The Associated Press

HOUSTON - Two weeks away from Wrigley Field without slugger Sammy Sosa would have crushed the Chicago Cubs in the past.

These aren't the same Cubs. .

Moises Alou hit three RBI singles and Carlos Zambrano pitched 6 1/3 strong innings as Chicago finished off a long road trip with a 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

The NL Central-leading Cubs took two of three in Houston to go 8-5 on the trip despite missing Sosa, who is on the disabled list with an injured right toe.

"I'm just glad it's over," manager Dusty Baker said. "I knew this would be a tough stretch but we played hard and we played well."

The Cubs won eight games on a trip for the first time since going 8-2 in 1993.

"I think we all did a good job of stepping up and proving that even without Sammy we are a good team," reliever Mike Remlinger said.

The Cubs begin a home series with Pittsburgh today.

Dodgers 5, Brewers 1

MILWAUKEE - Kevin Brown took a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning, and Fred McGriff and Paul Lo Duca homered as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to 10 games. "It was not a nice day to be a Milwaukee Brewer hitter," Los Angeles manager Jim Tracy said.

Brown (6-1) struck out eight and walked one in winning his fifth consecutive decision over seven starts since April 18.

Pirates 8, Cardinals 7

PITTSBURGH - Aramis Ramirez drove in three runs and St. Louis' usually flawless defense committed a costly error that led to a four-run Pirates' sixth inning. Kenny Lofton doubled in an insurance run in the seventh, running his hitting streak to 23 games - the Pirates' longest since Al Oliver's 23-game run in 1974.

Rockies 5, Giants 1

DENVER - Darren Oliver pitched six scoreless innings and hit an RBI double to win for the first time in nearly a month. Greg Norton hit a two-run double in the seventh inning for Colorado, which won for just the third time in nine games. San Francisco, playing without Barry Bonds for the second straight game, has lost 10 of 15.

Expos 5, Phillies 3

MONTREAL - Brian Schneider hit a three-run homer and Javier Vazquez pitched seven strong innings to lead the Expos in their last game at Olympic Stadium until June 20. A photo day promotion crowd of 17,023 roared its approval when Schneider hit his fifth homer with two out in the seventh off reliever Dan Plesac to break a 2-2 tie.

Braves 3, Mets 1

ATLANTA - Marcus Giles hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth and Greg Maddux pitched seven scoreless innings for Atlanta. John Smoltz pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 20 attempts. Smoltz, who hadn't pitched since last Sunday, extended his major league record for pitching in consecutive team victories to 72.

Diamondbacks 9, Padres 5

PHOENIX - Mark Grace hit a two-run homer and Elmer Dessens became the first Arizona starter with four wins. David Dellucci also drove in two runs for the Diamondbacks, who sent San Diego to its 10th loss in 11 games.