CINCINNATI - The only people who expected such a finish were those five Reds fans who brought brooms.
They waved their brooms in the outfield stands Monday night after Ken Griffey hit his 491st homer and Austin Kearns hit a three-run homer in the eighth for a 7-5 victory and a four-game sweep of the Astros.
Kearns' tiebreaking homer off Brad Lidge pushed Cincinnati a half-game ahead of the Cubs atop the Central.
A club that lost 93 games and traded away stars last season now has the league's best record, having swept a team counted among the league's best.
"Those guys are as good as it gets," Kearns said, with shaving cream smeared in his hat and shirt after an impromptu celebration. "Just to win the series would have been sweet. To sweep is great. I can't say enough."
Cincinnati has won six in a row - its best spurt since 2002 - to grab sole possession of first place for the first time since April 15. The Reds have won nine of 10.
The Astros hadn't been swept in a four-game series since June 24-27, 1999, when the Reds did it in the Astrodome. Houston has lost a season-high five in a row.
Griffey, 34, hit his second homer in two games, which tied him with Tampa's Fred McGriff for 21st place on the career list. McGriff, 40, is currently playing for the Rays' Triple-A Durham club and is expected to be brought up to the majors by the end of the month.
Sean Casey also homered for the second straight game and had a pair of hits, raising the NL's top batting average to .386.
BRAVES 5, EXPOS 0: Andruw Jones homered twice and John Thomson pitched visiting Atlanta over punchless Montreal.
J.D. Drew also connected for the Braves, who have won four of five to move within one game of .500. Thomson scattered eight hits through seven innings and struck out three.
"We're just trying to get back on a roll," Jones said.
Playing before only 4,675, Montreal lost its fifth straight. The Expos, an NL-worst 14-30, have been shut out eight times in 44 games.
MARLINS 13, D'BACKS 5: Juan Pierre drove in four, and Ramon Castro broke out of a seasonlong slump with three RBIs for host Florida.
The victory was Jack McKeon's 100th as Marlins manager and it pulled Florida into a tie with Philadelphia atop the East.
"We love to see a few breathers once in a while," McKeon said.
Jeff Conine homered and Carl Pavano earned the win for the Marlins, who took three of four from Arizona. Steve Finley hit his major-league-leading 14th homer for Arizona.
JAYS 6, ANGELS 5 (10): Chris Gomez scored the winning run for host Toronto when nobody covered the plate during a rundown.
With Gomez on second and Eric Hinske on first, Simon Pond hit a grounder to first baseman Casey Kotchman of Seminole, who dived and knocked the ball down.
Second baseman Adam Kennedy picked up the ball and threw to catcher Bengie Molina, who got Gomez in a rundown between third and home. Molina chased Gomez up the line before throwing to Alfredo Amezaga, who didn't have anybody to throw to at the plate.
Anaheim starter John Lackey and manager Mike Scioscia were ejected in the sixth after Lackey hit Pond with a pitch. Both benches had been warned. Toronto starter Justin Miller tied a club record by hitting three batters.
