Smoltz Restores Order to Brave Universe

The Atlanta Brave pitching staff needed a lift after Colorado scored 32 runs in the first two games of the series.

John Smoltz provided it by defeating the Rockies, 8-3, on Sunday at Denver for his major-league-leading 12th victory.

“We needed this one badly because we obviously didn’t want to get swept,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “We’d scored enough to win the other games, but our pitching couldn’t hold them. We needed something good from Smoltz.”

Colorado had pummeled the Atlanta staff for 36 hits--started by Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine--in the first two games at Coors Field. Smoltz (12-1) gave up seven hits through 8 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts.

“I knew we needed this one and went out and pitched my own game,” Smoltz said. “I didn’t let little things bother me, didn’t use my slider at all and relied on my fastball and nothing else.”

Ryan Klesko had two hits including a two-run homer, his 20th, for the Braves.

Pittsburgh 6, San Diego 0--Danny Darwin pitched eight innings, and the Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the Padres at San Diego.

Darwin (4-6) didn’t allow a baserunner past first until the eighth, when Marc Newfield hit a leadoff single and took third on Chris Gwynn’s pinch single. But Darwin caught Luis Lopez’s line drive to double Gwynn off first, then got Brad Ausmus on a called third strike that resulted in the San Diego catcher’s ejection.

Carlos Garcia hit a two-run double to highlight the five-run fifth, and Mark Johnson went three for five with two runs scored.

The first-place Padres lost for the sixth time in seven games.

San Francisco 9, St. Louis 0--Allen Watson pitched seven innings and had a key run batted in during a six-run sixth as the Giants won at San Francisco.

Watson (6-6) scattered seven hits and broke a personal three-game losing streak, walking two and striking out four. He is 2-0 with a 1.38 earned-run average in two starts against his former team.

In the sixth, Stan Javier led off with a ground-rule double to center, and Shawon Dunston’s sacrifice bunt moved him to third. A walk to Kirt Manwaring put runners at the corners for Watson.

Watson hit a slow grounder to second to score Javier for a 2-0 lead, and a two-base throwing error by Luis Alicea on the play sent Manwaring to third and Watson to second.

Chicago 4, Montreal 2--Ryne Sandberg hit a three-run homer to lead the Cubs over the Expos at Chicago.

Kirk Rueter (2-4) gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four over 6 2/3 innings for Montreal. He retired 15 in a row and led, 2-1, before Sammy Sosa doubled with two out in the seventh.

Then Rueter walked Leo Gomez and was relieved by Dave Veres, who served up Sandberg’s 13th homer--on an 0-2 pitch.

Chicago’s Steve Trachsel (4-4) gave up four hits and walked none over seven innings.

Houston 2, Philadelphia 1--Ricky Gutierrez continued his torrid hitting with a two-run single in the seventh inning, and the Astros rode it to victory and a three-game sweep of the Phillies at Houston.

Loser Mike Williams (1-5) retired the first seven batters he faced, then nine of 10 hitters in one stretch before the seventh--when Jeff Bagwell singled to center for the fourth Houston hit.

Derrick May walked and Sean Berry sacrificed the runners to second and third. After Rick Wilkins was intentionally walked, Gutierrez, batting .340, singled to left to score Bagwell and May.

New York 3, Florida 0--Jason Isringhausen gave up six hits and struck out a career-high 10 in his first major league shutout, and Butch Huskey homered as the Mets defeated the Marlins at New York.

Isringhausen (3-7), who had five losses and a no-decision in his previous six starts, retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced. He escaped a jam in the ninth inning, retiring Terry Pendleton after Gary Sheffield and Greg Colbrunn had singled.

With the game scoreless, Huskey led off the third against John Burkett (4-7) with his fifth homer.