Maddux Injured in Braves’ 4-0 Victory

Greg Maddux didn’t want to risk his entire season for another inning.

Maddux pitched six shutout innings before apparently re-aggravating a hamstring injury Tuesday night as Atlanta ended the Giants’ nine-game winning streak with a 4-0 victory at San Francisco.

“I just kind of doinked my leg, that’s all,” Maddux said.

Atlanta’s victory on a drizzly evening ended the Giants’ longest winning streak since 1994 and gave the Braves (14-4) their best start since moving to Atlanta in 1956.

Maddux (2-1), whose mild hamstring strain forced him to miss a start last week in Cincinnati, appeared to hurt his leg again in the sixth inning while making a pitch to J.T. Snow.

After making his delivery, Maddux yelled, and after completing his follow through, he grabbed the inside of his leg in apparent pain. The right-hander, who has not given up an earned run in 24 consecutive innings, gave up four hits and struck out eight in six innings.

Mike Bielecki replaced Maddux and pitched two scoreless innings before Mark Wohlers closed out the combined five-hitter.

The Braves got to Giant starter William VanLandingham (1-1) for two runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Chipper Jones and Ryan Klesko’s run-scoring single.

The Giants’ best scoring chance came in the fourth. With two outs, Snow walked and Hill doubled up the alley in right. Lofton slipped on the wet turf in center trying to hurry the ball back into the infield, but Snow was held at third even though the relay throw went to second. Maddux got himself out of the inning without giving up a run, getting Mark Lewis on a fly to right.

Houston 12, San Diego 3--Derek Bell and Jeff Bagwell each had three hits with two RBIs as the Astros routed the Padres at San Diego.

Nine of the 12 runs were unearned because of three Padres’ errors. Scott Livingtone, starting in place of Gold Glove third baseman Ken Caminiti, made two mistakes, including a key one in the four-run fourth inning.

Caminiti missed his first start of the season because of a strained hamstring sustained Sunday in a victory over St. Louis Sunday in Honolulu. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Bagwell homered in a six-run ninth inning, the only earned run that inning. The Astros scored five runs on four consecutive singles with two outs in ninth.

Shane Reynolds won his second consecutive start and continued his mastery of the Padres. He extended his scoreless streak against San Diego to 19 innings before giving up Tony Gwynn’s RBI single for a 1-0 Padres lead in the third.

Reynolds gave up 11 hits, struck out five and walked two in eight innings. He has surrendered only six runs in 35 1/3 innings lifetime at Jack Murphy Stadium.

Gwynn hit a two-run homer off Reynolds in the eighth, his fourth homer in 10 games. He hit only three last year, when he won his seventh NL batting title.

The Padres have lost four of six. They are 0-8 when scoring fewer than three runs.

New York 7, Cincinnati 2--Rick Reed, snubbed in spring training for being a replacement player during the strike in 1995, got his first major league victory in three years as the Mets won at New York.

Reed also doubled in a run in the second inning and Edgardo Alfonzo had a bases-loaded double in the fourth off John Smiley (1-4). Rey Ordonez had an RBI double for New York.

Reed (1-1), made the Mets in spring training as a non-roster player. He scattered seven hits while striking out four and walking none.

Willie Greene’s leadoff home run in the fifth inning, his third of the season, and Hal Morris’ RBI single in the ninth, accounted for the Reds’ only runs.

Smiley, who lasted four-plus innings, yielded six runs on seven hits, while striking out two and walking one.

Montreal 5, Chicago 1--Dustin Hermanson, making his first start since college, pitched five effective innings and the Expos won at Montreal.

Hermanson (1-0) gave up four hits, including Sammy Sosa’s home run. He struck out four and walked one as Montreal won its third straight game.

Hermanson’s last start came when he was a junior at Kent State in 1993. Traded from Florida to Montreal in March, his previous longest stint in the majors was three innings.

The Expos, who have been looking for pitching help, wanted to limit Hermanson to 60-70 pitches. He wound up throwing 77 before Omar Daal relieved to start the sixth.

Doug Strange hit a two-run homer as the Expos dropped Chicago to 2-15. the Cubs had won their last two games.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

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Player Team Performance Team’s Result Larry Walker Colorado 4 for 5, 2 RBIs, hitting .507 Win Hal Morris Cincinnati 2 for 4, 1 RBI Loss Samuel Sosa Chicago 2 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 run Loss Moises Alou Florida Two two-run homers Loss

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PITCHING

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Player Team Performance Team’s Result Greg Maddux Atlanta 6 innings, four hits, Win 0 runs, 8 strikeouts Rick Reed N.Y. Mets 8 innings, 7 hits, Win 2 runs, 4 strikeouts

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