The Miami Marlins secured their seventh consecutive Major League Baseball victory on Monday with a 4-0 success against the Houston Astros.
Carlos Zambrano tossed a three-hit shutout at Minute Maid Park, while Giancarlo Stanton stretched his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run homer in a one-sided National League encounter.
Bryan LaHair and Ian Stewart hit consecutive homers in the fourth inning to help the Chicago Cubs post a 5-1 win against the Atlanta Braves.
Jordany Valdespin's first major league hit - a decisive three-run home run - lifted the New York Mets to a 5-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jay Bruce smashed a long three-run homer to cap a crucial five-run fourth inning as the Cincinnati Reds toppled the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 at Miller Park.
The Los Angeles Dodgers thrashed the San Francisco Giants 9-1, AJ Ellis' RBI double breaking a tie in the sixth.
In other NL action, the St Louis Cardinals overcame the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-6, the Los Angeles Angels breezed past the Minnesota Twins 8-3 and the San Diego Padres were 3-2 winners against the Colorado Rockies.
In the American League, two homers from Will Middlebrooks helped the Boston Red Sox snap a five-game losing streak with an 11-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
The Cleveland Indians enjoyed the better of their day-night doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, taking the first game 8-6 at Progressive Field before Shelley Duncan delivered the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for a 3-2 win in the second meeting.
Brandon Snyder drove in six runs with three hits in the Texas Rangers' 14-3 trouncing of the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, and the Seattle Mariners squeezed past the Detroit Tigers 3-2.
