L.A. Homers Away In Win At Chicago
National League
Billy Ashley hit two home runs, and Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi and Eric Karros also connected Saturday, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago Cubs 12-5.
Todd Zeile, acquired Friday in a trade that sent Mike Morgan to St. Louis, hit a two-run homer in his first game for Chicago. Zeile, who went 2 for 4, started in left field, but later moved to third base, which is where the Cubs want him to play.
Ramon Martinez pitched seven innings, giving up eight hits and striking out one.
Giants 4, Cardinals 1
St. Louis
Jose Bautista used a tip from his personal pitching coach - his wife, Lea - to pitch his best game of the season as San Francisco beat St. Louis.
“After my last start against Montreal (an 11-5 loss) my wife told me I was throwing the ball too high, right at the belt,” Bautista said.
“She said, ‘You’ve got to keep the ball down lower, like you did in ‘93.’ She’s not a pitching coach, but I told her she had a point. I listened to her advice.”
Astros 7, Mets 3
New York
Pitcher Doug Drabek’s RBI single capped a fiverun first inning off prized prospect Bill Pulsipher, and sent Houston past New York.
Pulsipher, a 21-year-old left-hander, lost in his major league debut.
Phillies 11, Marlins 4 Philadelphia Philadelphia rallied from a four-run deficit by scoring five runs in the sixth and six more in the eighth to defeat Florida.
Darren Daulton and Jim Eisenreich hit backto-back two-run doubles in the sixth and Mickey Morandini had a two-run double in the eighth when the Phillies had their highest-scoring inning of the season.
Padres 11, Pirates 8
Pittsburgh
Fernando Valenzuela hit his first homer since 1990, but couldn’t pitch long enough for the victory despite an 11-run lead as San Diego beat Pittsburgh.
The homer helped San Diego build its 11-0 lead, but Valenzuela promptly gave up eight straight runs and had to be bailed out by reliever Bryce Florie in the fifth.
Reds 5, Expos 4
Cincinnati
Jeff Branson singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning helping Cincinnati beat Montreal after blowing a late threerun lead.
The Reds ended a three-game losing streak by rallying in the eighth against Luis Aquino. Eddie Taubensee walked with one out, Bret Boone singled and Branson lined a pitch to right to snap a 4-all tie.
Braves 7, Rockies 1
Denver< Fred McGriff went 3 for 4 with three RBIs Saturday night and Steve Avery won for the first time in nearly a month as Atlanta kept up its mastery of Colorado.
It was the fourth straight victory for the Braves, who now are 26-3 overall against Colorado.
Clearing the bases
Bobby Bonilla threw a tantrum that appeared directed at third-base coach Mike Cubbage.
After Cubbage didn’t attempt to score Jose Vizcaino on Bonilla’s fly to short right with the Mets down five runs in the eighth inning of a 7-3 loss, Bonilla glared at Cubbage. Then he flung his helmet and fired two plastic water coolers to the floor in the dugout in apparent anger over losing a chance at his 29th RBI of the season.
Bonilla refused comment on what seemed to be his second incident involving the coach. The left fielder had previously cursed Cubbage for confirming to the media that he had run through a stop sign for a critical out at home in a game at Philadelphia May 20.