Williams Leaves Cincinnati Gloomy

While Matt Williams and the San Francisco Giants were in the mood to celebrate, the Cincinnati Reds were all gloom.

“We’ve been playing kind of like the weather--gloomy with thunderstorms,” Red Manager Ray Knight said after Williams’ two-run homer and two-run double Monday night led the Giants to a 6-3 victory over the fading Reds at Cincinnati.

It was the 13th loss in 17 games for Cincinnati, which fell 10 games under .500 (20-30). It is the Reds’ worst start in 25 years.

Williams turned around a recent slump--four for 28 (.143) in his last eight games--and Red starter Dave Burba (0-7) remained winless in 12 starts.

Burba broke his bat on the ground after failing to get a hit with the bases loaded in the fourth and was ejected for arguing a ball-and-strike call with home plate umpire Gerry Davis in the sixth.

Atlanta 5, New York 4--John Smoltz didn’t win for the first time in nearly two months, but his Brave teammates kept him from getting the loss at Atlanta.

Smoltz’s 11-game winning streak was in jeopardy when he left the game after the sixth inning trailing, 4-1. But the Braves scored three runs in the seventh, then won it in the eighth on Ryan Klesko’s two-out, run-scoring triple.

Chicago 4, Philadelphia 3--Jose Hernandez, a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, led off the bottom of the ninth with his first homer of the season and the Cubs won at Chicago.

Hernandez lined a 2-2 pitch from Ken Ryan (2-2) over the ivy in left-center field, giving the Cubs a victory in their final at-bat for the 10th time.

Chicago starter Steve Trachsel hit his first major-league homer to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead, but in the seventh he gave up homers to Mike Benjamin and Ricky Otero.

Pittsburgh 7, Colorado 2--Matt Ruebel pitched seven solid innings to earn his first major-league victory as the Pirates ruined Bill Swift’s first start at Pittsburgh.

Jeff King’s two-run homer in the fifth inning off reliever Mike Farmer (0-1) broke a 2-2 tie.

Swift had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in October and had been sidelined all year because of inflammation. He pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk.

St. Louis 3, San Diego 0--Rookie Alan Benes pitched a six-hitter for his first shutout and the Cardinals won at San Diego, their fifth consecutive victory.

Benes (5-3) lasted only two innings in a 10-4 loss at San Diego on May 5, giving up eight runs on six hits and three walks. But Monday he struck out three and walked three in his second complete game.