NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Bailey Should Raise His Sights

Rookie Roger Bailey exceeded his modest goal Saturday night, and because of it, the Colorado Rockies are atop the NL West.

“All I was trying to do was hold them scoreless for five innings,” Bailey said after the Rockies won, 6-1, in St. Louis and went ahead of the Dodgers by half a game.

Bailey’s shutout lasted until the ninth inning, when Ray Lankford homered with one out.

“I really thought I’d be doing my job if I could get through five innings without giving up any runs,” Bailey (7-5) said. “Anything after that would be a bonus.”

Bailey is 4-0 since becoming a starter after Marvin Freeman was injured Aug. 13.

“I guess he’s going to be a starter from now on,” Colorado Manager Don Baylor said. “I don’t see anybody knocking him out of the rotation.”

Bailey, 24, gave up five hits, walked three and struck out four.

Colorado, which broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning, had lost 16 of its last 27 and had dropped four in a row to the Cardinals.

Houston 10, Florida 8--Jeff Bagwell homered as the Astros built an early eight-run lead, then pinch-hitter Tony Eusebio hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning that finished off the Marlins at Houston.

Bagwell hit a solo homer in the fifth inning for an 8-0 lead.

The Marlins rallied to tie it, 8-8, behind Gary Sheffield, who homered and drove in three runs.

With two out in the Houston eighth, Eusebio, seven for 13 as a pinch-hitter, hit his fifth homer after a single by Ricky Gutierrez off Yorkis Perez (1-5).

Pittsburgh 11, Cincinnati 8--Rick White (1-1) returned to the major leagues for his first victory in more than a year, pitching six strong innings and doubling as part of a seven-run seventh that helped win in Cincinnati.

Jay Bell had four hits, and Orlando Merced and Angelo Encarnacion had three apiece in an 18-hit attack.

White, recalled from the minors a day earlier, gave up two runs in six innings for his first victory since Aug. 2 of last year.

San Diego 6, Philadelphia 5--Brian Johnson beat out an infield hit with a dive into first base with two out in the 11th inning, driving in Andujar Cedeno with the winning run for the Padres in San Diego.

Cedeno reached on a force play and took second base on pinch-hitter Phil Clark’s single. The runners advanced on Jody Reed’s groundout.

Johnson hit a high chopper off reliever Heathcliff Slocumb (4-6) that second baseman Mickey Morandini fielded behind the bag. Morandini made a hurried, off-balance throw and Johnson beat it.

San Francisco 5, New York 3--Mark Leonard hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat of the season and Sergio Valdez pitched a four-hitter for the Giants at San Francisco.

Valdez (2-3) gave up a two-run homer by Butch Huskey in the second inning and then retired the next 15 batters. It was his first complete game in 27 starts over parts of eight seasons.

Chicago 6, Atlanta 4--Sammy Sosa homered twice and reached 100 RBIs for the first time in his career, leading the Cubs to a victory in Atlanta.

Jaime Navarro (13-5) became the first pitcher to beat the Braves in consecutive starts this season.

Sosa hit a solo shot in the third inning off Steve Avery (6-11)--who lost for the sixth time in his last eight decisions--and connected for a two-run drive, his 32nd, in the seventh off Alejandro Pena.