NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : New Environment Helps Renew Navarro

The Chicago Cubs are winning with pitching, and the leader of the staff is Jaime Navarro.

Jaime Navarro?

A year ago, he was 4-9 with Milwaukee and expendable. Now he’s 5-0 with Chicago, the first Cub to win his first five decisions since Steve Stone in 1975.

And the Cubs are alone in first in the National League Central Division after Navarro gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings Friday night in a 5-1 victory over the Florida Marlins at Miami.

“One more win than last year,” said Navarro, shaking his head. “I lost a lot of confidence last year. They were always complaining about my weight or saying I was hurt. I was ready for a fresh start in the National League.”

He has one in Chicago.

“He’s been dominating,” said first baseman Mark Grace, who hit his seventh homer of the season in the eighth inning and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

“It’s not by accident that he’s 5-0. We don’t have a killer offense. We don’t really strike fear in the opponent. But it’s a lot easier when you only have to score two or three runs a game.”

Montreal 7, San Diego 1--Jeff Fassero (7-1) allowed three hits and one run over eight innings to become the first seven-game winner in the major leagues, and the Expos scored six runs in the ninth inning to win at San Diego.

San Francisco 4, Philadelphia 2--Steve Scarsone hit a two-run homer off Gene Harris (2-2) with one out in the ninth inning as the Giants won at San Francisco.

Scarsone, who has hit homers in each of his last four starts, hit his fifth homer of the season into the left-field bleachers, driving in Royce Clayton, who had walked.

St. Louis 10, Cincinnati 7--Bernard Gilkey’s two-run homer, the third by the Cardinals, helped them overcome another poor performance by Danny Jackson and win at Cincinnati.

Gilkey’s sixth-inning homer off Pete Smith (1-2) broke a 6-6 tie. Ray Lankford and Brian Jordan also homered for St. Louis.

Jeff Parrett (2-1) got the victory with 2 2/3 innings in relief of Jackson, who is 0-6 with a 7.71 earned-run average.

Colorado 7, Pittsburgh 4--Pinch-hitter Ellis Burks hit a three-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning at Denver, lifting the Rockies.

Joe Girardi led off the bottom of the ninth with a single off reliever Jeff McCurry (0-1) and was bunted to second. Dan Plesac intentionally walked pinch-hitter Eric Young before giving way to Dan Miceli, who gave up the 443-foot homer to Burks.

Houston 7, Atlanta 2--Derek Bell drove in three runs with a homer, single and sacrifice fly to help Doug Drabek win for the first time since opening day as the Astros won at Atlanta.