Mets 11, Reds 7

Cincinnati – Paul Lo Duca hit a pair of three-run homers and drove in a career-high seven runs Tuesday night, powering New York to its fifth straight victory.

The NL East leaders have regained control of their division with their longest winning streak of the season. A balanced offense has led the way, piling up 46 runs in the last six games and reaching double-digits three times.

No matter who the Reds put on the mound, the Mets hit him. Hard.

Lo Duca got it started with his three-run homer in the second inning off Matt Belisle, a drive that was caught by a fan wearing a white Mets jersey in the front row behind the left-field wall.

After falling behind 5-3, the Mets sent nine batters to the plate for five runs in the sixth inning, a rally started by Carlos Beltran’s two-run homer. Shawn Green added a two-run double off reliever Bill Bray (3-2) during the comeback, and Lo Duca finished it with an RBI single.

Phillies 5, Braves 2

Atlanta – Ryan Howard hit his 37th homer, and Kyle Lohse quieted the Braves’ offense to help the Phillies end a three-game losing streak.

Nationals 4, Marlins 3

Washington – Jesus Flores’ two-run, ninth-inning double gave the Nationals a victory over the Marlins. With the Nationals trailing 3-2 in the ninth inning, Dmitri Young led off with a walk off Kevin Gregg (0-5). With one out, Wily Mo Pena singled to third, and pinch-runner Ryan Langerhans advanced to third. After Ronnie Belliard popped to first, Flores doubled to the left-field corner, scoring Langerhans and Pena.

Brewers 5, Astros 3

Milwaukee – Rookie Ryan Braun homered, and Francisco Cordero set a franchise record with his 40th save. Carlos Villanueva (7-3) pitched six solid innings in his first start as a member of the Brewers’ rotation.

Cardinals 6, Pirates 2

St. Louis – Chris Duncan hit a three-run double to back Joel Pineiro.

Dodgers 6, Cubs 2

Chicago – Brad Penny earned his 15th victory, and Matt Kemp had four hits.

Rockies 6, Giants 5

Denver – Brad Hawpe singled in the game-winning run with one out in the ninth inning to lift Colorado over the Giants for the Rockies’ third straight victory. With their fifth victory in six games, the Rockies improved to a season-high six games over .500.

Padres 9, Diamondbacks 1

Phoenix – Arizona Diamondbacks hammered Chris Young again and narrowed the gap in the NL West. Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes homered as the Diamondbacks defeated San Diego to pull within .001 of the division-leading Padres.