NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mets Welcome Green With Loss

The Dallas Green era with the New York Mets started Friday night with a loss as the Atlanta Braves won, 4-2, at New York, handing the Mets their 19th defeat in 24 games.

Green was hired as the Mets’ 15th manager Wednesday night after Jeff Torborg was fired with the team last in the National League East with a 13-25 record. Torborg didn’t have any answers to his high-priced team’s poor play, and Green didn’t find any quick solutions either.

It didn’t help the Mets that 1992 Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux (4-3) was sharp, pitching a six-hitter. He retired 18 consecutive batters until the ninth, when Joe Orsulak singled with one out and eventually scored on Bobby Bonilla’s sacrifice fly. Maddux struck out five and walked none in his first complete game.

Outfielder Deion Sanders was back in uniform for the Braves and has agreed to terms on a three-year contract worth about $11 million that will make him a full-time baseball player.

Sanders took batting practice, but did not play.

San Francisco 3, Cincinnati 0--Bill Swift and Rod Beck combined on a three-hitter at San Francisco as the Giants extended their winning streak to seven games.

Swift (6-1) posted his sixth victory in a row, giving up three hits in eight innings. He walked three, struck out four and lowered his earned-run average in his last six starts to 2.06.

Beck picked up his 10th save.

Montreal 6, Philadelphia 2--Ken Hill won for the first time in four starts, giving up two hits in 6 1/3 innings at Philadelphia.

Hill (5-0) gave up both runs, walked six and struck out three, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth by getting John Kruk to hit into a double play. Reliever Mel Rojas picked up his sixth save.

Danny Jackson (4-2) gave up four runs and seven hits and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings.

Florida 5, Chicago 3--Junior Felix nearly cost the Marlins the game by dropping a flyball, then hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning at Miami.

Chicago failed to capitalize on Felix’s error in the eighth, which helped the Cubs load the bases with one out against Trevor Hoffman. Pinch-hitter Rey Sanchez struck out looking, and Dwight Smith grounded out.

In the bottom of the eighth, Benito Santiago singled against Paul Assenmacher (1-1) with two out. Felix then hit an 0-and-2 pitch over the left-field scoreboard for his sixth home run.

Hoffman (2-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Bryan Harvey pitched a scoreless ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.

St. Louis 10, Pittsburgh 8--The Cardinals squandered a 7-2 lead as Lee Smith gave up home runs to Orlando Merced and Lloyd McClendon, then won on pinch-hitter Gerald Perry’s two-run single in the 11th at Pittsburgh.

Each bullpen gave up six runs during the final six innings. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the 11th against Paul Wagner (1-1) before Perry’s two-out single.

Les Lancaster (3-0) pitched a scoreless 10th for the victory.

San Diego 3, Houston 2--Ricky Gutierrez eluded the tag of Houston catcher Scott Servais on a chopper by Guillermo Velasquez, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning at San Diego.

Rich Rodriguez (2-2) got the final out in the top of the 10th to earn the victory.