NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Rockies Can’t Solve Tewksbury

Bob Tewksbury cooled off the National League’s highest-scoring team, striking out a career-high 10 and becoming the first five-game winner in the majors as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies, 2-1, Tuesday night at St. Louis.

Tewksbury (5-0) gave up five hits, including a home run by Andres Galarraga in the fourth inning, and walked none in his second consecutive complete game. He has won nine of 11 starts dating to last Aug. 28.

He also made an acrobatic play to end the eighth, knocking down Howard Johnson’s line drive, rolling to get the ball and then tossing it to first while on his back.

The Rockies entered the night averaging 6.3 runs per game. Galarraga’s home run was their league-leading 30th and ninth in four games, but no other Rocky got past second base. In one nine-batter stretch ending in the seventh, Tewksbury had four strikeouts and five infield outs.

“When he’s pitching, you can put the radar gun up and just unplug the batteries,” Colorado Manager Don Baylor said. “Speed is going to mean nothing. You start looking for the breaking ball and he comes in with a fastball and it looks like he’s throwing 95 m.p.h.”

Galarraga leads the league with 28 runs batted in, one short of the major league record for April held by four players--Dave Winfield in 1988, Dale Murphy in 1985, Ron Cey in 1977 and Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays this year.

San Diego 6, New York 3--Ricky Gutierrez’s two-run double erased a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning and lifted the Padres at New York.

Former Met Wally Whitehurst (2-3) matched a career high with nine strikeouts and walked three. Mark Davis faced two batters and Scott Sanders pitched 1 2/3 innings for his first career save.

Montreal 7, San Francisco 3--Shortstop Royce Clayton’s two-run throwing error and Cliff Floyd’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning helped the Expos rally at Montreal.

Billy Swift (3-2) had a 3-1 lead entering the fifth after retiring 12 consecutive batters.

Darrin Fletcher walked, and Sean Berry and Wil Cordero singled to load the bases. Expo pitcher Jeff Fassero (2-1) hit a bouncer to Clayton, whose throw to catcher Kirt Manwaring sailed to the backstop as two runs scored. Floyd’s sacrifice fly gave Montreal a 4-3 lead.

Cincinnati 8, Chicago 2--Tim Pugh pitched a five-hitter and Thomas Howard and Tony Fernandez each drove in three runs for the Reds at Cincinnati.

The Reds improved their record to 13-5 with their seventh victory in eight games. The Cubs have lost nine of 11 to fall to 5-13, worst in the majors.

Pittsburgh 7, Houston 4--Doubles by Brian Hunter and Carlos Garcia capped a four-run rally in the eighth inning that lifted the Pirates at Houston.

Jeff King led off the eighth with a single against Todd Jones (0-2) and took third on Orlando Merced’s single. After a walk to Don Slaught loaded the bases, King scored on Al Martin’s sacrifice fly.

After Merced was thrown out at home on a grounder, Mitch Williams relieved. Slaught then scored on Scott Servais’ second passed ball of the inning before pinch-hitter Hunter and Garcia hit run-scoring doubles.

Atlanta 9, Florida 6--Rookie Mike Kelly collected his first major league RBIs with a two-out, three-run double to break an eighth-inning tie at Miami.

Kelly, who entered the game in the seventh as a pinch-runner, pulled a 3-2 pitch from Yorkis Perez down the third base line with the bases loaded.

Rookies Javier Lopez and Ryan Klesko homered for the Braves, who overcame a 5-1 deficit.