Gant Rips Braves With Four Rbis

National League

Ron Gant drove in four runs against his former teammates, hitting a solo home run and bases-loaded triple as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves 11-7 Wednesday night in Atlanta.

The Cardinals had a season-high 17 hits, rapping seven singles during a five-run first inning against Steve Avery (6-7). The left-hander left after 3-1/3 innings, giving up 11 hits and trailing 7-3.

Avery’s ERA increased to 4.25. He is 0-3 in five June starts, allowing 27 runs in 25-1/3 innings, a 9.64 ERA.

Pirates 3, Expos 1

Montreal

Danny Darwin shut out Montreal on five hits for seven innings, and Pittsburgh cut down two runners at the plate to avoid a three-game sweep.

Darwin, a 19-year veteran right-hander signed as a minor-league free agent in January, is 4-1 in June, allowing four runs in 34 innings.

Marlins 3, Giants 2

Miami

Kevin Brown pitched a complete game, and Quilvio Veras and Greg Colbrunn hit solo homers as Florida handed San Francisco its sixth straight defeat.

Brown took a 3-0 lead into the ninth, but the Giants scored two runs on a fielder’s choice grounder by Matt Williams and an RBI groundout by Mark Carreon. Brown then set down Tom Lampkin on a grounder to end the game.

Brown is 5-1 in his last six starts, allowing seven earned runs in that stretch.

Reds 4, Phillies 2

Cincinnati

Willie Greene’s first major league grand slam carried Cincinnati to its first four-game sweep of Philadelphia in 27 years.

Roger Salkeld (4-2) scattered three hits in six innings for the victory. All four Reds runs were off Mike Williams (1-6), who was charged with Philadelphia’s 14th consecutive road loss.

Mets 9, Rockies 5

New York

Butch Huskey doubled home rookie Alex Ochoa with the go-ahead run, and New York scored five times in the eighth to complete a three-game sweep of Colorado.

Astros 4, Padres 3

San Diego

Donne Wall kept his perfect record intact and Sean Berry hit a two-run homer in Houston’s win.

Wall (6-0) won his fifth straight start since being recalled from Tucson of the Pacific Coast League on May 14. The rookie right-hander matched the best start by an Astros pitcher since Mike Scott went 6-0 to open the 1988 season.

Cubs 6, Dodgers 4

Los Angeles

Playing shortly after they learned of manager Tom Lasorda’s heart attack, Los Angeles lost to Chicago.

Ryne Sandberg doubled twice and scored two runs, and Scott Servais hit a pair of RBI singles for the Cubs. Eric Karros homered for the Dodgers, who fell to 0-2 under interim manager Bill Russell.

Clearing the bases

Catcher-first baseman Tyler Houston was traded by Atlanta to Chicago for a 19-year-old pitching prospect. Houston, Atlanta’s No. 1 pick in the 1989 June draft, hit .222 with one homer and eight RBIs in 33 games with the Braves this season. … San Francisco closer Rod Beck has struggled in his last three outings, going 0-2 with a blown save and an 18.00 ERA. …