NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Briley’s Homers Help End Marlins’ Power Outage

Greg Briley gave the Florida Marlins a taste of what they’ve been missing: home runs.

The Marlins, last in the majors with 22 home runs, took advantage of two Briley homers in beating the San Francisco Giants, 7-3, in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday.

In the second game, won by the Giants, 4-3, center fielder Darren Lewis robbed the Marlins’ Geronimo Berroa of a two-run homer.

But Giant starter Bud Black (4-1) salvaged the split, thanks in part to his two-out RBI single in the fifth inning. They added three more runs in the sixth against Ryan Bowen (3-6).

Rod Beck earned his 14th save.

In the opener, Robby Thompson of the Giants went 0-for-5 to end a 20-game hitting streak, his career best and the longest in the major leagues this season.

Chris Hammond (4-4) won despite giving up 11 hits and three runs in six innings.

San Diego 2, Atlanta 1--Derek Bell hit a two-run homer and Doug Brocail won his first major league game as the Padres won for only the second time in their last nine tries.

The Braves lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Bell hit his 11th home run in the fourth inning off John Smoltz (4-5) after Gary Sheffield opened the inning with a double.

Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 3--The Phillies blew a seventh-inning lead before rallying behind Jim Eisenreich’s RBI single in the eighth.

Danny Jackson, trying to beat his former Cincinnati teammates for the first time, took a 3-1 lead into the seventh. But slumping Kevin Mitchell doubled home two runs with two outs to tie it.

Larry Andersen (3-1) struck out Bobby Kelly to end the Reds’ seventh-inning rally and get the win.

Mitch Williams earned his 15th save in 19 chances.

Montreal 2, Houston 1--Frank Bolick, robbed of a hit on the final play the previous night, singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.

The victory snapped Houston’s three-game winning streak and prevented Doug Drabek (5-6) from winning his third consecutive game in the Astrodome.

John Wetteland (3-0) pitched the final two innings for the victory.

Chicago 8, New York 3--Met pitcher Anthony Young failed to earn the victory, but at least he didn’t add to his 19-game losing streak.

Young (0-5), making his first start of the season after 17 relief appearances, pitched six shutout innings and was leading, 1-0, when he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh. But the Cubs scored four runs in the bottom of the inning off Mike Draper (0-1) and Mike Maddux.

Greg Hibbard (6-3) won for the fifth time in six starts, giving up five hits in seven innings. Randy Myers earned his 16th save in 17 opportunities.

Pittsburgh 8, Colorado 6--Orlando Merced homered and drove in a career-best five runs, and Bob Walk earned his seventh victory of the season, tying him for the league lead.

Merced hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning after the Rockies had drawn within one run.

Walk (7-3) lost a shutout in the fourth inning when center fielder Andy Van Slyke lost sight of Alex Cole’s fly ball in left-center field. The ball fell for a two-run double.