NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Cubs Make Short Work of the Phillies, 4-0

Time was of the essence Friday in the Cubs’ 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago, the major leagues’ first game in which the new speed-up rules were enforced.

The changes designed to make quicker work of the game seemed to have had an effect. The Cubs stopped the Phillies’ four-game winning streak in 2 hours 23 minutes behind the pitching of Frank Castillo and hitting of Todd Zeile and Todd Haney.

The previous 40 games at Wrigley Field had averaged 2:53, with all Cub games averaging 2:54. Home plate umpire and crew chief John McSherry didn’t have to penalize anyone for taking too long to deliver a pitch or for straying too far from the batter’s box.

“I don’t know how it’s going to be as we get closer to the end of the pennant race, but it was obvious the players were trying to play heads up,” McSherry said. “The reason we went 2:23 was because both pitchers were throwing strikes. I don’t think the speed-up rule had much to do with that. But I do think that what you saw today--the hitters ready to go and the pitchers ready to go and with nobody on base, everybody ready to go--I think that’s what you’re going to see. That’s what they’re trying to get done.”

The first 10 games played Friday were played in an average of 2 hours 40 1/2 minutes, down from the season average of 2:53.

Colorado 8, Montreal 3--Larry Walker hit his league-leading 23rd homer in his return to Montreal, helping the Rockies halt a three-game skid with a victory.

Walker, who had two hits and was greeted with a chorus of boos and a smattering of applause at every at-bat, matched his career-best in homers, set with Montreal in 1992.

Joe Girardi had three hits with one run batted in and scored three runs as Colorado used an 11-hit attack to beat Montreal for the fifth consecutive time this season.

Florida 6, St. Louis 0--Chris Hammond pitched seven shutout innings and Terry Pendleton and Tommy Gregg homered to lead the Marlins at Miami.

Hammond (7-3) gave up three hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking two. He faced the minimum number of batters for 5 2/3 innings because of a double play and pickoff.

Pittsburgh 10, New York 9--Nelson Liriano scored the game-winning run on an error in the ninth inning as the Pirates ended a six-game losing streak with a victory at New York.

The Mets dropped their sixth in a row hours after trading Bobby Bonilla to Baltimore for minor league outfielders Alex Ochoa and Damon Buford.

Pinch-hitter Steve Pegues opened the ninth with a single off New York closer John Franco (4-2) and was sacrificed to second by John Wehner. With one out, Liriano singled to score Pegues.

Jacob Brumfield then doubled to left. Liriano scored when left fielder Joe Orsulak misplayed the ball.

Atlanta 6, San Francisco 2--David Justice drove in the go-ahead run off Rod Beck, who failed to get a save for the eighth time this season, and Javy Lopez’s three-run homer capped a five-run ninth for the Braves at San Francisco.

San Diego 3, Houston 2--Joey Hamilton scattered 10 hits over seven-plus innings to break a personal three-game losing streak and help the Padres at San Diego.

Hamilton (4-5) walked two and struck out five. One of the two runs he allowed was unearned. Trevor Hoffman recorded the final out for his 17th save.