Mark Prior pitched six scoreless innings for his first win in more than a month Thursday as the Chicago Cubs won their fourth straight by completing a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 5-1 victory.
Derrek Lee and Corey Patterson each hit a solo home run off Jason Jennings (10-9) for the Cubs, who moved a season-high 12 games over .500 (60-48) and swept Colorado at Coors Field for the first time.
"It just goes to show you how strong our starting rotation is," said catcher Paul Bako, who had a two-run single. "We're just happy to have everybody healthy. He looked great. I think he's had great stuff since he's come back."
Prior (3-2) got his first win since beating the White Sox 7-4 on June 25, a span of six starts. Glendon Rusch pitched 2 1-3 solid innings for his first save. He allowed a two-out triple in the ninth by pinch-hitter Kit Pellow, who scored when Sammy Sosa bobbled the ball in right for an error.
"It's a tough feat to sweep them here," Chicago manager Dusty Baker said. "We got some key hits and played a great series. ... It starts at one [win] and then it goes from there. We've got to keep rolling."
Prior allowed six hits, struck out eight and walked two. He threw a season-high 108 pitches.
Dodgers 8, Pirates 3
In Los Angeles, Milton Bradley hit two home runs, including one of three straight by Los Angeles in the first inning, as Dodgers beat Pittsburgh to finish their first season sweep of any National League team since moving to the West Coast in 1958.
Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre and Jose Hernandez also homered for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who outscored the Pirates 30-16 in their six meetings.
Jeff Weaver (9-10) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, pitching the Dodgers to their 24th win in 30 games to put them a season-high 21 games over .500. They are 22-5 against Pittsburgh the last four seasons.
Rookie Sean Burnett (5-4) was charged with six runs and eight hits in four-plus innings, including four of Los Angeles' season-high five homers. Werth, Bradley and Beltre hit consecutive homers in the first.
Reds 12, Giants 3
In San Francisco, Aaron Harang pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, and Sean Casey went 4-for-5 with four RBIs in Cincinnati's victory over slumping San Francisco.
Adam Dunn's three-run homer capped the Reds' 10-run rally in the eighth inning against San Francisco's miserable bullpen. Dunn hit his third homer in two days, and Casey had a two-run single for his 1,000th career hit as Cincinnati padded its second straight victory after losing 11 of 12.
It was the Reds' biggest inning since they scored 12 times in the sixth on Aug. 7, 1998, against Milwaukee.
Harang (7-3) was outstanding in his third victory in five starts.
Kirk Rueter (6-9) couldn't get through the sixth inning.
Mets 11, Brewers 6
In Milwaukee, David Wright homered and drove in six runs, helping Victor Zambrano win his New York debut in a victory over Milwaukee.
Wright, who entered with only four career RBIs, hit a three-run homer in the first inning and a three-run double in the fourth as the Mets completed a three-game sweep. The highly touted third baseman finished one short of the team record for RBIs by a rookie, set by Jeromy Burnitz on Aug. 5, 1993, against Montreal.
The Mets sent prized pitching prospect Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay on July 30 in a trade for Zambrano (1-0), who was 9-7 with the Devil Rays and 0-3 in his last four starts.
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