NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Reds Win as Larkin Reheats

Barry Larkin cooled off briefly after a blazing start this season, but the Cincinnati Red shortstop is getting hot again.

Larkin extended his hitting streak to 10 games Monday night at Cincinnati with a game-winning, bases-loaded single in the Reds’ 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Reds, whose .303 team batting average leads the major leagues, overcame a three-run, first-inning deficit to maintain the best record in baseball (22-7).

Jack Armstrong (6-1) gave up seven hits in six innings. Randy Myers, who relieved Rob Dibble in the eighth, pitched two innings to get his seventh save.

Walt Terrell (1-2), who is 1-4 against the Reds in his career with an 8.07 earned-run average, allowed six hits and five runs in 1 2/3 innings. The Pirates entered the game with major-league leading 2.61 staff ERA.

Also on Monday, Cincinnati second baseman Mariano Duncan was put on the 15-day disabled list with severely pulled muscles in his right side. Duncan was the Reds’ top hitter, with a .382 average that ranked second in the National League.

Infielder Paul Noce was called up from Triple-A Nashville to take Dincan’s spot on the roster.

San Diego 5, Philadelphia 1--Andy Benes pitched a two-hitter for his first major league complete game and Joe Carter and Tony Gwynn each hit two-run homers at San Diego.

Benes (3-3) allowed singles to Darren Daulton and pinch-hitter Curt Ford in his 17th major league start. The right-hander struck out five and walked four.

Carter homered off Pat Combs (2-3) in the third inning. Gwynn, who was three for four, homered off Don Carman in the fifth.

Atlanta 3, Chicago 2--Francisco Cabrera made his first major-league run batted in an important one, driving in the winning run with a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning at Atlanta.

It was Cabrera’s first at-bat after the Braves purchased his contract from triple-A Richmond earlier in the day.

Reliever Dwayne Henry (1-1) earned the victory. Charley Kerfeld got Ryne Sandberg to ground out with the bases loaded for his second save.

Andre Dawson hit his ninth homer and Sandberg had his sixth for the Cubs.

San Francisco 4, New York 2--Bob Knepper allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings at San Francisco to beat the Mets for the second time in a week.

Will Clark’s two-run homer was his fifth for the Giants, who won for only the third time in 14 home games this season.

Knepper (2-1), a 35-year old left-hander, is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA against the Mets over the last two seasons.

Steve Bedrosian earned his fifth save.