Jenkins’ Cubs Make Their Pitch

National League

At the age of 52, Ferguson Jenkins can’t pitch anymore. He sure can teach.

Jenkins’ spirit hung heavily over San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on Tuesday. His body was there, too, as a pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs.

Two of his pupils, Jaime Navarro and Randy Myers, combined to set down the Giants 2-0 on three hits - all singles - no walks and 97 pitches, in a zippy 2 hours, 3 minutes.

Jenkins did this sort of thing routinely during his 19 years in the majors. He is the only pitcher to strike out more than 3,000 batters in a career while walking fewer than 1,000.

While with the Texas Rangers, he once dueled Ken Holtzman at the Coliseum in a game completed in 1:36.

Since joining the Cubs, one of four teams for which he pitched, Jenkins has the staff leading the National League in earned-run average, at 3.22. The Cubs finished 10th among the league’s 14 teams last season. The last time they led the league in ERA at the end of the season was the pennant year of 1945.

“Most definitely, it’s Fergie,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said about the Cubs’ first-year pitching coach. “You don’t turn a staff around like that on luck.

“Breaking balls on the first pitch for strikes, working quickly. That’s vintage Fergie.”

The Giants’ Glenallen Hill just missed catching a ball crushed by Chicago’s Mark Grace in the first. It went untouched over the fence for Grace’s second homer of the season.

After Barry Bonds singled in the first, Navarro set down the next 18 Giants. Williams hit an infield single with two out in the seventh. The Giants never got a runner past first or more than one man on base at a time.

Navarro is 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA in his first stint in the N.L. after six seasons with Milwaukee.

Phils 9, Marlins 7 (10)

Miami

Philadelphia scored two runs in the 10th inning for a win over Florida, shaking off Gary Sheffield’s gametying grand slam with two out in the ninth.

Pirates 2, Dodgers 0

Los Angeles

Denny Neagle (2-1) and two relievers combined on a nine-hitter and Dave Clark drove in two runs with a single and his first homer as Pittsburgh beat Los Angeles.

Braves 15, Rockies 3

Atlanta

David Justice drove in four runs with four hits, including a two-run homer, as Atlanta had 20 hits to improve its overall record over Colorado to 23-2.

Mets 1, Astros 0

Houston

Bobby Jones (3-1) allowed three hits over seven innings for his third consecutive victory as New York handed Houston its fourth straight loss.

Padres 1, Cardinals 0

San Diego

Eddie Williams’ single scored Tony Gwynn in the bottom of the ninth to give San Diego its 11th consecutive home win over St. Louis.

Expos 7, Reds 3

Montreal

Rookie Shane Andrews hit a two-run homer and Carlos Perez (2-0) won his second straight start as Montreal beat Cincinnati.

Mitchell on way out

The Daiei Hawks of Fukuoka, Japan, plan to release former National League slugger Kevin Mitchell in a dispute over a knee injury.

Mitchell wants medical treatment, but Japanese doctors who examined the injury on Monday don’t regard it as serious enough to affect his playing.

Clearing the bases

The Chicago Cubs are six games better than .500 for the first time since finishing 84-78 in 1993… . Jeff Blauser of Atlanta had his first RBI of the year on his 69th at-bat. … Deion Sanders of Cincinnati is off to an “unneon” .192 start (14 for 74). … Philadelphia, which had 20 road wins last year, has 11 already this year.