NATIONAL LEAGUE Bellhorn's homers lead Cubs' win
Milwaukee defeated Cincinnati while Montreal tamed Colorado.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The pop was back in Mark Bellhorn's bat when it counted most for the Chicago Cubs.
Bellhorn hit his second homer of the season Saturday, connecting off Steve Kline leading off the ninth as the Cubs finished off a big day from starter Mark Prior with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The NL Central leaders have won six of seven. They also won for only the second time in 11 games the last two seasons at Busch Stadium, and for only the fourth time in 25 games there since 2000.
Bellhorn, pinch hitting for reliever Mike Remlinger, hit a 3-2 pitch from Kline (1-4) over the left-field wall for his second homer of the season and second career pinch homer. It was the first pinch homer by the Cubs this season and Bellhorn's first overall since April 15.
Bellhorn hit 27 homers last year, a franchise record for a switch hitter.
It was the latest shaky outing for Kline, who has a 4.67 ERA. Manager Tony La Russa has been trying to nurse Kline's confidence after the reliever ripped his own performances a few weeks ago in a postgame meltdown.
Albert Pujols tied it with his 10th homer off Prior with one out in the eighth. All but one of Pujols' homers have come against right-handers.
Prior allowed a run on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 71/3 innings, lowering his NL-best ERA to 2.02, and also went 3-for-3. He singled in the third and fifth and doubled to start the seventh and scored on Moises Alou's two-out, ground-rule double to put the Cubs ahead 1-0.
On the year he's 9-for-26 at the plate with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs, and he's worked at least six innings in all nine of his starts.
Remlinger (2-0) replaced Prior after Pujols' homer and struck out Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen to end the inning. Joe Borowski finished for his seventh save in nine chances.
The Cardinals put a runner on third with one out in the ninth but Borowski got Miguel Cairo to pop out to third and retired pinch-hitter Eduardo Perez on a fly to the warning track in right to end it.
CHICAGOST. LOUIS
abrhbiabrhbi
Grdzln 2b5030Vina 2b4010
ASGzlz ss4000JDrew rf3000
O'Lery rf3000Pujols lf4121
Alou lf5021Edmnd cf3010
Karros 1b4000Rolen 3b3010
Brwski p0000Rnteria ss4010
CPttson cf4010TMrtnz 1b4000
LHarrs 3b3010Widger c3000
REMtiz 3b1000Cairo ph1000
DMiller c4000Tomko p1000
Prior p3130OPlmro ph1010
Rmlngr p0000Kline p0000
Bllhorn ph1111Crudale p0000
Choi 1b0000EPerez ph1000
Totals372112Totals32171
Chicago000000101--2
St. Louis000000010--1
E--LHarris (1). DP--Chicago 1, St. Louis 1. LOB--Chicago 12, St. Louis 8. 2B--Alou (12), Prior (3). HR--Bellhorn (2), Pujols (10). SB--CPatterson (8), Renteria (4). CS--Pujols (1). S--JDrew, Tomko.
IPHRERBBSO
Chicago
Prior7 1-361126
Remlinger W,2-02-300002
Borowski S,7110000
St. Louis
Tomko791134
Kline L,1-41 2-311111
Crudale1-310000
Umpires--Home, Matt Hollowell; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Tim Welke; Third, Chuck Meriwether. T--2:56. A--45,385.
Brewers 8, Reds 6
MILWAUKEE -- Eddie Perez hit a three-run homer off Scott Williamson (3-2) in the bottom of the ninth, Milwaukee's first game-winning homer since Richie Sexson connected off Houston's Mike Jackson on Sept. 1, 2001.
Mike DeJean (1-2) pitched one scoreless inning. Adam Dunn hit his major league-leading 16th homer for the Reds, who took a 6-5 lead in the eighth when Felipe Lopez hit a two-run triple off Luis Vizcaino.
CINCINNATIMILWAUKEE
abrhbiabrhbi
Larkin ss4010EYong 2b2110
Wllmsn p0000Pdsdnk cf5122
JGillen rf5000Sexson 1b2200
Casey 1b5020Jenkins lf5000
Kearns cf5110Vn Wal rf3123
ABoone 3b4322Helms 3b4010
Dunn lf4112EPerez c4113
LaRue c4120Clayton ss3100
FLopez 2b4032Rusch p1110
Austin p1000Kschnk p0000
Merckr p0000KGintr ph1000
WPena ph1000Lskanic p0000
Ritsma p0000LVzcno p0000
Grf Jr. ph1000JFoster p0000
Hredia p0000ASnchz ph1000
Taylor ph1000DeJean p0000
JCastro 2b0000
Totals396126Totals31888
Cincinnati000202020--6
Milwaukee003200003--8
Two outs when winning run scored.
DP--Cincinnati 1. LOB--Cincinnati 8, Milwaukee 9. 2B--Casey (6), ABoone (11), EYoung (9), Vander Wal 2 (6). 3B--FLopez (2), Podsednik (2). HR--ABoone (11), Dunn (16), EPerez (5). SB--EYoung 2 (10). S--Rusch.
IPHRERBBSO
Cincinnati
Austin3 1-345562
Mercker2-310010
Reitsma100001
Heredia220010
Williamson L,3-21 2-313333
Milwaukee
Rusch5 2-384415
Kieschnick1-300001
Leskanic110002
LVizcaino1-322210
JFoster2-300000
DeJean W,1-2110002
WP--Williamson. Umpires--Home, Tony Randazzo; First, Lance Barksdale; Second, Ted Barrett; Third, C.B. Bucknor. T--3:07. A--16,482.
Expos 6, Rockies 4
DENVER -- Pinch-hitter Henry Mateo hit a two-run single off Todd Jones (1-2) in the 10th as the Expos overcame the third-inning ejection of starter Zach Day. Umpires said he had glue on his fingers to cover a blister.
Montreal won for the fifth time in six games. Luis Ayala (4-1) pitched two scoreless innings for his second win in as many days, and Rocky Biddle pitched the ninth for his 12th save.
MONTREALCOLORADO
abrhbiabrhbi
EChvez cf5110Blliard 2b4110
OCbera ss3120Payton lf2000
Vidro 2b3010Helton 1b5031
VGrero rf4021PrWlsn cf5010
Wlkrsn lf3101MaSwy rf3110
WCdero 1b5120Kapler rf2000
Tatis 3b2000JHrndz ss5010
Macias 3b1110CJhson c3111
Barrett c3000Stynes 3b3112
Liefer ph1000Young p1000
Ayala p0000Lopez p0000
HMateo ph1012Butler ph1000
Biddle p0000Speier p0000
Day p1110SReed p0000
Vargas p1000Norton ph1000
DSmith p0000TJones p0000
Cllway ph1000
Tucker p0000
Eschen p0000
Schndr c1000
Totals356114Totals35494
Montreal0020100102--6
Colorado0001021000--4
E--Belliard (6), Payton (1). DP--Montreal 1, Colorado 2. LOB--Montreal 10, Colorado 8. 2B--WCordero (6). 3B--Macias (1). HR--Stynes (4). CS--OCabrera (1), Wilkerson (2), HMateo (1), Belliard (1). S--EnChavez, Macias. SF--Wilkerson, CJohnson.
IPHRERBBSO
Montreal
Day220020
Vargas1 2-321120
DSmith1 1-300011
Tucker133311
Eischen110000
Ayala W,4-1200000
Biddle S,12110002
Colorado
Young5 2-373333
Lopez1-300000
Speier211012
SReed110010
TJones L,1-2122220
Day pitched to 1 batter in the 3rd, Tucker pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. HBP--by Young (Vidro). Umpires--Home, Bill Miller; First, Paul Emmel; Second, Joe West; Third, Jeff Kellogg. T--3:24. A--30,052.
Phillies 9, Astros 4
HOUSTON -- Placido Polanco homered, doubled, singled and scored three runs.
Brandon Duckworth (3-1) allowed three runs and five hits in five innings in his first game since being recalled from Triple-A Scranton. Duckworth had been demoted after consecutive bad outings raised his ERA to 6.46, .
Jim Thome added a solo homer in the ninth for the Phillies, who hit into six double plays.
Nate Bland (1-1) walked Todd Pratt with the bases loaded in a three-run sixth inning, giving Philadelphia a 4-3 lead.
PHILAHOUSTON
abrhbiabrhbi
Rollins ss5022Biggio cf5110
Planco 2b5331Ensbrg 3b3231
Thome 1b4221Bgwell 1b4000
Burrell lf1101JKent 2b4021
BAbreu rf3001Brkmn lf4011
DaBell 3b3010Blum lf0000
Pratt c2211Hidalgo rf2001
Byrd cf4111Asmus c4000
Dckwrt p1000AEvrtt ss4110
Ledee ph1000Lnbrnk p1000
Adams p0000Bland p0000
ToPerz ph1000Munro p0000
Crmier p0000BHnter ph1000
Stone p0000
Puffer p0000
JVzcno ph1000
Totals309108Totals33484
Philadelphia000113121--9
Houston210000100--4
E--Burrell (3), AEverett (3). DP--Philadelphia 1, Houston 6. LOB--Philadelphia 6, Houston 8. 2B--Polanco (10), Pratt (3), Ensberg (1), JKent (16). 3B--Ensberg (1). HR--Polanco (2), Thome (9). SB--BAbreu (3). S--Linebrink. SF--Burrell.
IPHRERBBSO
Philadelphia
Dckwrt W,3-1553343
Adams221003
Cormier210003
Houston
Linebrink553342
Bland L,1-11-312210
PMunro2-300010
Stone233320
Puffer111110
Linebrink pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. HBP--by Stone (Pratt), by Bland (Burrell), by Duckworth (Hidalgo).--Linebrink. Umpires--Home, Dan Iassogna; First, Alfonso Marquez; Second, Rick Reed; Third, Jeff Nelson. T--3:10. A--30,289.
Mets 5, Giants 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Cliff Floyd hit a two-run homer for New York, which had been 0-12 during the regular season at Pacific Bell Park. The Mets split a pair of playoffs games in 2000.
Steve Trachel (2-2) allowed one run and four hits in eight innings, the longest outing for a Mets pitcher since Al Leiter went 81/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 17. Damian Moss (5-2) gave up three runs, three hits and seven walks in six innings for San Francisco, which has lost six of eight.
Mike Piazza was put on the disabled list before the game with a severe right groin strain that is expected to sideline him for a significant amount of time.
NEW YORKSAN FRAN
abrhbiabrhbi
Scutaro 2b3110Grssom cf2001
RAlmr 2b0001Brower p0000
RGnzlz rf4000Glrrga ph1000
JPhllps 1b5021Eyre p0000
Benitez p0000Nathan p0000
Floyd lf3112Aurilia ss4010
Cedeno rf1000Bonds lf3000
Wggntn 3b3100Alfonzo 3b4010
VWilsn c3000JoCruz rf4000
Shinjo cf3110Snow 1b3000
McEwg ss2111Trralba c3110
Trchsel p3000NPerez 2b3010
TClark 1b0000Moss p0000
RRvera cf2010
Totals30565Totals29151
New York010020002--5
San Francisco001000000--1
E--Grissom (2), Eyre (1). DP--New York 1, San Francisco 3. LOB--New York 8, San Francisco 4. 2B--Aurilia (10). HR--Floyd (7). SB--RRivera (1). S--Moss. SF--RAlomar, Grissom.
IPHRERBBSO
New York
Trachsel W,2-2841113
Benitez110001
San Francisco
Moss L,5-2633273
Brower200010
Eyre022210
Nathan110002
Eyre pitched to 3 batters in the 9th. WP--Trachsel. Balk--Moss. Umpires--Home, Brian Runge; First, Ed Montague; Second, Brian Gorman; Third, Bruce Dreckman. T--2:47. A--42,259.