Expos Confound Architects, Pounding Out Another Win

So much for planning.

Shane Andrews hit his second grand slam of the season and drove in a career-high five runs Thursday, leading the Expos to their seventh consecutive victory, 8-4, over the Cincinnati Reds at Montreal.

“This team was supposed to win with pitching and with its defense,” Expo Manager Felipe Alou said.

Instead, it has built a 3 1/2-game lead in the National League East by outscoring teams.

The Expos finished 8-2 on their home stand, scoring 56 runs on 83 hits, including 21 home runs, and sweeping a three-game series from Pittsburgh and a two-game set with St. Louis.

“It was a great home stand for us,” Alou said. “Not because we swept two clubs, but because of the intensity we showed. You usually see that type of intensity in a pennant race. I don’t know where it comes from.”

Moises Alou homered for his 500th hit as the Expos sent Cincinnati to its fifth consecutive loss.

“I don’t have any answers,” said Red Manager Ray Knight, whose team went 2-8 on its trip. “I don’t have a word for it. If I did, it might be pathetic. Until we stop doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting the same result.”

Henry Rodriguez, who had homered in his previous four games to tie an Expo record, went one for four, with a double.

New York 9, St. Louis 3--Brent Mayne’s two-run homer tied the game, Lance Johnson’s three-run homer broke the tie and Butch Huskey hit a solo homer, all of them coming during an eight-run seventh inning at St. Louis.

It was the first homers of the season for all three of the Mets, and they came in an inning in which the first eight Mets reached base. One of those was Jose Vizcaino, whose triple gave him nine hits in his last nine at-bats, spread over three games. He struck out in the eighth inning.

San Diego 8, Chicago 3--Ken Caminiti hit safely in his 12th consecutive game, and his single started a five-run fifth inning for the Padres, who won at home and, at 15-7, are within one victory of overtaking the 1984 club record for the best start in San Diego history.

Florida 4, Pittsburgh 1--Quilvio Veras’ three-run homer backed Al Leiter’s 7 2/3 shutout innings at Pittsburgh for the Marlins, who ended a four-game losing streak.

San Francisco 8, Atlanta 0--Mark Gardner (2-0), who was released by the Marlins in March and signed with the Giants as a free agents, gave them 11 strikeouts in shutting out the Braves in San Francisco.

Gardner got support from homers by Tom Lampkin, Barry Bonds, Robby Thompson and Steve Scarsone.

Philadelphia 7, Colorado 1--Kevin Stocker homered twice and drove in five runs for the Phillies in Denver.

Stocker, batting eighth in the order, hit a three-run shot in the second inning and two-run homer in the ninth.