Phils Trip Braves In Battle For East

National League

It was nice - maybe not crucial - for the Philadelphia Phillies to get off on the right foot, manager Jim Fregosi admitted.

Light-hitting Kevin Elster tripled in three runs and Tony Longmire had a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the sixth inning Tuesday as the Phillies beat the host Atlanta Braves 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series between the N.L. East leaders.

“The big thing right now, to me, is getting our club playing good,” said Fregosi, whose team has been slumping the last five weeks, but holds a 6-3 edge this season on the Braves, including 5-0 in Atlanta.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak by the Phillies and cut Atlanta’s lead to seven games.

The Phillies, who had four pitchers combine on a four-hitter, led Atlanta by five games on June 25, but have gone 11-23 since. During that same period, the Braves have gone 22-10.

“We didn’t play good in the month of July for whatever reasons,” Fregosi said. “There’s still two months left, so it’s not just this series that’s big. Every series means a lot to us.”

Dodgers 9, Rockies 6

Denver

Raul Mondesi hit two homers and drove in a career-high six runs to power Los Angeles past Colorado.

Reds 4, Mets 3

Cincinnati

Ron Gant doubled in two runs and Thomas Howard had a solo homer as Cincinnati beat New York.

Cubs 7, Pirates 5

Pittsburgh

Luis Gonzalez’s two-run triple keyed a five-run sixth inning and Chicago stopped a six-game road losing streak by beating Pittsburgh.

Giants 4, Padres 3

San Diego

San Francisco beat San Diego behind right-hander Mark Leiter, who allowed six hits and one earned run in eight-plus innings.

Astros 8, Cardinals 6

St. Louis

Mike Hampton allowed three runs over seven innings and Craig Biggio hit two home runs to lead Houston over St. Louis.

Marlins 5, Expos 2

Montreal

Andre Dawson, just off the disabled list, went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs as Florida handed Carlos Perez his first loss at home in the victory over Montreal.

Sanders hurt again

Deion Sanders, acquired by San Francisco in a recent eight-player trade with Cincinnati, jammed his left ankle against the fence making a catch and had to be helped from the field in San Diego.

The two-sport star started limping immediately after making the catch in center field of a ball hit by the Padres’ Phil Plantier in the second inning. Two teammates helped him off the field.

Sanders spent six weeks on the disabled list before the trade because of an injury to his right ankle. He is listed as day-to-day.

Clearing the bases

Former four-time batting champion Bill Madlock, who played for the Spokane Indians, faces a bench warrant for his arrest after failing to show up in court in Las Vegas on charges he wrote $6,500 in bad checks. … Dwight Gooden’s agent says the drug-troubled former Cy Young winner is ready to return to baseball with New York, and plans to apply later this week to have his client’s latest drug-related suspension lifted by Major League Baseball. … Atlanta won 10 games in its final at-bat in July, and has won 17 in that manner this season. … Houston is 39-1 when it leads after eight innings. … Philadelphia’s Lenny Dykstra, on the disabled list with a sore right knee, is scheduled to have the knee examined today in Los Angeles.