PITTSBURGH >> Lance McCullers Jr. pitched six sparkling innings for his first win since 2022, and Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes hit late home runs as the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on Tuesday night.

McCullers (1-1) won a tight duel with Pirates ace Paul Skenes, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out seven. It was his first win since Sept. 21, 2022, at Tampa Bay.

The right-hander missed the past two seasons because of injuries, then was winless in his first five starts this year after being activated from the injured list on May 4.

Skenes (4-6) was nearly as dazzling in defeat, giving up one run and three hits in eight innings. He struck out eight and walked one as the Pirates lost for the third time in four games.

Skenes’ record is two games under .500 despite a 2.05 ERA.

Cubs 8, Nationals 3 >> Michael Busch hit his ninth homer of the season, drove in three runs and finished a double shy of the cycle to help the Chicago Cubs to a 8-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Nico Hoerner singled in two runs to complete a four-run fifth inning that put Chicago up 7-3. Dansby Swanson added a pair of sacrifice flies as the Cubs won their third straight and 15th out of 19.

Right-hander Cade Horton (3-0) allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings to start Chicago’s nine-game road trip.

CJ Abrams, James Wood and Luis García Jr. drove in runs for the Nationals.

Busch tripled and singled off Trevor Williams (3-6), forced across a run on a bases-loaded walk against Andrew Chafin in the fifth, then hit a seventh-inning solo shot off Zach Brzykcy.

He flew out to left against Jackson Rutledge in the ninth to fall just short of Chicago’s second cycle this season. On March 31, Carson Kelly became the first Cubs batter to accomplish the feat since 1993.

Key moment

With the bases loaded and only one run in during the fifth, Busch fouled a 2-2 offering off his right leg and limped out of the batters box. After a visit from team medical personnel, he drew two consecutive balls off Chafin to force in a run and prolong Chicago’s big inning.

Rockies 3, Marlins 2 >> The Colorado Rockies ended a streak of 22 consecutive series losses dating to last year, beating the Miami Marlins 3-2 Tuesday night as Hunter Goodman homered for the third time in two games.

Colorado, a major league-worst 11-50, won consecutive games for just the second time this year after beating Atlanta on April 30 and San Francisco the next day. They go for a series sweep against the Marlins on Wednesday.

Goodman hit his 10th homer of the season in the eighth inning as the Rockies ended a run of 19 series losses this season. He had two homers in a 6-4 win over Miami on Monday. Goodman went 2 for 4 with his 12th double of the season. Tyler Freeman had three hits and Jordan Beck two.

Diamondbacks 8, Braves 3 >> Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll each homered twice and the Arizona Diamondbacks snapped a five-game road losing streak with an 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

Zac Gallen (4-7), who had struggled with an 8.02 ERA in his last four starts, surrendered just one earned run in seven innings. He gave up four hits, struck out four and retired the first 10 batters of the game.

Marte was 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs and two walks and Corbin Carroll was 3 for 4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Carroll now has 18 home runs on the season.

Spencer Strider (0-4) surrendered three home runs while his ERA climbed to 5.68 for the season after giving up five runs on six hits in five innings.

Marte hit his first home run 445 feet into the right field seats in the first inning. Carroll’s second home run was a three-run shot in the ninth inning that put the game out of reach.

Phillies 8, Blue Jays 3 >> Bryce Harper homered in his first at-bat following a five-game absence, Trea Turner went deep twice and the Philadelphia Phillies scored six runs in the first inning Tuesday night on the way to an 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays that ended a four-game skid.

Harper was back in action after being sidelined with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch. The Phillies went 1-4 without the slugger and fell out of first place in the NL East.

Against the Blue Jays, Harper went 1 for 3 with two walks and scored twice.

Left-hander Christopher Sánchez (5-1) allowed one run in six innings to win for the first time since May 7.

Addison Barger hit a two-run home run off Maz Lazar, and Davis Schneider hit a solo shot off Sánchez, but Toronto had its five-game winning streak halted.

Reds 4, Brewers 2 >> TJ Friedl made a leaping catch in center field for the final out to rob pinch-hitter Jake Bauers of a tying home run, and the Cincinnati Reds rallied for a 4-2 victory that snapped the Milwaukee Brewers’ eight-game winning streak Tuesday night.

Tyler Stephenson homered for Cincinnati, and pinch-hitter Gavin Lux drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Will Benson also went deep as the Reds stopped a three-game skid.

Sal Frelick homered and Christian Yelich had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games for Milwaukee.

Yankees 3, Guardians 2 >> Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a tiebreaking home run in his return from a month on the injured list, Carlos Rodón won his seventh straight decision and the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 on Tuesday night for their 11th win in 14 games.

Back from a strained right oblique that caused him to miss 28 games, Chisholm pulled a fastball into the first row of the right-center seats against Tanner Bibee (4-6) for a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning. Six pitches later, Anthony Volpe drove a sweeper into the left-field stands, giving the Yankees back-to-back homers for the fifth time.