Atlanta ? Greg Maddux is beginning to find his Cy Young form.

Maddux won his third straight start, and Vinny Castilla hit a two-run homer as the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-4, Tuesday night.

Maddux (9-8) went over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

“It’s about time,” he said. “There’s still a long way to go, and I’ve just got to keep it going. Getting a lot of runs, especially early, makes it a lot easier.”

Maddux, who won four straight NL Cy Young Awards from 1992 to 95, allowed two runs, five hits and no walks in seven innings. He stifled the Cubs, who had scored 31 runs in their two previous games.

Maddux lowered his ERA to 4.36 and said he wasn’t concerned about his slow start.

The Braves won for the 14th time in 16 games and stretched their NL East lead over Philadelphia to a season-high 101/2 games. The Phillies lost 7-5 to the New York Mets.

Andruw Jones, who went 2-for-4, had his sixth consecutive two-hit game and drove in two runs.

Chipper Jones was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Marcus Giles was 3-for-4 with three runs scored for the Braves.

Atlanta’s 66-33 record, tops in the majors, is also the best mark after 99 games in franchise history.

Atlanta's Chipper Jones slides safely behind Chicago catcher Paul Bako. The Braves won, 8-4, Tuesday night at Atlanta.

Marlins 9, Expos 1

Miami — Carl Pavano (7-10) pitched a four-hitter as Florida beat Montreal and dropped the Expos to .500 for the first time since April 9. Derrek Lee had four RBIs, and Luis Castillo went 4-for-4 for the Marlins.

Tomo Ohka (7-10) took a shutout into the sixth but wound up giving up five runs and eight hits in 61/3 innings.

Astros 2, Pirates 0

Pittsburgh — Jeriome Robertson shut out Pittsburgh on three hits for 71/3 innings to win his ninth straight decision, and Houston avoided being swept in Pittsburgh for the second time this month.

Morgan Ensberg hit his 19th homer, and Robertson added an RBI single as the teams split the two-game series. Houston, the NL Central leader, had lost four straight in Pittsburgh but has won six of seven and 11 of 13 overall.

Robertson (10-3) remained unbeaten since April 25, a span of 15 appearances.

Brewers 6, Reds 4

Cincinnati — Bill Hall drove in runs with a triple and a double in his first start of the season, and Milwaukee held on for a victory. The NL Central’s lowliest teams split their two-game series. The Reds hit two batters — one with the bases loaded — and the majors’ worst defense committed two more errors, setting up an unearned Milwaukee run.

Mets 7, Phillies 5

Philadelphia — Ty Wigginton, Jason Phillips and Roger Cedeno each had two RBIs, leading New York over Philadelphia. Steve Trachsel (9-6) gave up four runs — three earned — and six hits in 51/3 innings.

Giants 3, D’backs 1

San Francisco — Damian Moss pitched seven strong innings, and San Francisco beat Arizona ace Curt Schilling for the second time in 10 days to win their sixth straight. The Giants increased their NL West lead to nine games over the second-place Diamondbacks.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 2

Los Angeles — Paul Lo Duca and Shawn Green had three hits each, and Los Angeles beat Colorado.

Hideo Nomo (11-8) won for the fifth time in seven decisions. Eric Gagne pitched the ninth for his 34th save this season and 42nd straight overall.

Padres 3, Cardinals 2

San Diego — Oliver Perez pitched seven solid innings and Rondell White drove in two runs for San Diego. The Cardinals fell four games behind first-place Houston in the NL Central. They also got bad news before the game when they learned right-hander Matt Morris has a fractured right index finger. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list.