Martinez Gets His Record with 9-0 Shutout

Dennis Martinez tied Juan Marichal as the winningest Latin American pitcher in baseball history Tuesday night, scattering 12 hits as the Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-0.

Andres Galarraga hit two homers and Andruw Jones added one and also hit two triples for Atlanta.

The 43-year-old Martinez (2-2) got his 243rd victory by going the distance for the first time since May 26, 1996. The right-hander walked one and struck out three in his 30th career shutout and 122nd complete game.

On two occasions earlier this season, Martinez, who is from Nicaragua, was within a few outs of tying Marichal’s mark, only to have the Braves’ bullpen blow victories. He wasn’t going to come out of this one, however, even when the Brewers got a runner to third in the ninth.

“I always admired him--he’s a Hall of Famer and a great man who’s done a lot of good things for baseball,” Martinez said of Marichal.

In a 22-year career with Baltimore, Montreal, Cleveland, Seattle and Atlanta, Martinez has a 243-189 record.

Marichal, a native of the Dominican Republic, posted a 243-142 record in 16 seasons from 1960-1975.

Chicago 2, Florida 1--Mickey Morandini may be the only hitter who likes Wrigley Field when the wind is blowing in.

Morandini singled and scored the game-winning run on Jason Hardtke’s pinch-hit single to lift the Cubs to a victory over the Marlins, sending the defending World Series champions to their seventh consecutive loss.

The Cubs have won five straight, prompting Mark Grace to say, “We’re finding ways to do it.”

The Cubs were nearly caught unprepared for Tuesday’s severe weather shift at Wrigley, as were the majority of fans who forgot a jacket. The winds changed in the fourth inning, switching the ballpark from a hitters’ friend--74 degrees and a crosswind at 18 mph--to a pitchers’ park at 60 degrees and incoming wind at 24 mph.

Florida wasted starter Brian Meadows’s performance. He walked one and struck out five in eight innings. Of his 85 pitches, 58 were strikes.

Pittsburgh 5, New York 2--Kevin Young hit a tiebreaking three-run triple to make Chris Peters a winner over the Mets, and the Pirates perservered during an evening of violent weather to beat the Mets in Pittsburgh.

The weather was more dramatic than the game.

The storm was accompanied by brilliant lightning and funnel clouds that approached the stadium, only to veer away. Before the game, another funnel cloud touched down on Mount Washington overlooking the stadium, ripping roofs off about a dozen houses and dropping hail and rain on the stadium.

Masato Yoshii started for New York, but didn’t return following a 58-minute rain delay.

Mike Piazza’s RBI single in the first and Butch Huskey’s long solo homer leading off the second gave the Mets a 2-1 lead before the delay.

Montreal 4, Philadelphia 3--Carl Pavano pitched 7 1/3 strong innings to get his first major-league win as the Expos snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Phillies.

Pavano (1-0), a highly regarded right-hander obtained by Montreal in the trade that sent Pedro Martinez to Boston in November, allowed three runs and four hits in only his third major league start. He struck out four and walked two.

Arizona 9, Colorado 3--David Dellucci refused to play favorites.

The Diamondbacks’ rookie left fielder lined a pair of doubles down the left-field line off two Colorado pitchers, ripped another double into the gap in right-center off another pitcher, and had a single to right off a fourth at Denver.

Dellucci was four for four with three RBIs, and Matt Williams and Karim Garcia each homered.

Brian Anderson (3-6) went six innings, limiting Colorado to three runs on five hits.

San Francisco 4, Cincinnati 2--Darryl Hamilton hit his first homer of the season and Danny Darwin pitched 6 2/3 strong innings as the Giants won their fifth straight, beating the Reds at Cincinnati.

Houston 4, San Diego 3--Tony Eusebio hit a two-run single in the seventh inning when Padre relievers were hurt by walks and the Astros rallied for a 4-3 win.