Cubs Hammer Colorado 26-7
National League
The Chicago Cubs tied their post-1900 record for most runs in a game and came within three of the major-league mark, routing the Colorado Rockies 26-7 Friday night in Denver.
Chicago began with seven runs in just one-third of an inning off Bret Saberhagen - his shortest start ever - and never let up. Even a rain delay of 2 hours and 45 minutes in the fourth inning, with the Cubs ahead 9-1, could not slow them.
The Cubs matched the modern team record for runs, set Aug. 25, 1922, against Philadelphia. Chicago had 27 hits, one short of its modern record set on July 3, 1945, against Boston.
Cardinals 4, Braves 3
St. Louis
Tom Henke became the seventh pitcher to reach 300 career saves, surviving a rally by Atlanta in the ninth inning.
After a double and two walks, Henke struck out Chipper Jones looking and got Fred McGriff on a fly ball to end St. Louis’ six-game losing streak.
Mets 3, Dodgers 2
New York
Brett Butler, 3 hours after being traded from the Mets to Los Angeles, tied the game with a two-run triple in the seventh before New York won in the ninth on pinch-hitter Bill Spiers’ suicide squeeze.
Ryan Thompson opened the New York ninth with a double off John Cummings (1-1). Pedro Astacio relieved and Butch Huskey, recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the game, sacrificed. Mark Guthrie relieved and Spiers bunted.
Reds 8, Astros 3
Cincinnati
Ron Gant hit his 25th homer and drove in three runs as Cincinnati improved to 8-0 this season against Houston.
Phillies 16, Giants 8
Philadelphia
Barry Bonds and Robby Thompson each homered twice for San Francisco, but Philadelphia still routed the Giants in a game featuring a Veterans Stadium-record nine home runs.
Pirates 13-7, Fla. 7-6
Pittsburgh
Nelson Liriano hit the first grand slam of his career, highlighting a six-run eighth inning that finished off Pittsburgh’s win over Florida in the first game of a doubleheader. In the second game, Al Martin singled home the winning run in the 13th inning to complete the sweep.
Expos 7, Padres 3
Montreal
Sean Berry, Mike Lansing and David Segui each drove in two runs for Montreal.
Clearing the bases
Atlanta raised the ante in its pursuit of Stanford’s two-sport freshman, Chad Hutchinson. The Braves have offered a signing bonus of about $1.5 million for Hutchinson, a right-handed pitcher currently in Stanford’s football camp as a quarterback. … All-Star shortstop Ozzie Smith returned to the St. Louis Cardinals lineup Friday night after missing three months with a shoulder injury.