's Phil Dumatrait pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings for his first career win. Zito (0-7), roughed up in each of his first six starts, was far better after spending 10 days working out his problems in the bullpen. The left-hander worked five innings, allowing three hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts was easily his best of the season.
MARLINS 6, BREWERS 2: At Miami, Florida rookie Burke Badenhop pitched 5 2/3 innings for his first major league victory and Milwaukee lost its fifth game in a row. The Brewers' longest losing streak this season sent their record below .500 for the first time.
ASTROS 4, NATIONALS 3: At Houston, Carlos Lee drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning with a single to lift Houston to its fifth straight win. Lee's liner flew just over the head of Lastings Milledge and scored Kaz Matsui.
Matsui walked and stole second in the ninth before Joel Hanrahan (0-2) intentionally walked Lance Berkman. Jesus Colome came on in relief and Matsui advanced to third on a wild pitch before Lee's hit.
ROCKIES 4, CARDINALS 3: At Denver, Chris Iannetta tripled home two runs off Jason Isringhausen to cap a four-run eighth-inning rally for Colorado. After managing just four hits off Adam Wainwright in seven innings, the Rockies rallied against St. Louis' bullpen to win for just the fourth time in 17 games.
PHILLIES 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4: At Phoenix, Chase Utley singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth and Arizona twice blew late-inning leads.
American League
TWINS 13, WHITE SOX 1: At Chicago, Carlos Gomez became the first Twins player since Kirby Puckett 22 years ago to hit for the cycle, Livan Hernandez took a shutout into the ninth. One night after Chicago's Gavin Floyd lost a no-hitter in the ninth, Gomez homered off Mark Buehrle (1-4) on the game's third pitch. He added an RBI triple in the fifth, doubled in a run in the sixth and completed the cycle with an infield single to lead off a six-run ninth.
INDIANS 3, YANKEES 0: At New York, Cliff Lee threw seven sharp innings Wednesday night to beat Chien-Ming Wang in a matchup of unbeaten starters. Lee (6-0) became the first Indians pitcher to win his first six starts since Greg Swindell in 1988 and lowered his major league-best ERA to a microscopic 0.84.
TIGERS 10, RED SOX 9: At Detroitm Placido Polanco hit a broken-bat, tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth off Jonathan Papelbon. Matt Joyce hit a leadoff single off Papelbon in the ninth and shortstop Julio Lugo's fielding error created a jam. After Curtis Granderson's RBI groundout, Polanco blooped one over a leaping Lugo for his season-high fifth hit.
ROYALS 9, ANGELS 4: At Kansas City, Mo., David DeJesus and Alex Gordon both homered and Kansas City, the lowest-scoring team in the AL, banged out 14 hits. Zack Greinke (4-1) went seven innings for the victory as the Royals snapped the Angels' four-game winning streak.
BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 2: At Toronto, Shaun Marcum came one out away from a shutout and Scott Rolen hit a two-run homer. Rays starter Matt Garza (1-1) had to deal with baserunners in four of his first six innings, but didn't give up a run until the seventh.
ATHLETICS 6, ORIOLES 5 (10): At Oakland, Calif., Mark Ellis broke out of his offensive funk in a big way, hitting the first game-ending home run of his career with two outs in the 10th inning. Ellis connected on a 1-0 pitch from loser Lance Cormier (0-1), a solo shot that hit the left-field foul pole. Ellis ended his 0-for-17 funk with a two-out single in the singled with two outs in the sixth.
RANGERS 2, MARINERS 0: At Seattle, Vicente Padilla allowed two hits over seven innings and Milton Bradley hit his fourth home run in the sixth and scored both runs. Brandon Boggs had an run-scoring triple in the fourth.