NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Tewksbury Gets Eighth Victory, 7-5

Bob Tewksbury keeps pitching just well enough to win.

The 33-year-old right-hander struck out six and walked one in eight innings to become baseball’s first eight-game winner as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Florida Marlins, 7-5, Saturday night at Miami.

“I wanted to finish,” Tewksbury said. “But if I can go out and pitch eight innings each game, I’m happy with that.”

Tewksbury (8-1) allowed nine hits, including Benito Santiago’s two-run homer.

“He’s a better pitcher this year,” St. Louis Manager Joe Torre said about Tewksbury, who had won only one of his previous three starts and who won 15 games in 1993. “Last year everybody was bragging he could throw a strike anytime he wanted to. The thing that’s most impressive this year is that he doesn’t throw a strike every time he wants to. You can’t zero in on him.”

Florida starter Chris Hammond extended his club-record streak of scoreless innings to 24 but left in the third because of tightness in his lower back. Robb Nen (2-2) pitched four innings for the loss.

Pittsburgh 6, Montreal 0--Jon Lieber gave up only three hits in eight innings at Pittsburgh for his first major league victory, and Kirk Rueter finally lost after opening his career with a 10-0 record.

Lieber survived two inning-opening doubles to make his second strong start since being recalled from triple-A Buffalo 10 days ago. He lost to the Phillies, 1-0, in his debut last Sunday.

Pittsburgh got single runs in the second and seventh innings before adding four in the eighth on two-run homers by Jeff King and Orlando Merced.

Rueter (2-1) fell two victories short of matching former Giant pitcher Hooks Wiltse’s 90-year major league record of 12 consecutive victories at the start of his career.

Philadelphia 9, New York 8--Milt Thompson continued his dominance over pitcher Bret Saberhagen with a three-run home run that sparked a six-run second inning at Philadelphia.

“I really can’t explain it,” said Thompson, now seven for 10 against Saberhagen. “Even if I could, you don’t like to say anything when things are going good.”

Bob Wells (1-0), one of five Phillie pitchers, worked only two-thirds of an inning to get his first major league victory. Doug Jones pitched a perfect ninth inning for his ninth save.

Houston 4, San Diego 2--Reliever Todd Jones pitched out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth inning at Houston, as the Padres’ club-record losing streak reached 13 games.

Jones preserved the victory for Shane Reynolds (2-1), who gave up eight hits, both runs and struck out six in five innings. Mitch Williams pitched a perfect ninth inning for his sixth save.

Andy Benes (2-8) took the loss, going six innings and giving up eight hits and four runs.

Chicago 12, San Francisco 10--Steve Buechele had a home run and four runs batted in and Sammy Sosa homered twice for the Cubs at Chicago.

It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Cubs, who had to overcome two home runs by Matt Williams and a two-run ninth-inning homer by Mark Carreon.

Mark Grace had three hits and three runs in Chicago’s 15-hit attack. Jim Bullinger (1-0), who relieved in the fourth, pitched 2 1/3 innings for the victory.

Atlanta 5, Colorado 4--Tony Tarasco homered and drove in three runs and Kent Mercker had a perfect game until the fifth inning at Colorado, as the Braves defeated the Rockies for the 15th consecutive time.

Mercker (3-0), who pitched a no-hitter on April 8 against the Dodgers and who collaborated with two relievers on another no-hitter in 1991, retired the first 12 batters before Andres Galarraga led off the fifth with a single.