NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Marlins Follow Dancing Ball to Victory

Warming up before Tuesday’s game at St. Louis, Charlie Hough knew his knuckleball was special.

“I had good command in the bullpen. I felt real solid,” he said after giving up six hits over eight innings in the Florida Marlins’ 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Usually, warming up, I’ve got no clue as to how it’s going to work,” said the 45-year-old right-hander, who improved to 6-11.

St. Louis Manager Joe Torre, who hit against Hough as a player, agreed with the pitcher’s assessment.

“When the knuckler’s dancing, it’s hard to hit,” Torre said. “When it tumbles, it’s hittable. Tonight, it was dancing.”

Benito Santiago’s ninth home run, a shot into the right-field bleachers in the second inning, was all the support Hough needed.

Perhaps as important as Hough’s knuckleball was his good-luck charm--his 15-year-old son, Aaron.

Hough is 5-0 this season in six starts with his son present. He is 1-11 in his other 17 starts.

“He’s a pest,” Hough joked as Aaron, accompanying the Marlins on the trip, filmed the postgame interview.

Hough struck out five and walked one. Bryan Harvey pitched the ninth for his 32nd save.

Montreal 3, New York 1--Jeff Fassero, making the fifth start of his career, scattered seven hits over 7 1/3 innings, and the Expos scored all their runs in the first inning at Montreal.

Fassero (7-1) is 2-0 and has a 0.91 earned-run average as a starter. He had never worked past the sixth inning before Tuesday, when he struck out five and walked two. The third-year left-hander has appeared in 45 games this season and has an ERA of 1.76.

John Wetteland pitched 1 2/3 innings for his 23rd save.

The Expos reached Frank Tanana (5-11) for three runs on four hits with two out in the first inning.

Larry Walker followed Marquis Grissom’s single with a run-scoring double and scored on Moises Alou’s single to left. Sean Berry doubled to score Alou.

Bobby Bonilla accounted for the New York run with a home run in the fourth, his 23rd.

Pittsburgh 7, Chicago 3--Zane Smith gained his first victory in more than a year and Lonnie Smith and Jay Bell each drove in three runs as the Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak at Chicago.

Smith (1-4), who missed the first half of the season after shoulder surgery, gave up eight hits, one walk and struck out three in seven innings to win for the first time since July 11, 1992. Mark Dewey pitched the final two innings and retired six in a row.

Cincinnati 5, Colorado 4--The Rockies’ franchise-record losing streak reached nine games at Cincinnati. Colorado blew a ninth-inning lead and lost on Joe Oliver’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning.

Dante Bichette hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth against Rob Dibble to put the Rockies ahead, but their bullpen couldn’t hold on.

Jack Daugherty had a pinch double off Darren Holmes with one out in the bottom of the ninth, and Hal Morris singled off Gary Wayne to tie the score, 4-4, with two out.

Curtis Leskanic (1-5) helped the Reds by walking Jacob Brumfield on four pitches to open the 10th. After Chris Sabo’s sacrifice, Reggie Sanders was walked intentionally, and Leskanic threw a wild pitch to advance the runners. Oliver then hit a fly ball deep to right to send the Rockies to their 16th loss in 19 games since the All-Star break.

Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 3--Pete Incaviglia hit his fourth home run in three games as the Phillies won at Atlanta.

Terry Mulholland (11-8) scattered eight hits and struck out three in seven innings. He did not walk a batter in winning his third consecutive decision. Mitch Williams, the fourth Phillie pitcher, worked the ninth for his 30th save.

The Phillies jolted Steve Avery (11-4) for three runs in the second. Dave Hollins legged out an infield single, and Darren Daulton walked before Incaviglia drilled an opposite-field homer, his 17th, to right field.

San Francisco 12, San Diego 7--Will Clark hit a three-run homer, a two-run triple and finished with six runs bated in--one short of his career best--as the Giants won at San Diego.

But it was an infield double by Robby Thompson with two outs in the seventh that allowed the Giants to gain their fourth victory in a row.

The Padres had gone ahead, 7-5, by scoring five runs with two outs in the fifth inning.

After Kirt Manwaring walked to lead off the Giants’ seventh, Trevor Hoffman came on and struck out the next two batters. Thompson popped up, but the ball dropped between Hoffman and catcher Brad Ausmus for the first of five consecutive hits.