Braves Top Expos, Clinch Playoff Spot
National League
In what has almost become an annual rite, the Atlanta Braves are heading to the playoffs.
The Braves earned their fifth postseason trip in six years - a streak interrupted only by the 1994 strike - by beating the Montreal Expos 8-2 Sunday to clinch the National League East.
John Smoltz (23-8) pitched eight innings, set a franchise record for strikeouts in a season and hit his first homer in more than two years.
Despite the loss, Montreal is still in contention for the wildcard spot.
Smoltz hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning off Jeff Fassero (16-9) for a 5-2 lead.
Padres 3, Dodgers 2 San Diego
San Diego drove out Hideo Nomo, who had pitched a no-hitter in previous start, and beat Los Angeles to pull back within one-half game of the first-place Dodgers in the N.L. West.
The Padres, who split the four-game series, also opened a two-game lead in the wild-card race over Montreal.
Mike Piazza hit his career-high 36th homer for the Dodgers.
Andy Ashby (9-5), working on three days’ rest, picked up his first win since June 28. Trevor Hoffman pitched 1-1/2 innings for his 39th save.
Giants 7, Rockies 3 San Francisco
Steve Soderstrom earned his first major league victory, pitching San Francisco past Colorado for a four-game sweep.
Glenallen Hill hit his 18th homer and drove in four runs.
Barry Bonds drew his 145th walk, most in Giants franchise history. In the second inning, Bonds stole his 35th base. Bonds, who has 42 homers, is trying to join Jose Canseco as baseball’s only 40-40 players.
Reds 6-6, Cards 3-0 Cincinnati
Barry Larkin became the first shortstop in the 30-30 club and John Smiley pitched a one-hitter as Cincinnati kept the N.L. Central race alive by sweeping a doubleheader from St. Louis.
The Cardinals have lost the first three games of the series, but reduced their clinching number to two.
The Reds took control of the second game in the first inning, when Danny Jackson (0-1) couldn’t find the strike zone.
Pirates 11, Cubs 3 (8) Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh won its 11th in a row, defeating Chicago in the rain as Jay Bell homered for the third straight game.
The Cubs lost their season-high eighth straight game.
The Pirates, in last place in the N.L. Central, have the longest winning streak in the majors this season.
Phillies 4, Mets 3 Philadelphia
Gregg Jefferies’ RBI double with one out in the bottom of the ninth gave Philadelphia a victory over New York.
Marlins 6, Astros 0 Miami
Andre Dawson hit a three-run, pinch-hit homer and Florida pushed Houston to the brink of elimination from the playoff race with its eighth consecutive loss.
Dawson, batting in the eighth inning, belted his 438th home run, second only to Eddie Murray among active players.
Clearing the bases
Lance Johnson of the Mets has 219 hits, the most in the National League since Pete Rose’s 230 in 1973. … Jeff Fassero and Pedro Martinez give the Expos two pitchers with more than 200 strikeouts for the first time. Prior to this season, only three pitchers in the team’s 28-year history had eclipsed 200. … The season’s longest hitting streak in the league, by Atlanta’s Marquis Grissom, reached 28 games. … The Rockies are within two steals of becoming the first team in major league history with 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases in the same season… . The Mets’ Bernard Gilkey’s pinch-hit single in the eighth inning tied Howard Johnson’s club record of 319 total bases in a season. Gilkey’s 116 runs batted in are one short of Johnson’s record of 117.