NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Cubs Lose Despite Rhodes’ 3 Homers

Karl Rhodes did the swinging and Hillary Rodham Clinton did the singing Monday, and still it wasn’t enough for the Chicago Cubs to win on opening day.

Despite Rhodes’ three solo home runs against Dwight Gooden, the Cubs lost to the New York Mets, 12-8, at Chicago on a day in which the First Lady throw out the first pitch and later joined broadcaster Harry Caray in a rousing rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

“I have to tell you, I don’t try to hit home runs. I never have and I never will,” Rhodes said. “I go up there and try to hit line drives.”

Rhodes and George Bell are the only players to hit three home runs in an opener. Bell did it on April 4, 1988, for Toronto at Kansas City, but Rhodes was the first to do it in his first three at-bats.

Gooden, 27-4 in his career against the Cubs, knew it might be a wild day when he saw the 22 m.p.h. winds blowing out to left.

“It was typical Wrigley Field,” he said. Gooden didn’t get a chance to face Rhodes a fourth time. He was lifted for reliever Eric Hillman, who walked Rhodes in the sixth.

After his walk, Rhodes singled in the ninth against John Franco to complete his four-for-four day.

San Francisco 8, Pittsburgh 0--The belief that Matt Williams would feel the loss of free agent Will Clark was quickly put in doubt when the Giants’ hitter homered in his first two at-bats and finished with five runs batted in.

That made it easy for John Burkett, who limited Pittsburgh to five hits in seven innings before 58,077 at San Francisco.

After hitting a solo shot to right-center leading off the second inning, Williams hurt Pirates starter Zane Smith again in the third.

Smith walked Darren Lewis, who stole second and took third on an errant pickoff throw by catcher Don Slaught. After Willie McGee drew a two-out walk, Williams worked the count to 3-2 before driving the next pitch over the left-field wall for a 4-0 lead.

Smith, 0-9 against the Giants since 1987, went four innings, giving up four runs on three hits.

Philadelphia 12, Colorado 6--Getting a homer and four RBIs from Mariano Duncan, the Phillies began defense of their National League East title by using an eight-run eighth inning to win before 72,470 at Denver. Although the game began in 51-degree weather, the temperature dropped steadily and light snow flurries began falling in the seventh inning.

Andres Galarraga and Joe Girardi had run-scoring singles in the seventh to put the Rockies ahead, 6-4, but the Phillies rallied in the eighth on only two hits. There were six walks, and left fielder Howard Johnson made a three-run error.

The Phillies loaded the bases on two walks and an error by shortstop Walt Weiss before Duncan doubled into the gap in right-center field against closer Darren Holmes. Ricky Jordan produced the go-ahead run with a groundout, and another scored on Holmes’ wild pitch.

After Johnson’s error on Jim Eisenreich’s liner let in three more runs, Tom Marsh capped the inning with an RBI single.

Reliever Heathcliff Slocumb was the winner. Mike Munoz took the loss.

Atlanta 4, San Diego 1--Two-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux gave up seven hits in eight innings, and Deion Sanders and rookie Ryan Klesko hit homers at San Diego.

The Padres, who lost 101 games in 1993, got off to a bumbling start. The game was delayed 16 minutes to accommodate fans stuck in ticket lines due to a computer crash. Batting star Tony Gwynn, honored in lengthy pregame ceremonies, left after four innings because of a strained left calf.

Then staff ace Andy Benes was touched for two homers and two doubles in seven innings.

Rookie Javier Lopez doubled into the left-center gap with two outs in the second to score Fred McGriff from third.

Houston 6, Montreal 5--Mitch Williams was Wild Thing again. This time, his new team got him off the hook.

Williams walked home two runs in the top of the 12th inning, but Jeff Bagwell singled in one run and Ken Caminiti hit a two-run double in the bottom half, giving the Astros the victory at Houston.

Williams relieved to start the 12th with the score tied at 3-3. He struck out Larry Walker and retired Darrin Fletcher on a grounder to shortstop, then got into trouble again.

Wil Cordero and Jeff Gardner singled before Sean Berry walked on four pitches, loading the bases. Randy Milligan walked on five pitches, forcing home the go-ahead run, and Marquis Grissom walked on a 3-2 pitch.

Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 4--Kevin Mitchell hit a one-out homer in the 10th inning at Cincinnati on the day designated as the Reds’ traditional opener.

John Smiley, the Reds’ biggest disappointment last season, pitched five shutout innings, and Cincinnati got two-run homers from Reggie Sanders and Joe Oliver to go ahead, 4-0, in their pseudo opener. But the Reds’ bullpen couldn’t hold, letting St. Louis tie it in the eighth.

After winner Hector Carrasco pitched out of a bases-loaded threat in the top of the 10th, Mitchell hit the second pitch from Rob Murphy into the third deck beyond the left-field wall.

Marge Schott, Reds owner, snubbed the nationally televised Sunday opener because downtown businesses couldn’t organize a pregame parade. The Reds’ owner broke out the red-white-and-blue bunting and mascot Schottzie 02 before Monday’s game.