PITTSBURGH (AP) - Roy Oswalt held the Pirates to one run over six innings to continue his strong second half and backup catcher Brad Ausmus drove in two runs to lead the Houston Astros over Pittsburgh 6-2 on Sunday.

Miguel Tejada had three hits and drove in a run as the Astros took two of three in Pittsburgh to win a series for the first time since Hurricane Ike forced them to move an important series against the Cubs to Milwaukee the previous weekend. Houston lost six of seven after that to all but fall out of the National League wild-card race.

Oswalt (16-10) couldn’t match the three-hit shutout he pitched against the Pirates on Sept. 11, but still won his 10th in 12 games. He has lost only twice since the All-Star break and his 27-8 (.771) record in September and October is the second-best in the majors since 1900, based on a minimum of 25 decisions.

Phillies 5, Marlins 2

MIAMI - Jamie Moyer pitched six sharp innings and Philadelphia beat Florida to increase its lead in the NL East to 1½ games over New York.

The Phillies won for the ninth time in 10 games. They return home for the final week - three games against the Braves and three against Washington.

Braves 7, Mets 6

ATLANTA - Scott Schoeneweis and New York’s bullpen blew another late lead, with Atlanta rallying for four runs in the eighth inning and a win that stalled the Mets’ playoff push.

The Mets’ lead in the wild-card race was cut to 1½ games by Milwaukee, which beat Cincinnati 8-1.

Cubs 5, Cardinals 1

CHICAGO - Ryan Dempster earned his 17th victory as Chicago kept on winning a day after clinching the NL Central title, beating St. Louis.

The victory means the Cubs (94-60) need one more win to ensure home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.

Brewers 8, Reds 1

CINCINNATI - Prince Fielder homered and drove in three runs, helping Milwaukee end one of its most bizarre weeks in its history with a victory that provided little solace for the Brewers.

The Brewers won for only the fifth time in 20 games, a September self-destruct that has made them a long shot for the playoffs.

Giants 1, Dodgers 0 (11)

LOS ANGELES - Rich Aurilia hit a two-out, RBI single in the 11th inning helping San Francisco beat Los Angeles, trimming the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West to 2½ games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The loss was just the fifth in 21 games for the Dodgers. Any combination of five Los Angeles wins or losses by the Diamondbacks will give the Dodgers their first division title since 2004.

Diamondbacks 13, Rockies 4

DENVER - Chris Young drove in four runs and Arizona kept its postseason push going with a win over Colorado.

Young hit a single in the first inning, a solo homer in the second and a three-run triple over Ryan Spilborghs’ outstretched glove in the fifth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0

TORONTO - David Ortiz hit a two-run home run, Daisuke Matsuzaka remained unbeaten on the road and Boston beat Toronto to clinch at least a tie for the American League wild-card.

Boston (91-64) needs one more win or a New York loss to secure its fifth playoff berth in six seasons. New York beat Baltimore 7-3 in the final regular season game at Yankee Stadium late Sunday night.

Angels 7, Rangers 3

ARLINGTON - John Lackey gave up two hits and struck out a career-high 12 in six shutout innings, Mark Teixeira and Sean Rodriguez homered, and Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of Texas.

Lackey (12-4) walked three and allowed only two runners to reach third as the AL West champs continued their playoff tuneup.

White Sox 3, Royals 0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - John Danks and two relievers combined on a four-hitter and Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer as the AL Central-leading Chicao beat Kansas City.

The victory enabled the White Sox to remain 2½ games in front of Minnesota, which won at 4-1 at Tampa Bay. The White Sox open a three-game series Tuesday at Minnesota that will likely determine the AL Central crown.

Twins 4, Rays 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Francisco Liriano allowed one run over seven innings to lead Minnesota past Tampa Bay.

Minnesota, which got a total of just 6 1/3 innings from its starters during the first three games of the series, split the four-game set with the AL East-leading Rays, who clinched at least a wild-card spot Saturday.