Maddux Toes a Fine Line, Struggles Past Expos

Sore toe or not, Greg Maddux didn’t let it bother him in beating the Montreal Expos with his right arm--and his bat.

Maddux squeezed home one run--his first run batted in of the year--scored another after singling and overcame a shaky fourth inning Monday night as the Braves defeated the Expos, 5-4, at Atlanta.

Maddux (10-6), whose start was pushed back from Friday because of a cracked toenail on his right foot, won for the fifth time in six starts.

The last time Maddux had driven in any runs was 1994 when he had two RBIs.

The four-time NL Cy Young Award winner was also concerned about his toe, which he injured in his last start July 7 when he fouled off a pitch, attempting to bunt.

“I knew it was sore, but it didn’t bother me physically or mentally,” he said.

Maddux gave up four runs and three hits, including a homer by Henry Rodriguez, in the fourth inning. He was near-perfect otherwise, giving up only one other hit and walking none before leaving after the seventh.

Rookie Jermaine Dye put Atlanta ahead, 5-4, in the fourth with an RBI single.

Colorado 7, San Francisco 3--Roger Bailey (1-1) settled down after a shaky start and then hit a bases-loaded triple to lead the Rockies to their sixth consecutive victory in Denver.

Eric Young added four hits and Walt Weiss three as the Rockies continued their onslaught at Coors Field, tying the major league record for consecutive home games (11) with at least seven runs.

Rookie Steven Bourgeois (1-2) held the Rockies scoreless for two innings before they erased a 3-0 deficit with seven runs in the third.

Despite five walks, Bailey (1-1) won for the first time since last Sept. 2.

Florida 15, Houston 5--The Marlins set a team record with 24 hits and rallied from a 5-0 deficit at Miami.

Florida achieved a season high in runs, outscoring Houston, 15-0, after the middle of the third, and gave Manager John Boles the victory in his first game at Joe Robbie Stadium.

Houston took a 5-0 lead, but Kurt Abbott and Alex Arias sparked the comeback with key pinch-hits, and Florida scored nine runs with two outs. Gary Sheffield and Terry Pendleton each had four hits, and Edgar Renteria hit his second home run.

New York 7, Philadelphia 5--The Mets took advantage of third baseman Todd Zeile’s throwing error in the fifth inning, scoring three times on its way to a victory at New York.

The teams combined for 27 hits, 24 of them singles.

Met starter Paul Wilson, pitching for the first time since going on the disabled list June 9 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder, gave up four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings.

The Mets trailed, 4-3, when Brent Mayne reached with one out on Zeile’s overthrow in the fifth. After a single by Alex Ochoa off Russ Springer (2-7), Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordonez and pinch-hitter Andy Tomberlin had RBI singles.

St. Louis 8, Cincinnati 3--Ray Lankford had his third two-homer game of the season, driving in a career-high five runs as the Cardinals stretched their winning streak to four at Cincinnati.

Lankford hit a solo homer in the first and a two-run homer in the third off Roger Salkeld (4-3), raising his season total to 18. He added a two-run double in the eighth off Lee Smith as the Cardinals stopped Cincinnati’s three-game winning streak. It was the fifth multihomer game of Lankford’s career.

Chicago 12, Pittsburgh 2--Brian McRae, Sammy Sosa, Leo Gomez and Jose Hernandez each hit home runs as the Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak at Chicago.

McRae, rumored to be headed to Baltimore for Bobby Bonilla, jokingly said he was scoreboard watching to see how the Orioles did Monday night. They also won.