NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Torres Wild Inside on Return for Giants

Just a few days after walking out on his teammates, San Francisco Giant pitcher Salomon Torres was back in the middle of another controversy.

Torres hit Charlie Hayes in the face, breaking his left cheekbone, in the Colorado Rockies’ 6-4 victory Saturday at Denver. Torres also hit Andres Galarraga in the left arm one pitch earlier to open the fourth inning.

Torres said he didn’t mean to hit either batter.

“When you start to throw the ball up and at somebody’s head,” said Rockies Manager Don Baylor, “maybe it’s time to go back to double A and learn how to throw strikes.”

Hayes was on the ground for about two minutes while the Rockies attended to him. He then suddenly popped up and tried to get at Torres, but was held in a bear hug by Baylor.

Hayes was taken to a hospital and was to be re-evaluated.

The loss for Torres (2-7) was his fifth in a row.

He had failed to take a team flight to Cincinnati on Monday, but rejoined the Giants on Friday night and apologized for his absence.

Torres apparently was having a difficult time blending his lifestyle as a professional baseball player with his life as a devout member of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Pinch-hitter Howard Johnson hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning for Colorado. It was the second pinch-hit homer of the year for Johnson, who has had only three at-bats since June 16.

Chicago 3, St. Louis 1--Kevin Foster held the Cardinals hitless for 6 1/3 innings at Chicago before 39,665, largest of the year at Wrigley Field.

Foster (2-1) lost his no-hit bid when Mark Whiten beat out a grounder that shortstop Shawon Dunston fielded deep in the hole with one out in the seventh inning.

The Cardinals wound up with three hits, but it wasn’t enough to save Vicente Palacios (1-6) from the loss, even though he allowed only three hits in seven innings and struck out eight, matching a career high.

San Diego 6, Cincinnati 0--Joey Hamilton pitched a six-hitter at Cincinnati for his first major league shutout, ending the Reds’ six-game winning streak.

Hamilton (4-2) blanked the league’s top-hitting team. Cincinnati was shut out for only the second time in 73 games.

The Reds’ Barry Larkin singled in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.

Philadelphia 7, Atlanta 1--Pitcher Bobby Munoz’s first major league homer gave him enough runs for his fourth consecutive victory.

Munoz (4-2) hit a three-run homer at Philadelphia off Kent Mercker (6-2) as the Phillies snapped a three-game losing streak.

Pittsburgh 3, New York 1--It took only one swing by Orlando Merced and 75 pitches by Zane Smith at New York to lead the Pirates to their fifth consecutive victory. Merced hit a three-run homer and Smith (8-6) went eight innings to win for the fourth time in five decisions.

Alejandro Pena pitched a perfect ninth inning for his sixth save in seven chances, preserving Pittsburgh’s seventh victory in eight games.

Montreal 7, Florida 3--Lou Frazier drove in three runs and Moises Alou hit a two-run homer at Montreal, sending the Marlins’ to their sixth consecutive loss.

The Expos capitalized on a two-out error by shortstop Kurt Abbott to score five runs--four unearned--against Charlie Hough (5-6) in the second inning.