Padres Continue Mastery Of L.A.

Steve Finley drove in three runs with a pair of homers and Tony Gwynn added a two-run shot Saturday as the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-3.

The Padres have won 10 consecutive games against the Dodgers, including the first three of this four-game set. The defending N.L. West champs had lost their previous nine series before coming to Dodger Stadium, where they have won eight straight.

Rockies 9, Giants 2

Denver

Dante Bichette hit a pair of three-run home runs and Kevin Ritz pitched a six-hitter to lead Colorado to a win over San Francisco.

Vinny Castilla added a two-run homer and Larry Walker hit a solo shot for the Rockies.

Mets 8, Pirates 3

Pittsburgh

Bernard Gilkey and John Olerud drove in two runs apiece and New York beat Pittsburgh for the fourth time in five games.

Braves 9, Phillies 1

Atlanta

Michael Tucker hit two of Atlanta’s four home runs off Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz won for the first time in five weeks as Atlanta cruised to victory.

Smoltz (7-7) allowed six hits and struck out seven in seven innings to earn his first win since May 23.

Cubs 5, Astros 2

Chicago

Rookie Jeremi Gonzalez and three relievers combined on a two-hitter as Chicago defeated Houston.

Mark Grace, celebrating his 33rd birthday, hit a two-run home run in the first inning.

Cardinals 12, Reds 6

Cincinnati

Ron Gant homered as St. Louis scored seven runs off starter John Smiley and held on to beat Cincinnati despite another failure by Fernando Valenzuela, who couldn’t hold a 9-2 lead.

Marlins 4, Expos 2

Miami

Livan Hernandez, a Cuban defector making his second start of the season, earned his first major league victory as Florida beat Montreal.

Hernandez (1-1), who signed a four-year, $4.5 million contract with Florida after leaving the Cuban national team two years ago, struck out six and walked two in seven innings.

Clearing the bases

Houston manager Larry Dierker and trainer Dave Labossiere made the trip from their downtown hotel to Wrigley Field on Friday and Saturday using roller blades, skating along Lake Michigan’s lakefront. … Cincinnati’s Barry Larkin, who leads N.L. shortstops in voting for the All-Star game, said he won’t be able to play until after the All-Star break. He is disabled by a severe calf strain. … San Diego’s Tony Gwynn, a 12-time All-Star who has 63 RBIs this year, has had more than 64 only once in the previous six seasons. … Atlanta’s 51-28 record is the best in franchise history after 79 games.