PITTSBURGH— James McDonald and three relievers combined on a six-hitter to help the Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the Cincinnati Reds for the second straight night, 1-0 on Tuesday.

McDonald (6-4) won for the first time in five starts, pitching effectively into the seventh inning before getting bailed out of a bases-loaded jam by Joe Beimel and Chris Resop.

Joel Hanrahan worked the ninth for his 28th save as the Pirates managed to make a rare appearance in first place more than a one-day cameo. They also improved to 7-1 this season against the defending NL Central champions.

Mike Leake (8-5) yielded one run in six innings but couldn't stop the Reds (47-50) from dropping three games below .500 for the first time this season. They trail Pittsburgh by five games.

All-Star Andrew McCutchen drove in Josh Harrison with a groundout in the first inning.

McDonald allowed four hits, struck out seven and walked three in 6 1-3 innings.

METS 4, CARDINALS 2: At New York, Mets shortstop Jose Reyes made a huge impact in the field in his return from a hamstring injury, turning a difficult double play with the bases loaded in the eighth inning after making a diving stop that saved a run.

Fellow All-Star Carlos Beltran also was back in the Mets' lineup after missing three games with a high fever. He hit two doubles, singled, walked twice and scored a run for New York, all while still very congested.

Angel Pagan and Daniel Murphy hit two-run doubles, and Dillon Gee (9-3) pitched seven sharp innings in the Mets' second win in five games.

Lance Berkman hit a mammoth homer and starter Kyle Lohse (8-7) had an RBI single for St. Louis, which opened a stretch of 20 consecutive games with its third loss in four games since the All-Star break.

PADRES 4, MARLINS 0: At Miami, Tim Stauffer pitched six innings and four relievers completed a six-hitter for San Diego.

Ryan Ludwick and Orlando Hudson hit consecutive two-out RBI doubles in the first inning for the Padres, and that was all they needed. Cameron Maybin had two hits, an RBI and a run scored against his former team.

Stauffer (6-6) won for the fourth time in his past five starts and lowered his ERA to 2.83. He allowed four hits and walked two.

The Marlins, playing in their third city in as many days, looked jet-lagged as they went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Anibal Sanchez (6-3) got the loss.

Heath Bell entered with two on and two outs in the ninth and retired John Buck for his 27th save in 29 chances.

PHILLIES 4, CUBS 2: At Chicago, Michael Martinez hit a tiebreaking two-run double with two out in the ninth inning, leading the Phillies to the victory.

Starlin Castro's two-run homer off Cliff Lee in the first inning held up until Philadelphia chased Matt Garza in the eighth, and Chase Utley tied with a two-run double against Sean Marshall.

The winning rally started when Marshall (5-4) yielded a two-out single by pinch-hitter Ben Francisco. Jimmy Rollins then hit a hard smash off third baseman Aramis Ramirez's glove, putting runners on first and second, and Martinez drove them in with a bloop double down the right-field line.

Michael Stutes (4-1) pitched two innings to get the win, and Antonio Bastardo struck out the side for his seventh save in seven chances.

ASTROS 7, NATIONALS 6: At Houston, Clint Barmes homered and drove in three runs for Houston, and J.A. Happ picked up his first win in two months.

Happ (4-11) yielded five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander was 0-7 with a 6.08 ERA in 10 starts since he beat the Mets on May 14.

Michael Bourn added three RBIs for the Astros.

Michael Morse and Jerry Hairston Jr. both homered and had three hits and two RBIs for the Nationals. Jordan Zimmermann (6-8) allowed a season-high six runs and seven hits in five innings in his shortest outing of the season.

Mark Melancon hit Morse with a pitch with two outs in the ninth before walking Jayson Werth, but struck out Wilson Ramos to get his eighth save.

ROCKIES 12, BRAVES 3: At Denver, Ubaldo Jimenez brushed aside Atlanta's powerful bats along with all that trade talk, and Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez homered as the Rockies routed the Braves .

It was the first win for Colorado in six tries against the Braves this month, and for once Atlanta rookie Freddie Freeman didn't do any damage at the plate.

Freeman entered the game 10 for 19 against the Rockies after clubbing five homers and knocking in 10 runs against them. He was hitless in three at-bats against Jimenez, striking out twice.

Jimenez (6-8), who has won five of his last six decisions, allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.

BREWERS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 3: At Phoenix, Ryan Braun returned to the Milwaukee lineup and hit the second of the Brewers' three first-inning home runs in a rout of the Diamondbacks.

Corey Hart and Yuniesky Betancourt also homered in the first inning for Milwaukee, which won for the third time in four games to remain one game behind first-place Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

Betancourt added a two-run homer in the ninth for his first career two-homer game and Rickie Weeks had a solo shot in the third.

Yovani Gallardo (11-6) allowed three runs — one earned — and four hits over six innings with a walk and six strikeouts.

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Brandon Allen hit a towering home run into the second-deck luxury suites for the Diamondbacks, who have lost five of six.

GIANTS 5, DODGERS 3: At San Francisco, Brandon Belt hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning in his first game back in the majors and the Giants finally gave Madison Bumgarner some run support at home while beating the Dodgers.

Belt, called up from Triple-A Fresno earlier in the day to give slumping first baseman Aubrey Huff a rest, homered in his first at-bat. He was retired his next two trips to the plate, then lined a bases-loaded double down the left-field line off reliever Hong-Chih Kuo.

Rafael Furcal singled in two runs for the Dodgers, who led early but couldn't score over the final six innings and lost their sixth consecutive game to San Francisco.

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