Hernandez Stars With Bat, Arm in Marlins’ 9-1 Win

The National League’s worst team didn’t need much more than Livan Hernandez to beat the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

Hernandez hit his first major league home run, had four runs batted in and pitched a complete game Friday night as the Florida Marlins defeated the Atlanta Braves, 9-1, at Miami, running their winning streak against Tom Glavine to five games.

“Their pitcher got to him,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “You have to give [Hernandez] credit. He did the job with the bat and also shut us down.”

Hernandez (1-2) put the Marlins ahead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, hit a two-run homer in the sixth that stayed just inside the left-field pole and drove home the Marlins’ last run with a seventh-inning single.

It was only the second time a Marlin pitcher had four RBIs in a game. And it very nearly overshadowed Hernandez’s best pitching performance of the season.

The Cuban right-hander scattered nine hits, struck out nine and walked two. Both of his walks came in the first inning. Of his 128 pitches, 84 were strikes.

“He got ahead in the count and he worked fast,” Florida Manager John Boles said. “[He had] great tempo. When you have good tempo, the players are ready to play defense behind you, and you don’t have enough time to be up there analyzing.”

Hernandez had been hit hard in his first two outings and carried a 5.94 earned-run average into the game. However, he was coming off a no-decision in Philadelphia where he gave up only five hits in 7 1/3 innings against the Phillies.

“It’s one of those things,” Hernandez said. “That happens in baseball. The key was I didn’t get frustrated. The last two games, I’ve been able to put the ball where I wanted to all the time.”

Glavine, who won his second Cy Young last season, gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings to start the season 0-3 for only the second time. The left-hander also opened with three consecutive losses in 1988.

Philadelphia 6, Montreal 2--Chad Ogea pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies hit six doubles at Montreal to end a three-game losing streak.

Rico Brogna homered and doubled with two RBIs, and Mike Lieberthal had two RBIs as eight of Philadelphia’s 10 hits went for extra bases.

Ogea (2-1), acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Indians last Nov. 13, gave up only two doubles through the first six innings in his fourth start for the Phillies.

New York 6, Chicago 5--Rey Ordonez delivered the go-ahead, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning on a blustery day at Chicago.

Roger Cedeno led off the ninth against Rod Beck (1-2) with a single, stole second and raced to third on catcher Tyler Houston’s overthrow. After John Olerud was walked intentionally with one out, pinch-hitter Matt Franco walked to load the bases before Ordonez hit a fly to right.

The game-time temperature was 44 degrees with a wind gusting to 36 mph.

Cincinnati 7, Houston 5--Mike Cameron had three hits, scored three runs and stole two bases for the Reds at Cincinnati.

Greg Vaughn added three RBIs with a sacrifice fly and two-run homer as the Reds ended Houston’s three-game winning streak.

Arizona 10, San Diego 6--Steve Finley hit two home runs in his return to San Diego and Matt Williams added a grand slam as the Diamondbacks defeated the Padres for their fifth victory in a row. The Diamondbacks have won nine of 11 games.

San Francisco 7, Colorado 2--Russ Ortiz pitched a six-hitter, going the distance for the first time, and Scott Servais singled off pitcher Darryl Kile’s leg to key a four-run outburst at San Francisco.