Rivera Helps Yankees Avoid Sweep

In danger of being swept by Montreal, New York Yankee Manager Joe Torre had no choice but to bring in Mariano Rivera a little earlier.

Rivera escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning to help Andy Pettitte and the Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Expos on Sunday at New York.

“I wanted to win because we lost three in a row,” said Torre, who has rarely brought Rivera in before the ninth inning this season. “It’s something I want to stay away from. I felt I had to do it.”

Pettitte (16-7), who was helped by a Bernie Williams home run, took a shutout into the eighth inning and was protecting a 3-0 lead when he left after giving up a one-out single. Jeff Nelson gave up a single and was replaced by Mike Stanton with two outs.

David Segui walked before Rondell White’s two-run single made the score 3-2. Rivera came in with a 2-0 count on Jose Vidro and walked him before striking out pinch-hitter Darrin Fletcher.

Rivera, who had blown his last two saves, has 40 in 48 chances.

New York Mets 4, Baltimore 1--Rick Reed gave up four hits in seven innings at Baltimore and the Mets dealt the Orioles their first two-game losing streak in more than six weeks.

Bernard Gilkey and Butch Huskey homered for the Mets, who won two of three from the AL East-leading Orioles. New York improved to 4-8 in interleague play and dropped Baltimore to 8-4.

Reed (11-8) ended a career-high four-game losing streak, giving up B.J. Surhoff’s home run in the sixth inning.

John Franco pitched the ninth for his 33rd save.

Jimmy Key (14-8) has won only once in eight starts since July 25. He went six innings, giving up four runs on six hits.

Atlanta 7, Boston 3--Andruw Jones set a National League record when he hit the Braves’ 10th grand slam of the season in a victory at Boston.

In an interleague matchup recalling Boston’s days as a two-team town, the Braves outhit the Red Sox, 48-21, and outscored them, 31-6, to sweep the series.

Tom Glavine retired 18 consecutive batters from the second inning until the eighth, when Mo Vaughn hit his second homer to make the score 7-3. Glavine (12-6) gave up three runs on six hits and one walk, striking out four in eight innings.

Former Brave Steve Avery (6-6) lasted only 3 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on six hits and a season-high six walks. In his last four starts, Avery is 0-4 with an 18.47 earned-run average.

Detroit 2, Philadelphia 1--Justin Thompson outdueled Mark Leiter for his first victory in four starts and Deivi Cruz had three hits for the Tigers at Detroit.

Thompson (12-10) gave up a run on six hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven.

Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his 25th save. He has been successful on his last 17 save chances.

Leiter (9-14), who had won four of his last six starts, gave up two runs on seven hits in seven innings.

Minnesota 8, Cincinnati 6--Marty Cordova hit two run-scoring doubles, helping Brad Radke and the Twins win at Minneapolis.

Cordova doubled home the go-ahead run in a four-run sixth inning and doubled again in the eighth. Paul Molitor added three hits and scored twice as the Twins evened their interleague record at 6-6. The Reds are 7-5.

Radke (18-7) survived a shaky second inning to win for the second time in five starts since his 12-game winning streak ended Aug. 9.

St. Louis 5, Kansas City 4--Willie McGee’s infield single enabled Royce Clayton to score the go-ahead run as the Cardinals scored five times in the seventh inning to win at Kansas City.

Donovan Osborne (3-6) pitched six innings, giving up three runs, including two home runs. Dennis Eckersley pitched the ninth for his 32nd save.

Chicago White Sox 3, Houston 1--Albert Belle drove in two runs, reaching 100 runs batted in for the sixth consecutive season, and the White Sox defeated the Astros at Chicago to sweep the three-game series.

James Baldwin (11-13) gave up six hits and a run in 6 2/3 innings. Matt Karchner got three outs for his 12th save.

Milwaukee 3, Pittsburgh 2--Pinch-hitter Jeff Huson’s one-out run-scoring single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning lifted the Brewers at Milwaukee.

With the score tied, 2-2, Jessie Levis doubled off Marc Wilkins (8-4), and pinch-runner Brian Banks advanced on a sacrifice by Gerald Williams.

Wilkins intentionally walked Fernando Vina and Jose Valentin to load the bases before Huson, pinch-hitting for Darrin Jackson, singled.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Andruw Jones

Team: Atlanta

Performance: 3 for 3, grand slam, 5 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: A. Encarnacion

Team: Angels

Performance: 2 for 4, HR, 4 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Larry Walker

Team: Colorado

Performance: 3 for 4, 2 HRS, 4 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

*

PITCHING

Player: Tom Glavine

Team: Atlanta

Performance: 8 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 4 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Livan Hernandez

Team: Florida

Performance: 7 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 2 runs, 8 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Andy Pettitte

Team: New York

Performance: 7 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 4 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win