NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Braves, Real Road Warriors, Win Again

John Smoltz is among those who think the Atlanta Braves are going to have an easy time this season.

“We don’t think we’re ever going to lose two in a row,” he said after a 4-2 victory over the Cubs Sunday at Chicago enabled the Braves to tie the team record with their 10th consecutive victory on the road.

Smoltz (2-1) gave up five hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked two. Atlanta, with the best record in baseball at 12-1, also won 10 in a row on the road in July of 1992. Including the end of the 1993 season, the Braves have won 12 consecutive road games.

“There are so many things we can do when we have a lead,” Smoltz said. “Now that we’re 12-1, we don’t feel there is any team that can catch us.”

Smoltz, who had 208 strikeouts last season, has the National League lead with 22.

“The pitching since day one has been sensational,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “As for Smoltz, he’s been around for a long time. He has great stuff. Both his fastball and curveball were working well.”

San Francisco 9, Florida 8--Barry Bonds and Matt Williams hit two-run homers to help the Giants take a 9-2 lead at Miami before the Marlins fought back.

An RBI double by Chuck Carr and Gary Sheffield’s two-run homer in the seventh cut the Giants’ margin to 9-5.

To start the eighth, Kevin Rogers relieved Mark Portugal, who won his 14th consecutive decision. Rogers’ second pitch brushed back Benito Santiago, who then charged the mound and was tackled by the pitcher.

“It’s instinct,” Santiago said. “It’s just something that happened.”

Said Rogers: “Elbows were flying, bodies were flying, punches were being thrown. It was wild out there. I’m a little claustrophobic to begin with, and it was scary.”

Because both teams had previously been warned about brush-back pitches, Giant Manager Dusty Baker was ejected. So were Santiago and Rogers.

Santiago’s anger seemed to inspire the Marlins. A double, three walks and Dave Magadan’s two-run single trimmed San Francisco’s lead to a single run. Mike Jackson then struck out Sheffield with two on to end the inning.

Colorado 6, Montreal 5--Ellis Burks homered with two out in the 10th inning at Denver, leading the Rockies to their sixth victory in 11 games, putting them above .500 for the first time.

Colorado has won four consecutive games and also has won six consecutive extra-inning games.

Burks, who started the day as the NL’s second-leading hitter at .438, hit his fifth homer of the season, against Gil Heredia (0-2), Montreal’s sixth pitcher. Montreal closer John Wetteland left the game one at-bat earlier because of an undisclosed injury.

Mike Munoz (1-1), Colorado’s sixth pitcher, threw a one-hit 10th.

Cincinnati 7, Philadelphia 0--The Reds’ Tom Browning pitched a two-hitter at Philadelphia to win for the first time since last July 22.

Browning (1-0), who sat out the final three months of 1993 because of a broken finger, struck out four and walked two in his first complete game this year. It was his 12th career shutout, his first since May 7, 1990.

St. Louis 5, San Diego 0--Geromino Pena homered from both sides of the plate to lead the Cardinals over the struggling Padres at St. Louis.

Pena, playing only because of an injury to second baseman Luis Alicea, homered left-handed in the third and right-handed in the seventh.

Rene Arocha rebounded from two poor starts with a five-hitter as the Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games.

New York 4, Houston 2--Jeff Kent hit two more home runs, including a two-run shot in the eighth inning, to lead the Mets at New York. Kent has six home runs and 13 RBIs in his last six games.