NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Cardinals’ Pena Delivers Key Hit in 11th Inning

Geronimo Pena came off the disabled list Monday and within hours made the St. Louis Cardinals realize what they had been missing.

Playing in his first game since May 3 when he broke his left shin bone, Pena drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the 11th inning, as the Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-5, at St. Louis.

“I was ready to play and I wanted to get something going,” said the second baseman who has never played a full season without an injury in his four years.

Pena’s bloop single to left off Roger Bailey (2-3) scored Tripp Cromer with the winning run after the Cardinals had come from behind in both the seventh and eighth to tie the score.

Florida 9, Houston 7--Chris Hammond hit the first grand slam by a pitcher in nearly nine years and Terry Pendleton went five for five to help the Marlins beat the Astros at Miami.

The Marlins had a season-high 19 hits. Alex Arias went four for four.

Hammond put his team ahead, 4-2, in the second inning, but didn’t pitch long enough to earn the victory. He left with an 8-3 lead and the bases loaded in the fourth, and Mark Gardner retired Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell to end the inning.

Hammond’s grand slam was the first by a pitcher since Bob Forsch of St. Louis hit one against Pittsburgh’s Mike Bielecki on Aug. 10, 1986.

Pendleton had three singles, a double and a triple to tie his career high for hits in a game. He also committed two errors at third base.

Florida left fielder Jeff Conine’s consecutive-game streak of 307, second only to Cal Ripken among active players, ended. Conine, who has been slowed by a strained left hamstring, had played in every game in Marlin history.

Randy Veres (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings, and Robb Nen shut out Houston in the final two innings for his second save.

Atlanta 2, Chicago 1--Tom Glavine finished with a five-hitter for his first complete game in more than a year as the Braves won at Chicago.

Glavine (4-1) had allowed 13 first-inning runs this season, but retired the Cubs in order, setting up his sinking pitches that would help him record 16 outs by ground balls.

In the ninth, Mark Grace doubled with one out and Glavine had to face Sammy Sosa, who had homered in the seventh for the Cubs’ only run. This time Sosa walked. Glavine then got Shawon Dunston to hit to third, and Chipper Jones stepped on the bag for the second out. Steve Buechele then grounded out to end the game.

San Francisco 11, Montreal 6--The Giants blew a five-run lead in the seventh, but scored six in the ninth, capped by a three-run homer by Barry Bonds, and beat the Expos at Montreal.

Trailing, 6-5, the Giants scored the tying run against reliever Mel Rojas (1-1) on consecutive singles by Jeff Reed, Royce Clayton and pinch-hitter Mark Carreon.

After pinch-hitter Steve Scarsone walked to load the bases, Rojas hit Darren Lewis to drive in Clayton with the go-ahead run.

Luis Aquino relieved and Carreon scored on a wild pitch. It was the third run the Giants scored on a wild pitch. One out later, Bonds hit his seventh homer.

San Diego 3, New York 2--Melvin Nieves homered off Blas Minor with two outs in the 13th inning at New York as the Padres rallied to hand the Mets their eighth loss in nine games.

San Diego was playing its third consecutive extra-inning game. The Padres split two in Philadelphia.