St. Louis ? Matt Morris is back in top form just in time for the playoffs.

Morris (17-9) rebounded from two shaky starts to pitch seven strong innings and lead the St. Louis Cardinals against the Milwaukee Brewers 9-1 Thursday night.

“I was just concentrating, not trying so hard,” said Morris, who thinks he was pressing in his previous two outings. In those losses, he allowed 11 runs nine earned and 18 hits in 9 2/3 innings.

J.D. Drew homered for the third consecutive game as the NL Central champions won their fifth in a row to stay ahead of Arizona in the race for home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

St. Louis has won nine of 10 and 19 of 22. The Cardinals are an NL-best 19-5 in September.

Eli Marrero hit a two-run homer for St. Louis, which opened a five-run lead against rookie right-hander Ben Diggins (0-4) after two innings.

Edgar Renteria added a two-out, two-run double in the fifth, and pinch-hitter Wilson Delgado hit a solo homer in the eighth.

Morris gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one. The right-hander will likely start Game 1 of the playoffs next week against either Arizona or San Francisco.

St. Louis outfielder J.D. Drew is congratulated by teammates Fernando Vina, center, and Scott Rolen after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning of Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

“He’s a stallion,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “He was geared to pitch a good game.”

D’backs 4, Rockies 2

Phoenix Randy Johnson (24-5) pitched a six-hitter for his major league-leading 24th victory, and Arizona snapped a six-game losing streak.

Matt Williams tripled in three runs as the Diamondbacks (95-64) reduced their magic number to win the NL West to two.

Randy Flores (0-2), making his second major league start, allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.

Expos 4, Marlins 3

Montreal Jamey Carroll singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to lift Montreal.

Vladimir Guerrero had a single in four at-bats to remain one home run short of becoming the fourth player in major league history with 40 homers and 40 steals in the same season.

Tony Armas Jr. (12-12) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings.

Reds 1, Cubs 0

Chicago Danny Graves (7-3) became the latest pitcher to contain Sammy Sosa, scattering four hits during six innings.

Sosa, who needs two homers to become the first player to reach 50 in five seasons, went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and two groundouts.

Dodgers 6, Padres 5

Los Angeles Brian Jordan came through again, driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as Los Angeles rallied.

Jordan’s two-out infield single drove in Paul LoDuca, who singled off Brian Lawrence (12-12) and went to third on a ground-rule double by Shawn Green.