After a goalless first half, Max Kruse broke the deadlock when he finished a brilliantly executed counterattack by firing home from outside the area.
Bayer Leverkusen strengthened their grip on third place with a crushing 4-1 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf at the Esprit Arena.
Stefan Kiessling coolly slotted home a penalty for the visitors in the 22nd minute, only for a Daniel Schwaab own goal to make it 1-1.
However, the visitors took control in the second half, as Germany international Andre Schurrle struck twice to put Leverkusen into a two-goal lead.
Augsburg were dealt a major setback in their battle for survival, as they were beaten 2-0 by Hannover at the SGL Arena.
For large portions of the match the hosts were the dominant force, but they ultimately could not match the merciless efficiency of Mirko Slomka's men.
After an attempt on target by Didier Ya Konan was blocked, Konstantin Rausch picked up the rebound to beautifully strike the ball in from 14 yards out and put the visitors in front.
Rausch then again found the net to complete his double in injury-time, rounding off the scoring and securing his side's first away win of the campaign.
Thomas Schaaf's men have been unable to win any of their last six encounters and remain in the bottom half of the table, while Mainz sit in sixth place.
In the first half it looked like the encounter could have gone either way, but the Gelsenkirchen outfit remained patient.
And finally it was Marco Hoger who was able to break the deadlock with a strong finish from the edge of the penalty box in the 71st minute.
Attacking midfielder Raffael then scored his first goal for die Knappen in the 79th minute with a tap-in, and Teemu Pukki made it three just four minutes later.
Jens Keller's men underlined their desire for Champions League football next season as they move up to fourth, while the Kraichgau side remain 17th as their bid for survival was dealt a blow.
Points were shared between Wolfsburg and Nurnberg at the Volkswagen Arena on Sunday as the sides fought out a 2-2 draw.
Brazilian playmaker Diego once again displayed his impressive ability from dead-ball situations with a wonderful free kick to open the scoring.
Then, a wonder goal by former Bayern Munich forward Ivica Olic extended die Wolfe's lead. The Croatia star took aim from distance and fired home to make it 2-0 to the home side.
However, the visitors increasingly applied pressure which paid off in the second half. Timmy Simmons volleyed brilliantly past Diego Benaglio from distance, and soon after, der Club restored parity thanks to Per Nilsson.
Eintracht Frankfurt were made to work hard before recording a 3-2 win over relegation-doomed Greuther Furth at the Trolli Arena on Sunday.
The home side opened scoring in the second minute, when a corner kick found Nikola Durdic lurking near the far post, with the Serbian striker heading calmly home.
Only 10 minutes later, however, Takashi Inui bagged the equaliser as he prevailed against the Kleeblatter's defence to unleash a low shot into the left corner.
In the second half, Stefan Aigner turned the match when he sent a ferocious, deflected effort past Max Grun. And Alexander Meier put the cherry on the cake to end his goal drought by blasting the ball into the net in the 68th minute.
Moments later, Sercan Sararer caused the visitors a scare when he made it 2-3, but Armin Veh's men did well to hold on and keep their dreams of European football alive.
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