Cubs rout Braves 15-6

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Dateline: ATLANTASammy Sosa homered and drove in four runs, Moises Alou had four hits and five RBIs and the Chicago Cubs again broke loose, routing the Atlanta Braves 15-6 Monday.

Tom Goodwin matched a career high with five hits and scored four times and Alex Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs. The Cubs finished with a season-high 21 hits.

On Sunday, the Cubs had 20 hits in a 16-2 romp over the Florida Marlins. Sosa and Gonzalez both homered in that win.

Sosa homered for the 10th time since July 1 as the Cubs won their third in a row. They ended the Braves' five-game winning streak and handed Atlanta only its second loss in 15 games.

Javy Lopez hit two home runs for the Braves. Andruw Jones and Marcus Giles also connected.

Dave Veres (1-1) got the win in relief and Shane Reynolds (7-5) took the loss.

Mets 8, Phillies 6

In Philadelphia, Aaron Heilman earned his first major league victory and John Franco picked up his first save since 2001 as New York beat Philadelphia.

Cliff Floyd, Jason Phillips and Joe McEwing homered as the Mets stopped a four-game losing streak.

Jim Thome hit his 25th homer and Bobby Abreu drove in four runs for the NL wild card-leading Phillies, who had won eight of 10.

Heilman (1-2) gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings in his fifth big league start.

Franco got the final three outs for his first save since June 19, 2001. The 42-year-old left-hander, who missed all of the 2002 season because of elbow surgery, is second on the all-time saves list behind Lee Smith with 423. Smith had 478.

Brandon Duckworth (3-4) lasted just 2 2-3 innings. All-Star reliever Mike Williams, acquired by the Phillies from Pittsburgh on Sunday, retired six of the seven batters he faced.

Marlins 4, Expos 1

In Miami, Mike Lowell drove in two runs in his return from a tumor scare and Josh Beckett pitched seven scoreless innings as Florida beat Montreal.

Lowell, who had surgery in 1999 for testicular cancer, felt soreness in his groin the last three weeks and doctors told him Friday that a golf ball-sized mass above his left femur might be a tumor.

But the following day, specialists in Gainesville, Florida, determined it was not a tumor or cancerous, and instead was fibrous dysplasia, a benign condition of the bone.

In his first at bat, Lowell singled home Juan Pierre. Lowell drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth and doubled in the eighth.

Beckett (4-4) scattered seven singles. He struck out seven and walked one. Eric Knott (0-1) was the losing pitcher.

Pirates 5, Astros 3

In Pittsburgh, Matt Stairs homered and drove in two runs as Pittsburgh jumped on Houston starter Tim Redding for five runs in the first three innings.

The Pirates, the only team to beat the Astros in their last 15 games, ended Houston's five-game winning streak. Pittsburgh has won four straight at home against the Astros since July 4.

The Astros had won 10 of 11, matching Atlanta for the NL's best pace over that span, but are 1-5 against the Pirates over those 15 games.

Josh Fogg (6-4) withstood consecutive homers by Jeff Bagwell and Jeff Kent in the sixth to win for the fourth time in his last five decisions.

Bagwell's homer was the 401st of his career and his third in two games.

Mike Lincoln pitched the ninth for his second save in as many days following the trade of former Pirates closer Mike Williams to Philadelphia.

Redding (6-9) took the loss.

Reds 11, Brewers 2

In Cincinnati, Jose Acevedo pitched seven shutout innings as a fill-in starter and Russell Branyan had a pinch-hit grand slam as Cincinnati beat Milwaukee.

The Reds ended a seven-game losing streak at home by beating the one team they've handled easily. They've won their last five against Milwaukee, going 7-3 this season against the Brewers.

Jose Guillen also homered and drove in three runs as the Reds got the better of a matchup of the National League Central's bottom two teams.

Acevedo (1-0) was given the start as the Reds shifted their rotation back to a standard five-man set. The right-hander pitched an inning in relief last Saturday after his promotion from the minors.

He held the Brewers to two hits _ a pair of doubles _ and struck out six.

Matt Kinney (6-8) gave up 12 hits and eight runs in six-plus innings.

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