Padres Make Short Work of Mercedes, 13-5

Jose Mercedes has gone from forgetful to forgettable.

The Milwaukee pitcher, who missed a start earlier this season when he forgot what time the game started, had the second-worst pitching performance in club history as the San Diego Padres routed the Brewers, 13-5, Monday at Milwaukee.

Andy Sheets and Greg Vaughn homered off Mercedes (2-2) and pitcher Sterling Hitchcock added two run-scoring singles. Mercedes gave up 11 runs, all earned, on 12 hits in 3 1/3 innings.

“He was not ready to start that game tonight,” Milwaukee Manager Phil Garner said. “When you have those kind of brain cramps, it’s hard to figure out the problem. You only pitch once every five days when you’re a starter and you’d think you’d be really up for the game. But clearly his head wasn’t in the game early on.”

Mercedes’ earned-run average ballooned from 4.08 to 6.75. It was the worst outing by a Milwaukee pitcher since Bill Travers gave up 14 earned runs in 7 2/3 innings at Cleveland on Aug. 14, 1977.

“Something is bothering me in the back, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Mercedes said.

But in the next breath, he added: “I can’t throw the fastball the way I should be throwing it. It bothers me to throw 100%.”

San Diego third baseman Ken Caminiti is expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list today.

Colorado 11, Philadelphia 2--John Thomson pitched seven strong innings and Vinny Castilla hit his major league-leading 14th home run to lead the Rockies at Philadelphia.

“I just felt I could go in and go after the hitters,” said Thomson (2-2), who gave up one run on three hits, walked two and struck out three. “I know our hitters and our defense are so good that I could just go out and pound strikes.”

The Rockies, the league’s best-hitting team, had an eight-run lead before the Phillies scored their first run in the fourth.

Arizona 4, New York 2--Buck Showalter, making his first return to the city where he managed the Yankees for four seasons, won on his homecoming as the Diamondbacks ended a six-game losing streak when David Dellucci doubled home two runs in the 11th inning to beat the Mets.

With two outs in the 11th, Travis Lee doubled off Brian Bohanon (0-1), and after Matt Williams was intentionally walked, Dellucci doubled to give Arizona a 4-2 lead. Gregg Olson (1-1) pitched the 10th and 11th for the win.

“It’s always special to win,” Showalter said. “With our situation of late, you take them anywhere.”

New York right fielder Butch Huskey threw out the potential go-ahead at the plate in the top of the 10th.

Carlos Baerga drove in both runs for New York, which has lost seven of eight. The Mets also sustained another costly injury as catcher Tim Spehr fractured his left wrist tagging out Kelly Stinnett on the play in the 10th.

Cincinnati 4, Montreal 1--Scott Winchester gave up three hits in six innings for his first major league victory as the Reds won at Montreal.

Dmitri Young and Barry Larkin hit run-scoring doubles in the first. Bret Boone and Eduardo Perez added solo homers in the ninth as the Reds ended the Expos’ longest winning of the season at three.