NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mimbs Shuts Out Padres for Phillies

Two years ago, Michael Mimbs was a castoff. Judged no longer a prospect by the Dodgers, he was cut loose and wandered to St. Paul of the Northern League, an independent minor league organization of players nobody else wants.

The Dodgers still remember Mimbs every time they see his twin brother, Mark, whom they considered identical to Michael, except on the mound.

Mark Mimbs throws fastballs in triple-A Albuquerque.

Michael Mimbs throws curveballs in Philadelphia.

The Phillies saw enough in him to give him a second chance at a career, and he has rewarded them often, including Friday night when he pitched a two-hit shutout, beating the San Diego Padres, 2-0, in Philadelphia.

Mimbs (3-1) gave up only a second-inning double by Ken Caminiti and an eighth-inning double by Andujar Cedeno. He struck out four.

“I usually throw a lot more changeups than I did tonight,” Mimbs said. “But tonight my curveball was working well. It seems like I’ve got my curveball back and that really helps me a lot. I need that pitch to set up my other pitches.”

Mimbs got help from Gregg Jefferies and Dave Hollins, who drove in runs in the first inning for Philadelphia, which has won seven of nine and 17 of 21.

Andy Benes (0-5) gave up only five hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked one, but lost his 10th decision in a row since defeating the Mets on July 3, 1994.

Atlanta 8, Houston 3--Switch-hitting rookie Chipper Jones had three hits, including his seventh homer of the year, as the Braves won at Houston, handing the Astros their fourth loss in a row.

The Braves got to Greg Swindell (3-2) for eight hits and six runs in 1 1/3 innings. After Atlanta got a run in the first, Mike Kelly and Marquis Grissom had two-run homers in the second and Fred McGriff added an RBI single that knocked out Swindell.

Pittsburgh 4, Colorado 2--Paul Wagner won as a starter for the first time in nearly a year, holding the Rockies to three hits in seven innings at Pittsburgh.

Wagner (1-5) hadn’t won a start since last June 26 against New York, a span in which he was 0-8 with a 7.40 earned-run average, including 0-5 and 7.34 this year. He was aided by four double plays, including one in each of the first three innings.

San Francisco 6, New York 4--Darren Lewis broke a ninth-inning tie with an RBI single at New York as the Giants extended the Mets’ losing streak to six games.

New York reliever Doug Henry (1-3) entered the game in the ninth and gave up a leadoff double to Mark Carreon. Jeff Reed sacrificed, but Henry misplayed the bunt for an error and Lewis followed with a single. Reliever Eric Gunderson’s wild pitch allowed Reed to score from third.

Cincinnati 4, St. Louis 3--Barry Larkin’s single capped a three-run seventh inning at St. Louis as the Reds won their fifth game in a row and ninth of their last 11.

The Cardinals wasted a strong effort from 29-year-old rookie Mark Petkovsek, making his first start in nearly four seasons, and lost for the eighth time in 11 games. St. Louis led, 3-0, after five innings.

Florida 5, Chicago 3--The Cubs scored three times in the first inning to take a 3-1 lead, but the Marlins got home runs by Tommy Gregg, Kurt Abbott and Charles Johnson to win in Chicago.

Pat Rapp (1-3) was the winning pitcher in only the seventh victory in 27 games for Florida.