Cubs 6, Reds 0

Cincinnati – With their two biggest investments paying off Friday night, the Chicago Cubs are back in the playoffs. Alfonso Soriano hit another leadoff homer, Carlos Zambrano kept his cool, and the Cubs clinched the NL Central.

“This one was very important to me,” said Zambrano (18-13), who lost the season opener in Cincinnati. “We started the season here. Before the game, I was thinking: Here we started, and here we finish.”

Dodgers 8, Giants 3

Los Angeles – David Wells capped off his season with a victory and singled home a run.

Phillies 6, Nationals 0

Philadelphia – Cole Hamels struck out 13 in eight dominant innings, Ryan Howard hit his 45th homer, and Philadelphia beat Washington to take over sole possession of the NL East lead.

Marlins 7, Mets 4

New York – All-Star third baseman David Wright forgot he had an easy force play, Oliver Perez hit a pair of batters with the bases loaded, and New York stumbled out of the NL East lead.

Diamondbacks 4, Rockies 2

Denver – Brandon Webb and Arizona clinched a playoff spot and stopped Colorado’s 11-game winning streak. Arizona’s victory combined with the New York Mets’ loss to Florida put Arizona into the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Braves 7, Astros 2

Houston – Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run homer, and Brandon Jones added a two-run double as Atlanta beat Houston.

Padres 6, Brewers 3

Milwaukee – Khalil Greene hit a go-ahead double and drove in three runs as San Diego boosted its playoff hopes with a victory over Milwaukee that eliminated the Brewers from postseason contention.

Cardinals 6, Pirates 1

Pittsburgh – Jim Edmonds broke open a tight game with a three-run single in the eighth inning, and St. Louis defeated Pittsburgh.