Monday, July 08, 2002
NL roundup
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Greg Maddux pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just three hits as the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 Sunday.
The Cubs, playing their second game for interim manager Bruce Kimm, were without Sammy Sosa for the third straight game because of a family emergency.
The Braves, who have the best record in the major leagues, won for the 15th time in 18 games.
Going on three days rest, Maddux (8-2) got 11 groundball outs and threw just 82 pitches. John Smoltz pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save.
Jon Lieber (6-6) gave up two runs — one earned — on five hits in seven innings.
Atlanta left fielder Chipper Jones, in a 4-for-37 slump, missed his first game of the season with a bruised knee.
Astros 6, Pirates 1
PITTSBURGH — Jose Vizcaino's two-run double keyed the second five-run inning against Pittsburgh's Jimmy Anderson in as many starts, and Wade Miller held the Pirates to a run over six innings.
Miller struck out a season high nine as he and three relievers combined for 14 strikeouts. Roy Oswalt, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner pitched an inning each.
Houston outscored Pittsburgh 27-13 in winning three of four in a series that helped the Astros edge back into the NL Central race. Even with a depleted pitching staff, they went 7-2 on a pre-All-Star road trip and have won nine of 12.
The Astros didn't get an RBI from Lance Berkman for the first time in 11 games, but the majors' RBI leader with 81 scored twice after walking. Berkman's 10-game RBI streak was a club record.
Phillies 10, Expos 8
PHILADELPHIA — Scott Rolen hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning as Philadelphia avoided a four-game sweep against Montreal.
Rolen connected on a 1-0 pitch from Matt Herges (2-3) for his 13th homer of the season, scoring Jeremy Giambi, who walked with two outs.
Rheal Cormier (4-4) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 28 chances.
Montreal's Brad Wilkerson, who had homered in his previous three games, went 2-for-4 with a single, triple and three runs scored.
Montreal's Joey Eischen hit Marlon Anderson with a looping 1-2 curveball, shortly after Pat Burrell homered. It carried an automatic ejection for Eischen and Expos manager Frank Robinson, and pitching coach Dick Pole argued and was also ejected.
Cardinals 12, Dodgers 6
ST. LOUIS — Eduardo Perez and Albert Pujols hit three-run home runs, and the St. Louis bullpen picked up the slack in a victory over Los Angeles.
The Cardinals have won five of seven to take a two-game lead in the NL Central. The Dodgers, in first place in the NL West, entered the All-Star break having lost three of five.
The teams split a four-game series.
Placido Polanco was 5-for-5 with an RBI single and scored three runs, and Edgar Renteria also homered for the Cardinals, who have hit 20 in nine games. Pujols was 3-for-4 with an RBI double and his 21st homer.
St. Louis' Luther Hackman made his first major league start since 1999 and gave up four runs — three earned — in two-plus innings. Mike Matthews (2-0), the third of six pitchers earned his first victory since April 27.
Padres 7, Rockies 1
DENVER — Rookie Oliver Perez allowed one hit over 6 2-3 innings and struck out a career-high 13, and Ryan Klesko hit two home runs as San Diego snapped a six-game losing streak.
The 20-year-old Perez (3-1) struck out the side in the second, fifth and sixth innings in winning for the first time in three starts. He fell two strikeouts short of the franchise single-game record of 15. He walked five and allowed only Larry Walker's two-out double in the third inning.
Perez also got his first major league hit in the second inning.
Mets 9, Marlins 3
MIAMI — Jay Payton hit a three-run home run and drove in a career-high five runs as the New York Mets beat Florida in a game that was stopped four times because of rain.
The game was halted a total of 3 hours, 3 minutes — 38 minutes in the first inning, 17 minutes in the third, 1 hour, 44 minutes in the fourth and 24 minutes in the sixth.
Reliever Grant Roberts (2-0) allowed a hit in 1 1-3 innings for the win, which gave the Mets a split in the four-game series. But Roberts left in the fifth with right biceps tendinitis.
Cliff Floyd likely played his final game with the Marlins. Floyd expects to be traded during the All-Star break, and talks heated up Sunday with the Montreal Expos.
Giants 5, Diamondbacks 2
PHOENIX — Barry Bonds homered for the second game in a row as San Francisco beat Arizona to split their four-game series.
Bonds had gone 33 at-bats without a home run, his longest drought of the season, before hitting his first ever off Randy Johnson on Saturday night. He followed with a three-run shot off Rick Helling on Sunday, Bonds' 27th home run of the season.
He went 3-for-3 with two walks, reaching base every time he batted.
Benito Santiago added a two-run homer for the Giants, also off Helling, who leads the NL with 21 home runs allowed.
Reds Stories
26 Ohioans named Evans Scholars
Nieman eyes 5th No. Ky. Am title
Inkster's putter stops Sorenstam at Women's Open
Kelly snags Western
Hewitt wins second Slam title
Williams sisters win doubles title
Streaker shakes things up at men's championship match
The baseline is back
Bertogliati captures early lead
DaMatta dominating
It's the bottom on the ninth for church league
Lone Star Sky stuns Posse at Churchill
Recker trying to make it as free agent
Semipro football player dies of head injury
Coming up this week
Bearcats need point guard, covet Houston star Minor
Musketeers' recruiting needs alters coaches' focus
• Return to Reds front page...
NL roundup