Baseball Roundup : Reds Break Out of Slump, Get 13 Hits and Win, 9-8

The Cincinnati Reds came into Atlanta Monday night riding a four-game losing streak, during which they had scored only two runs.

Their bats finally came alive, but their defense fell apart as they hung on for a 9-8 victory over the Braves.

The Reds scored five runs in the first inning and finished with 13 hits. But three unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth enabled the Braves to make it close.

With two outs, Atlanta’s Brad Komminsk reached on an error by Nick Esasky at third. Dale Murphy followed with an RBI double, and Bob Horner then hit a grounder that Dave Concepcion misplayed for another error, allowing Murphy to score. Gerald Perry singled, and the Reds brought in Ted Power to relieve Carl Willis.

Rick Cerone got an RBI single, making it 9-8, before Power struck out Glenn Hubbard to end the game.

Esasky and Dave Van Gorder provided much of the offense for the Reds. Esasky stroked the Reds’ first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, and Van Gorder knocked in three runs in Cincinnati’s most productive game thus far.

Murphy went 2 for 5 with three runs batted in and is 11 for 23 this season with four home runs and 13 RBIs.

San Diego 8, San Francisco 3--A crowd of 54,490, the largest ever for a Padres’ regular-season game, turned out for the home opener, and the fans weren’t disappointed.

Carmelo Martinez, removed from the disabled list earlier in the day, hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and Eric Show (2-0) limited the Giants to one run on three hits over seven innings.

Chicago 2, Philadelphia 1--In his first pinch-hitting role with the Cubs, Chris Speier hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning at Chicago.

“I’ve always been a starter and I find the utility role hard,” Speier said. “But I was ready.”

Steve Trout (2-0) was the winner. Lee Smith picked up his second save by striking out the side in the ninth inning.

St. Louis 6, Montreal 1--Ozzie Smith, who signed a four-year contract extension worth more than $2 million per season earlier in the day, hit his eighth career home run in a three-run sixth inning as the Cardinals won their home opener. Smith also singled and scored in a three-run fifth.

Bob Forsch (1-0) scattered eight hits in his first complete game since he pitched a no-hitter against the Expos on Sept. 26, 1983.

Pittsburgh 4, New York 1--John Candelaria, exiled to the bullpen against his wishes in the final weeks of spring training, came on to overpower the Mets in the final 2 innings at Pittsburgh.

Candelaria limited the Mets to two hits and got Mike Bielecki, a rookie making his first major league start, out of a two-out, two-on jam in the seventh by getting Keith Hernandez to fly out. In his first three outings as a reliever, Candelaria has a victory and two saves.

Chicago 6, Boston 5--Julio Cruz’s two-out, two-run single in the 11th inning broke a 4-4 tie at Boston and sent the White Sox on to victory.

Cruz’s single to left scored Ozzie Guillen and Greg Walker. Guillen led off the 11th with a walk off Bob Stanley (0-1), and Walker followed with a single off Stanley’s glove, and advanced on a ground out.

Boston cut the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the 11th when Glenn Hoffman doubled, took third on an infield out and scored on a passed ball by Carlton Fisk. But Al Jones (1-0) retired the next three batters.

Oakland 7, Seattle 4--The A’s came from behind on consecutive solo home runs by Mike Heath and the red-hot Mike Davis in the fourth inning and went on to win at Oakland as the Mariners lost for the first time this season.

Heath’s homer, his first, was an inside-the-park drive off Mark Langston (1-1) and tied the game at 3-3. Davis then put Oakland ahead with his third homer. Davis has 11 RBIs in the last four games and 13 for the season.