Padres Get Biggest Victory Ever

The San Diego Padres looked at it as a big victory; the Houston Astros are trying to make it merely another loss.

The Padres recorded their biggest victory ever and sent Houston to its worst loss in 33 years, routing the Astros, 17-2, Sunday at Houston as Craig Shipley had a career-high five hits.

“We’ve got some guys on this team, where we can have games like this,” Shipley said. “Not that we’ll score 17 runs every game but we’ve got an offense that can go out and have these kind of games. This lineup can produce runs.”

San Diego matched its record for runs, a mark set against Pittsburgh on July 18, 1989, and equaled on Aug. 24, 1993, against St. Louis.

The Padres’ previous record for victory margin was 14, accomplished twice, the last time against Philadelphia on July 17, 1974.

The Padres had eight extra-base hits, including a two-run homer by Brian Johnson in the ninth and solo home runs by Marc Newfield in the second and Shipley in the sixth. Johnson drove in five runs and Archi Cianfrocco drove in four.

Greg Swindell was tagged for six runs--five earned--and eight hits in four-plus innings. Doug Brocail gave up four runs in two innings and rookie Mark Small gave up seven runs--all unearned--in three innings.

Montreal 9, Colorado 1--Jeff Fassero pitched a three-hitter at Montreal for the first complete game in the major leagues this season.

Sherman Obando hit his first homer and drove in three runs. Mark Grudzielanek’s two-run single highlighted a four-run sixth as Montreal defeated the Rockies for the second time in three games.

Fassero was perfect through five innings and allowed only one ball out of the infield before Jason Bates’ single leading off the sixth.

San Francisco 14, Florida 7--Mark Carreon homered twice, doubled twice and drove in six runs at Miami.

Carreon, who had no RBIs in the Giants’ first five games, doubled home two runs in the Giants’ four-run first, doubled and scored in the third, hit a three-run homer in the fifth and added a solo homer in the ninth.

Andre Dawson, at 41 the oldest player in the NL, had four hits and drove in three runs for Florida.

Mark Gardner, making his Giants’ debut, took a 10-2 lead into the fifth but fell one out shy of qualifying for the victory. Gardner, who pitched for Florida the past two seasons, gave up eight hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Steven Bourgeois picked up the victory.

Atlanta 13, St. Louis 3--Chipper Jones drove in four runs in his second game back from the disabled list and Marquis Grissom hit a grand slam at Atlanta.

Jones, Ryan Klesko and Eddie Perez also homered for Atlanta, which led, 13-3, after four innings.

Rookie Jason Schmidt gave up three runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out eight.

Jones, who had two hits Saturday after returning from a knee problem, hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a two-run triple during a four-run third. He matched his career high for RBIs, and also drew a walk.

Atlanta had scored only two runs in its last 21 innings before facing Mike Busby, making his major league debut. In four innings, Busby, who was the CIF 1991 City Section player of the year with Wilmington Banning, gave up 13 runs--eight earned--and nine hits, four of them homers.