Padres End Rockies’ Hot Streak at Eight

Colorado’s Rocky road went through San Diego on Thursday, and the Padres turned the tables in a 9-2 victory.

San Diego had been swept last week in Denver, a victim in the Rockies’ eight-game winning streak that had taken them into the lead in the NL West.

Scott Sanders, who gave up eight runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings last week in Denver, pitched 6 2/3 strong innings on Thursday to lead the Padres.

The Rockies are 15-30 on the road and 34-15 at home.

“They play well at home,” Sanders said. “They’re a different team on the road swinging the bat.”

“It’s not as easy to come back in this park as it is in their park,” said Padre third baseman Ken Caminiti, who went three for five with a solo home run. “I would feel very comfortable being in their park as a hitter. There’s a home-court advantage there, just as there is a home-court advantage here for us.”

The Rockies were held to six hits. Sanders (2-3), who has made 30 relief appearances, walked one and struck out a season-high nine in his third start of the season.

Steve Finley and John Flaherty, who extended his hitting streak to 20 games, also homered.

Atlanta 3, Houston 2--John Smoltz won his 16th game, scattering seven hits over 8 1/3 innings, and Fred McGriff hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning at Houston as the Braves began a marathon trip on a successful note.

The Braves, ousted because of the Olympics, began a 17-game, 18-day trip by winning their sixth in a row.

Smoltz (16-4), who struck out seven, had never won more than 15 games in a season.

Chicago 6, St. Louis 5--Sammy Sosa, who had homered in three consecutive games, hit a soft single to drive in the winning run at St. Louis as the Cubs stopped the Cardinal winning streak at six games.

With two outs in the ninth, Mark Petkovsek (5-1) walked Scott Bullett and Ryne Sandberg. Mark Grace then singled against Tony Fossas, who blew a save for the fourth time in six chances this season, and Sosa followed with the go-ahead hit against T.J. Mathews.

Pittsburgh 8, Cincinnati 3--Al Martin hit a three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning for the Pirates, who won in Pittsburgh, beating Kevin Jarvis, who had shut them out on three hits last weekend.

Jon Lieber (3-3) won in his second start of the season, giving up three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He began the night 1-4 against the Reds, who have lost four in a row.

Florida 7, Philadelphia 0--Kevin Brown pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit ball and finished with a three-hitter for the Marlins, who won in Miami for their fourth victory in a row.

Brown (8-8), who lowered his major league-leading earned-run average to 1.87, carried a no-hitter into the sixth before Mickey Morandini hit a sharp single to right with two outs.

Brown also gave up singles to Ruben Amaro in the eighth and Ricky Otero in the ninth. He struck out four in breaking his three-game losing streak. In those three games, Brown gave up six earned runs but the Marlins scored only three runs.

Montreal 7, New York 3--Pedro Martinez (8-4) stayed unbeaten in nine tries against the Mets, scattering eight hits and getting help from Henry Rodriguez’s 27th homer in a victory at New York.

Rodriguez went three for five, and Shane Andrews added three singles, a double and an RBI for Montreal, which ended the Mets’ winning streak at four games.