Neagle Achieves 20-Victory Mark

National League

Denny Neagle became the N.L.’s first 20-game winner, pitching three-hit ball for seven innings as the Atlanta Braves beat the host San Diego Padres 4-0 Sunday.

Neagle (20-3) and Toronto’s Roger Clemens, who won his 21st Sunday in the American League, are the top winners in the majors.

Neagle won his fourth straight start, striking out six and walking three. After allowing three singles in the first two innings, during which the Padres stranded five runners, Neagle held the Padres hitless for five innings. The left-hander reached 20 wins for the first time in his career. His previous best was 16 victories for Pittsburgh and Atlanta last season.

Chipper Jones had a hand in the first three Braves runs. He hit a tworun homer off Joey Hamilton (10-6) in the first inning, his 20th.

Dodgers 9, Marlins 5 Los Angeles

Todd Zeile hit a grand slam and Mike Piazza had three hits, including two RBI singles for Los Angeles.

Tom Candiotti (10-5), who at 40 is the major leagues’ second-oldest starter, was working on a two-hitter with two out in the seventh when a towering fly by Craig Counsell fell among three Dodgers in short right-center field for a double.

Giants 5, Astros 1 San Francisco

Kirk Rueter pitched 6-2/3 strong innings and San Francisco capitalized on eight walks by Darryl Kile.

Kile (17-6) lost his third straight start, lasting just five-plus innings. He tied a career high for walks - he walked seven in the first three innings - and also hit a batter.

Rockies 7, Cardinals 4 Denver

Ellis Burks and Todd Helton had RBI hits that triggered a five-run burst in the eighth inning for Colorado.

Mark McGwire hit his 48th home run of the season, and 14th for St.

Louis, in the first inning. The Cardinals scored twice in the ninth, but McGwire hit a weak grounder to pitcher Jerry Dipoto for the final out as the Rockies won for the 11th time in 12 games.

McGwire’s 446-foot shot in the first was his fourth home run in the four-game series.

Mets 9, Cubs 2 Chicago

Bobby Jones gave up four hits over seven shutout innings and Butch Huskey hit his third homer in three games for New York.

Huskey, extending his hitting streak to 15 games, hit his 21st homer leading off a three-run fifth inning and added an RBI single in the eighth for the Mets.

Jones (14-8) improved to 8-1 in his career against the Cubs.

Reds 6, Pirates 3 Cincinnati

Dave Burba retired the last 17 batters he faced, setting up his third win over Pittsburgh this season.

Burba (8-10) allowed only two runs on four first-inning hits and left the game after his right hand was grazed by a pitch in the sixth inning. The right-hander is 5-0 in his last six starts against the Pirates.

Phillies 2, Expos 1 Montreal

Rico Brogna hit a tiebreaking home run with two outs in the eighth for Philadelphia.

Rookie Ryan Karp (1-0) got two outs for his first major-league victory.

Montreal’s Mark Grudzielanek hit his 49th double, breaking the N.L. record for shortstops set by Dick Bartell of the 1932 Phillies. Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez set the major-league mark with 54 in 1996.

Clearing the bases

Mark McGwire, who hit 52 last year, could become the first player to have consecutive 50-homer seasons since Babe Ruth in 1927-28 … St. Louis pitcher Andy Benes broke the middle finger on his throwing hand when hit by a pitch while batting and was sidelined for the rest of the season. … The Cubs are the only big-league team without a grand slam homer this season. … This is the sixth time this decade a Braves pitcher has won 20 games. The Padres have had only three 20-game winners in their 29 seasons.