WASHINGTON - Carlos Zambrano pitched five-hit ball over seven innings, Derrek Lee drove in three runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 7-0 Saturday night.

Zambrano (4-1) walked four and struck out five to improve to 86-56 for his career and help the Cubs snap a two-game skid. Since entering Chicago’s rotation for good on July 1, 2002, his 45 road victories rank second in the major leagues behind Johan Santana’s 48.

The right-hander, who has pitched seven innings in each of his four victories this year, improved to 6-2 lifetime against the Nationals. He had to work out of a jam in the seventh, striking out Ryan Zimmerman with runners on second and third before thrusting his right arm in the air.

Michael Wuertz and Jon Lieber eached pitched an inning to complete Chicago’s first shutout of the season — a six-hitter — and the fourth time the Nationals have been blanked.

A three-run first inning helped the Cubs avert their first three-game losing streak of the season. After Reed Johnson and Ryan Theriot singled, Lee hit a run-scoring single to left off Matt Chico (0-5). Kosuke Fukudome drew a one-out walk and Mark DeRosa slapped a two-run single to left.

The top of the order and Lee delivered again in the second. Following one-out singles by Johnson and Theriot, Lee ripped a two-run double into the left-field corner for a 5-0 lead.

Aramis Ramirez added a two-run double off Jesus Colome in the eighth.

Chico allowed five runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out five.

MILWAUKEE - Prince Fielder hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning and also had an RBI single to power the Milwaukee Brewers past the Florida Marlins 4-3 on Saturday night.

Fielder’s fourth home run of the season, a mammoth shot to dead center off reliever Renyel Pinto (1-1), broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth. Pinto had not allowed a run in his previous 11 appearances.

It was Fielder’s second game-winning home run in four days. He also homered twice against Philadelphia on Wednesday, with the game-winning blast coming in the eighth inning of a 5-4 victory.

Eric Gagne pitched the ninth for his seventh save in 11 chances.

Salomon Torres (3-0) got the win despite failing to protect a 3-2 lead when Josh Willingham grounded into a double play that scored Dan Uggla in the top of the eighth.

Fielder scored three times, including an unlikely run on a suicide squeeze in the second. With the bases loaded, the 270-lb slugger barreled down the line as Carlos Villanueva bunted toward pitcher Mark Hendrickson, who threw to first.

Fielder’s run tied the game and snapped a string of 16 consecutive innings without scoring for the Brewers.

Hanley Ramirez hit a solo shot in the first for his eighth home run, his third leadoff homer this season.

Milwaukee stopped Hendrickson from picking up his fifth win. The 6-foot-9 left-hander had given up only seven total earned runs while winning a career-best four straight starts. He surrendered three runs — two earned — in six innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Milwaukee’s Villanueva went six innings, allowing two runs and six hits with five strikeouts. Lifted for a pinch-hitter, he turned over a 3-2 lead to Torres to start the seventh.

Hendrickson led off the fifth with his first career triple and scored on Dan Uggla’s sacrifice fly as the Marlins pulled to 3-2.

Fielder knocked in a run and later scored another as the Brewers went ahead 3-1 in the third.

Gabe Kapler doubled and scored on Fielder’s single under the glove of shortstop Ramirez. A single and a walk load the bases before Fielder charged home on a sacrifice fly by J.J. Hardy.

Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs fouled off a pitch in the fifth and immediately left the game with a sprained right middle finger.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Luke Hochevar picked up his first big league victory in his third career start, Jose Guillen homered and the Kansas City Royals edged the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Saturday night.

The Blue Jays have lost six straight and 10 of 13, and fell five games below .500 for the first time since last May 25.

Hochevar (1-1), the first selection in the 2006 draft, held Toronto to six hits and one run in six innings in his seventh major league appearance. He struck out three and walked two.

Guillen, who the Royals signed to a three-year, $36 million contract in December to boost a punchless offense, homered to deep left off Shaun Marcum to lead off the sixth. It was Guillen’s first home run this season at Kauffman Stadium and snapped a 1-1 tie.

Joakim Soria worked the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances. Soria gave up a one-out single to David Eckstein that ended his streak of retiring 24 in a row.

The Royals’ Mark Teahen led off the third with a double down the right-field line and scored on Ross Gload’s single, and the Blue Jays tied it in the fifth when former Royal Gregg Zaun led off the inning with a double and stopped at third on Eckstein’s single.

Zaun scored when Tony Pena Jr. committed a fielding error on Alex Rios’ ground ball.

Marcum (2-2), who went to Excelsior Springs (Mo.) High School, which is a Kansas City suburb, limited the Royals to four hits and one run in seven innings. He struck out four and walked three, but still took the loss.

The Blue Jays went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded four runners at third base — Scott Rolen in the second and fourth innings, Eckstein in the third and Rios in the eighth.

The Blue Jays stranded 10 runners, including seven in scoring position, and had the bases loaded in the eighth when Pena went deep into the hole and threw out Adam Lind from his knees to end the inning.

Notes:Royals 2B Mark Grudzielanek missed his fourth straight game with an irritated nerve on a disc in his lower back. …The Blue Jays are 4-for-42 with runners in scoring position in the first five games of this trip. … Eckstein had three of the eight Blue Jays hits.

SAN FRANCISCO - Johnny Dawkins, a longtime assistant coach at Duke, has been hired as Stanford’s new basketball coach.

Dawkins replaces Pac-10 Coach of the Year Trent Johnson, who left for LSU earlier this month. Dawkins will be formally introduced in a news conference on campus Monday, the school said.

“We are thrilled to welcome Johnny and his family to Stanford,” athletic director Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. “His credentials as a player, combined with his coaching experience gained mentoring under a Hall of Fame coach at a university such as Duke, made him a perfect fit for Stanford. The philosophies of the two programs both on the court and in the classroom are very similar. I am confident Johnny’s leadership skills, coaching ability and commitment to attract top-flight student-athletes will be a driving force in continuing Stanford’s tradition of basketball excellence.”

Dawkins has no prior head coaching experience. He most recently was the Blue Devils’ top assistant under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, responsible for player development and other duties.

The 44-year-old Dawkins was an All-American at Duke and has been on the coaching staff there since the 1997-98 season — the last nine as associate head coach.

Stanford reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001, losing to Texas. The Cardinal face the departures of twin 7-foot sophomores Brook and Robin Lopez, who both declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft.

With Dawkins leaving Duke, it breaks apart the longest continuous serving coaching staff in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a tight-knit group of former Blue Devils players under Krzyzewski.

Dawkins, who did not return an e-mail from The Associated Press seeking comment, finished his playing career at Duke as the school’s career scoring leader with 2,556 points — a mark that was broken in 2006 by J.J. Redick. In his 11 seasons as Coach K’s right-hand man, he helped guide the Blue Devils to six ACC regular-season titles, seven conference tournament crowns and the storied program’s third and most recent national championship in 2001.

Dawkins was the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 1986 NBA draft by San Antonio, and played nine NBA seasons with the Spurs, 76ers and Pistons.

When Johnson left Stanford, it was somewhat of a surprise despite the fact he was waiting for a contract extension. He met with LSU officials at the Final Four in San Antonio and a deal came together quickly.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Michael Jordan took a chance on a young, inexperienced coach and it didn’t work. Sam Vincent was fired Saturday after one turmoil-filled, non-playoff season running the Charlotte Bobcats.

Vincent’s dismissal was only minutes old when speculation turned to whether Jordan, the Bobcats’ part-owner with the final say on all basketball decisions, would take a 180-degree turn with his next hire.

Is the old reliable — and temperamental — Larry Brown poised to return to North Carolina, be reunited with his fellow former Tar Heel Jordan, and coach his ninth NBA team?

Neither side was talking. Jordan was unavailable for questions and the team called off a conference call Saturday night.

Brown didn’t return phone calls, and his agent refused to discuss the Bobcats opening. But Joe Glass said his 67-year-old client is eager to coach again, after resigning as executive vice president of the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

“Larry is interested in getting back into coaching in the pros or college,” Glass said.

Brown could get a chance to erase memories of his last coaching job, an ugly one season with the New York Knicks that ended in 2006, at the expense of Vincent.

Struggling to find a consistent rotation and clashing with players, Vincent led the Bobcats to a 32-50 record in a season the fourth-year franchise felt confident would end with its first playoff berth.

“The decision to remove Sam as head coach after just one season was difficult, but it was a decision that had to be made because my first obligation is to do what is in the best interest of our team,” Jordan said in a statement.

Reached at his home in Dallas on Saturday night, the 44-year-old Vincent expressed disappointment at being given only one year.

“I can understand why he needs to make a change. I can understand where he’s trying to take the team,” Vincent said. “I don’t wish them anything but the best. I’m disappointed, but I’m hopeful for them that things will turn around and the Bobcats can be a successful organization.”

When Bernie Bickerstaff stepped down as coach to take a job in the front office at the end of the 2006-07 season, Jordan said he was looking for a young coach in the mold of Avery Johnson of the Dallas Mavericks.

Vincent, a former first-round pick of the Boston Celtics and Jordan’s one-time teammate in Chicago, had worked for one year under Johnson in Dallas, his only NBA coaching experience.

Jordan said he was intrigued by Vincent’s international experience. Vincent coached the Nigerian women’s national team, and had coaching stints in South Africa, Greece and The Netherlands. Vincent was coaching in the NBA Development League before going to Dallas.

Vincent was given a four-year contract by the Bobcats, but only the first two years were guaranteed.

Vincent entered the job confident, saying on the day he was introduced that he’d be “incredibly discouraged and disappointed” if the Bobcats didn’t make the playoffs this season. The Bobcats also significantly increased their payroll by acquiring Jason Richardson in a draft night trade with Golden State and re-signing Gerald Wallace to a big free-agent deal.

But the Bobcats got off to a poor start as Vincent clearly suffered growing pains. He struggled to define roles for players, constantly shuttling Raymond Felton between point guard and shooting guard. Matt Carroll, a 3-point specialist, saw little playing time early in the season. Rookie Jared Dudley also played little.

Vincent constantly switched from small to big lineups and angered players for questioning their effort and commitment in front of reporters. Charlotte was also hampered by the lack of depth in the frontcourt after season-ending knee injuries to Adam Morrison and Sean May.

While majority owner Bob Johnson gave Vincent a vote of confidence late in the season, Jordan was mum on the issue, saying he would decide on Vincent’s fate after the season.

Charlotte finished with one fewer win than in 2006-07.

“I appreciate the opportunity from Michael,” Vincent said, “having the opportunity to be a head coach and I appreciate what he did. I support the fact that they need to grow.”

Vincent becomes the second coach to last just one season in Jordan’s checkered history as an NBA executive. Leonard Hamilton resigned after going 19-63 with the Washington Wizards in 2000-01.

Jordan was eventually fired by the Wizards. He bought a minority stake in the Bobcats in 2006 and took over the decision-making from Bickerstaff.

But Jordan has failed to produce a playoff team, and now he may take a completely different direction with his next hire.

Brown, popular in the area because of his ties to the Tar Heels, could give the struggling franchise a spark. Charlotte ranked 24th out of 30 teams in attendance this season and fans have been slow to warm up to a new team after the Hornets left for New Orleans in 2002.

Brown, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, is one of five NBA coaches with at least 1,000 victories and led the Detroit Pistons to the NBA title in 2004. But Brown has had messy divorces from several jobs.

He would also likely command a salary much larger than Vincent, who made about $1.5 million this season. But Brown would bring instant credibility — and baggage — to a struggling franchise.

TORONTO - Rashard Lewis had 27 points and 13 rebounds, Dwight Howard added 19 points and 16 boards, and the Orlando Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 106-94 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Jameer Nelson scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, while Hedo Turkoglu had 18 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Magic.

Chris Bosh set a career playoff-high with 39 points and added 15 rebounds for the Raptors, who face elimination in Game 5 on Monday night at Orlando. T.J. Ford had 12 points and 13 assists for the Raptors.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Lewis was “outstanding.”

“He stepped up big today,” Van Gundy said. “It’s not just scoring, that was his best rebounding game, maybe of the year.”

Lewis went 10-for-19 from the field. The Magic made four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished 11-for-29 from beyond the arc.

Toronto held a 76-73 lead after three, but Lewis tied it at 78 with a 3 from the top with 8:58 left. The game stayed close until back-to-back 3-pointers by Turkoglu and Lewis gave the Magic a 100-92 lead with 1:31 remaining.

Jason Kapono and Anthony Parker each scored 12 for the Raptors, who were just 2-for-15 from 3-point range. Bosh finished 16-for-26.

“In the second half, we shot the 3 well, and that’s big for us,” Van Gundy said. “Obviously, it’s a big thing for them, too, and they didn’t shoot it well today.”

Keith Bogans scored 12 for the Magic.

Orlando used big first quarters to win Games 1 and 2, while Toronto fed off the energy of its home crowd to build a big lead in the opening half of its Game 3 win. This time, however, neither team was able to pull away early.

Howard continued to dominate inside, posting 12 points and seven rebounds in the first as Orlando built a 29-21 lead. A three-point play by Jamario Moon and a breakaway dunk by Bosh helped Toronto trim the gap to 31-26 after 12 minutes.

Howard didn’t score again before the half, but Bosh followed a 10-point first with an 11-point second and the Raptors went 11-for-20 from the field, outscoring Orlando 27-17 to open a 53-48 edge at intermission.

Moon strained his groin when he slipped while trying to catch a fast-break pass from Ford in the third. Moon stayed in the game, clutching the area with his hand until the Magic called timeout and he was replaced by Jason Kapono. After taking him to the locker room for examination, the training staff declared Moon fit to return, but he did not play again.

Notes: Howard finished 1-for-6 from the free throw line and has gone 9-for-23 since a 9-for-11 showing in Game 1. … Actress Mila Kunis attended the game.