NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Benes Strikes Out 12 as Padres Sweep Giants

The San Diego Padres, who hadn’t won a road series this season, completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.

Andy Benes (4-9) struck out 12 in a 5-2 victory Sunday to take over the major league strikeout lead with 100. He gave up six hits and walked none.

“I don’t try to strike people out,” Benes said. “I just try to make good pitches.”

Benes struck out the side in the seventh inning for a string of five consecutive strikeouts, but was lifted after the Giants scored an unearned run in the eighth.

Trevor Hoffman worked the ninth for his 10th save.

Matt Williams hit his league-leading 22nd home run in the fourth inning, but the Giants still lost their fourth in a row and sixth straight at home.

Colorado 3, Cincinnati 2--The Rockies formed a line and exchanged high-fives after beating the Reds for their first victory in 11 games at Cincinnati.

Hayes doubled home a run in the second, hit a solo homer in the fifth that bounced off the top of the wall, and doubled and scored the tie-breaking run on Nelson Liriano’s ninth-inning single off Hector Carrasco (3-3).

Steve Reed (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings, and Bruce Ruffin got lucky in the ninth while getting his ninth save.

After Deion Sanders walked to start the inning, Barry Larkin grounded up the middle. But Ruffin stuck his right leg out and deflected the ball directly to first baseman Andres Galarraga for the first out.

Atlanta 3, Houston 1--Greg Maddux gave up 11 hits at Houston but still became the first 10-game winner in the major leagues.

“I’ll take any win I can get,” said Maddux (10-2), who is trying to become the first pitcher to win three consecutive Cy Young Awards. He lowered his ERA to 1.38, also the best mark in the majors.

“If you start thinking about 20 wins or pitching in the World Series or the Cy Young Award, you’ll stop pitching,” he said. “I can throw the pitches I make, everything else is out of my control.”

Maddux walked none and struck out four in his fourth complete game. He was helped by three double plays.

New York 5, Montreal 4--Kevin McReynolds, battling back problems that put him on the disabled list in the middle of May, homered twice, tripled and drove in four runs for the Mets at New York.

The score was tied at 4 when McReynolds led off the eighth inning with a home run.

The Mets stopped a five-game losing streak, while the Expos lost for only the fourth time in 13 games.

McReynolds’ fourth home run of the season gave him 12 two-homer games in his career.

Pittsburgh 5, Florida 1--Dave Clark went four for four and had four RBIs and rookie Jon Lieber gave up only five hits in eight innings as the Pirates finished off a four-game sweep of the Marlins at Pittsburgh.

Clark had a two-run homer and two doubles. He is eight for 10 lifetime against Marlin starter Dave Weathers (6-5), who is 0-3 in his career against Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia 7, St. Louis 2--Danny Jackson got his eighth victory of the season and the Phillies scored four quick runs after Cardinals starter Bob Tewksbury was injured.

Jackson (8-1) gave up eight hits, struck out three and walked one in eight innings. His last loss was on May 18.

Tewksbury (8-5), who lost his fourth straight start, left the game in the fourth inning after being struck just above the right ankle by Milt Thompson’s line-drive single.

X-rays of Tewksbury’s leg will be taken today.

Thompson’s hit scored Jim Eisenreich, breaking a 1-1 tie, and Tewksbury then allowed a single to Kim Batiste before leaving the game.