Padres Rally in Eighth to Sink Braves Again

The finish of Friday night’s Atlanta Braves-San Diego Padres game was almost as exciting as the NL championship series.

Tony Gwynn hit a tying, two-run single with one out in the eighth inning and scored the go-ahead run on Phil Nevin’s single as San Diego won, 4-3, at San Diego in the first game between the teams since the Padres won the NLCS in six games.

With the Padres trailing, 3-1, Damian Jackson drew a leadoff walk and Reggie Sanders hit a one-out double against Rudy Seanez.

Lefty reliever John Rocker came on to face Gwynn, who lined the first pitch up the middle to tie the score. Gwynn took second on the throw home, and moved to third when Wally Joyner singled on Rocker’s next pitch. Nevin’s single to left scored Gwynn.

“There’s a whole different bunch of guys, you know, a whole different set of problems we have to deal with,” said Gwynn, who watched many of San Diego’s stars leave via free agency and trades. “It’s kind of like growing pains. It’s going to take guys time to jell.”

Brian Boehringer (1-1) pitched one perfect inning for the win. Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth for his fourth save, striking out Andruw Jones with a runner on third to end the game.

Rocker (1-2) took the loss as the Braves blew a save chance for the fifth time this year.

Kevin Millwood gave up one run and four hits, struck out six and walked one in 6 1/3 innings.

Brave catcher Javy Lopez was scratched from the lineup just before the game because of the death of his mother in Puerto Rico.

St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 2--Shawon Dunston hit a game-winning, two-run homer in the ninth after the Cardinals squandered a two-run lead at St. Louis.

The 36-year-old utility player also made an outstanding running catch in a rare start in center field.

Darren Bragg walked with two outs and Dunston hit his second homer of the season, a 411-foot drive to center against Rich Loiselle (3-2). Dunston, who earlier got a pair of infield hits, got the bunt sign on a 1-0 pitch that he took for a ball before homering.

Darren Oliver pitched seven shutout innings and Ricky Bottalico worked in and out of a bases-loaded situation in the eighth. But the Pirates pulled even with two runs against closer Juan Acevedo.

Colorado 8, Philadelphia 1--The Rockies tied an NL record by extending their scoring streak to 14 consecutive innings before Curt Schilling ended the frenzy by shutting them down at Denver.

Schilling gave up a solo homer to Larry Walker in the first inning before stifling the Rockies. He gave up seven hits, struck out four and walked two in his 51st complete game.

Walker’s two-out, line-drive homer put Colorado into the NL record book alongside the 1894 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1949 New York Giants. The Rockies failed to score in the second as they fell short of the major league record of 17 consecutive innings set by Boston Red Sox in 1903.

Doug Glanville had two hits, stole two bases and drove in two runs for the Phillies, who broke the game open with five runs in the eighth. Rob Ducey added a solo homer.

Houston 5, Montreal 2--These days, Astro pitchers are doing almost as much with their bats as their arms.

Jose Lima won his fifth consecutive decision and drove in a run during a three-run sixth inning at Houston.

Astro pitchers are hitting .206 with 12 RBIs this season.

Lima (5-1) needed defensive help to get through the first three innings but settled down to get his first complete game of the season and fourth of his career. He gave up two hits over the last six innings as Houston won for the seventh time in eight games.

Lima gave up nine hits--three to Rondell White--struck out four and walked none.

Arizona 14, New York 7--Tony Womack was four for five with two triples and Matt Williams had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks at Phoenix.

Luis Gonzalez hit his seventh home run and extended his team-record hitting streak to 20 games, longest in the major leagues this season.

The Mets lost their third consecutive game.

Williams hit a three-run double in a four-run first inning. Womack led off the inning with a single.

San Francisco 4, Milwaukee 3--Jeff Kent hit a wind-swept, two-run homer and Chris Brock pitched seven strong innings for the Giants at San Francisco.

Kent’s fifth homer of the season got caught in the wind and carried over the right-center fence in the first inning.

The Giants added two runs in the third on a run-scoring double by Charlie Hayes and J.T. Snow’s run-scoring single.

The Giants ended Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak.

Robb Nen pitched the ninth for his 10th save, tying Houston’s Billy Wagner and the New York Mets’ John Franco for the NL lead.