NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Giants Still Offensive, Even Without Mitchell

The San Francisco Giants had heard it from the first day of spring training: Without Kevin Mitchell, their offense would suffer.

Wrong, so far.

Will Clark had a home run among his four hits and drove in four runs Thursday night as the Giants solved Steve Avery to spoil the Atlanta Braves’ home opener, 11-4.

Matt Williams hit a three-run homer and Darren Lewis had three hits and scored four times as the Giants got 15 hits.

“Right from the start of spring training, we heard we’re going to be different without Kevin,” Williams said. “We’re no different.”

The Giants traded Mitchell, who hit 109 home runs in the last three seasons, to Seattle for three pitchers during the off-season.

“This team’s going to score a lot of runs with Darren and the other guys ahead of us getting on base,” Williams said. “That’s what Will and I get paid to do--drive in runs.”

Avery (0-1) gave up three runs, only one of them earned, and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three. He also hit an RBI triple.

Avery lost for the first time since Aug. 25. He finished the regular season with five consecutive victories, and won twice more in the National League championship series against Pittsburgh, pitching a record 16 1/3 scoreless innings and winning the MVP trophy.

Houston 6, Cincinnati 5--Casey Candaele singled home the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning and the Astros, after rallying for four runs in the ninth inning, became the last National League team to win this season. They are 2-1 in their season-opening 15-game home stand.

Greg Swindell, making his NL debut, held Houston to five hits through eight innings and left with a 5-1 lead. He struck out seven and walked none.

Ken Caminiti’s three-run homer on Norm Charlton’s first pitch keyed a four-run burst in the ninth that sent the game into extra innings.

Philadelphia 7, Chicago 1--Dale Murphy hit his 397th career homer and drove in three runs as the Phillies ruined Mike Morgan’s debut for the Cubs at Philadelphia.

Morgan (0-1), who last year had his first winning major league season while with the Dodgers, worked into the sixth inning. He gave up six runs on six hits.

Dave Hollins hit his second home run of the season and Wes Chamberlain doubled twice and drove in a run for the Phillies.

Danny Cox (1-0) pitched six innings for the victory. He gave up one run and four hits, striking out three and walking one.

New York 7, St. Louis 1--Howard Johnson drove in four runs as the Mets got 15 hits to back Anthony Young’s six-hit pitching at St. Louis.

Met outfielder Vince Coleman and St. Louis rookie pitcher Donovan Osborne were hurt on the first play. Osborne was in an air cast afterward with a slightly sprained left ankle and Coleman was walking with a tender left hamstring.

Coleman, who missed half the 1991 season because of an injured hamstring, strained his hamstring on a bunt single. Osborne was injured while covering first.

Osborne, making his major league debut, came out after pitching two scoreless innings.

Young pitched his first complete game in the ninth start of his career. He struck out three and walked none.

Montreal 8, Pittsburgh 3--Darrin Fletcher had three hits and drove in the go-ahead runs with a sixth-inning double for the Expos at ittsburgh.

Fletcher singled in his first two at-bats before breaking a 1-1 tie with a two-run double off Bob Walk (0-1).

Montreal’s victory prevented a three-game sweep by Pittsburgh. The Pirates’ 2-0 start was their best since they won their first five games in 1983.

Chris Nabholz (1-0) worked the first five innings for the victory, giving up three hits and one unearned run while pitching out of a fifth-inning jam. With two on and one out, he struck out No. 3 hitter Andy Van Slyke and cleanup hitter Jeff King to end the threat.