The Associated Press

HOUSTON - The Astros' offense appears to be coming together. Jeff Kent had four hits and five RBIs and Geoff Blum had a go-ahead single in a four-run seventh inning as Houston beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-4 Wednesday night for its sixth straight win.

The Astros set a season high for runs, scoring in double figures for the second straight night. They also had an inning of five or more runs for the third straight game.

"I'm not going to worry too much about whether we've found ourselves," Kent said. "We're only a month into the season and we have a lot of games to go. It takes a lot for a team to put everything together. But we've gotten good pitching and that gives your offense confidence."

Lance Berkman drove in four runs for the Astros (17-16), who moved over .500 for the first time since April 23 (10-9). Berkman already has 12 RBIs in May after driving in four runs in April.

Kent went 4-for-5 and raised his average to .328 with a two-run homer in the sixth, a run-scoring single in the seventh and a two-run double in the eighth.

"Hitting is contagious," Kent said. "I think this game is based on rhythms. The pitching gets in a rhythm, and the hitting and defense does. Good things are happening for us right now."

Houston's Nos. 2-5 hitters - Morgan Ensberg/Blum, Jeff Bagwell, Kent and Berkman - combined to go 10-for-16 with 13 RBIs.

"It's infectious," Blum said. "When you come back to win a couple of games like this, you start to ease off that panic button a little bit and get a little more confidence. Things are going good right now."

But not for the Pirates, who have lost five straight.

"It's a combination of us not playing well and them playing well," Brian Giles said. "They are hot right now and everything is going there way. Things like that happen."

Pittsburgh's Salomon Torres made his third start since replacing injured Josh Fogg in the rotation April 26 and gave up four runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Pittsburgh stranded 10 runners, including eight in the first four innings.

"He started off good," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Then he started elevating the ball. You look up after five innings and you've got 10 guys left on base. We had the bases loaded twice with one out. We had opportunities to break the game open with a few key hits."

Blum's pinch-hit single put Houston ahead 5-4 in the four-run seventh. Bagwell and Kent followed with run-scoring singles off , and Berkman hit an RBI groundout against Dennys Reyes.

Blum added a two-run single in the eighth off Reyes, and Kent greeted Joe Beimel with his double. Berkman followed with a sacrifice fly.

Octavio Dotel (2-1) pitched 1 2-3 perfect innings, striking out two. Julian Tavarez (0-2) took the loss.

Dodgers 2, Mets 1

NEW YORK - Hideo Nomo (4-4) allowed one run and three hits in 7 1-3 innings as Los Angeles, last in the NL with 118 runs, won despite scoring two runs or fewer for the 14th time in 34 games.

Alex Cora had a sacrifice fly and Brian Jordan added an RBI infield single off Steve Trachsel (0-2) to lead the Dodgers to their eighth win in 12 games. The Mets have lost seven of 10.

Eric Gagne pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save.

Cubs 2, Brewers 1

CHICAGO - Shawn Estes (3-3) allowed three hits in seven innings and Damian Miller drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single as Chicago avoided getting swept in the three-game series.

Joe Borowski got three outs for his sixth save in six chances. With runners at the corners and one out in the ninth, he struck out pinch-hitter John Vander Wal and Royce Clayton.

Glendon Rusch (1-6) lost his fifth straight decision, giving up 10 hits in his first complete game this season. He had won seven straight decisions against the Cubs.

Phillies 5, Diamondbacks 2

PHOENIX - Kevin Millwood (5-1) allowed four hits in seven-plus innings to win his third straight decision, and Bobby Abreu and Tyler Houston homered.

Abreu hit a two-run homer, and Houston added a solo shot off rookie Brandon Webb (1-1) in the fourth to help the Phillies avoid a three-game sweep.

Jose Mesa got three outs for his 10th save.

Expos 12, Padres 9

MONTREAL - Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer in the 10th off Jaret Wright, Montreal's fourth game-ending homer this season.

The game drew 5,111, the smallest crowd at Olympic Stadium since last Sept. 12 against the New York Mets. San Diego has lost four straight and nine of 10.

Trailing 9-7, San Diego tied it in the ninth on Ramon Vazquez's two-run double off Rocky Biddle (3-1). Jesse Orosco (0-1) was the loser.

Giants 3, Marlins 2

MIAMI - Damian Moss became the first Giants pitcher to start 5-0 since John Burkett won his first seven decisions in 1993, allowing one run and five hits in six innings.

Tim Worrell pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings for his 10th save. Closer Robb Nen had season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday.

Florida's Josh Beckett (2-3) was pulled after one inning when he complained of discomfort in his right elbow. He is to see orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Thursday.

The Marlins lost their fifth straight, while the Giants (23-9) improved the NL's best record to 23-9.