Cub Pitchers Fail Again

The Chicago Cubs continued to come apart Saturday night, giving up their highest run total since 1987 in a 21-8 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Philadelphia.

“Do you want me to say something funny?” said Tyler Houston, who was behind the plate to watch seven Cub pitchers--including Gary Gaetti--give up 21 runs and 21 hits.

“I don’t know what else to say.”

Chicago gave up double-digit runs for the third game in a row and seventh time in 11 games. They have given up 54 runs in three games--losing 19-12 to the Brewers on Thursday and 14-1 to the Phillies on Friday.

The 21 runs were the most Chicago has given up since a 23-10 loss to the Mets at Wrigley Field on Aug. 16, 1987.

“This is the worst I’ve been through as a manager at any level,” Cub Manager Jim Riggleman said.

Added first baseman Mark Grace, “I think it’s best to leave things unsaid, if you don’t mind.”

Things got so bad for the Cubs’ staff that Gaetti made his third career pitching appearance in the eighth inning. He gave up a solo homer to Marlon Anderson--who was five for six with two RBIs and four runs scored--and an RBI triple to Doug Glanville.

Scott Rolen led the assault with his first career grand slam, his third homer in two games, as the Phillies scored their most runs in 14 years.

Cincinnati 10, Houston 0--Michael Tucker, Greg Vaughn and Barry Larkin doubled home runs in a six-run fifth inning that powered the Reds at Cincinnati.

A day after Houston ended Cincinnati’s 10-game winning streak, the Reds reopened a one-game lead in the NL Central by handing the Astros their most lopsided loss since a 10-0 defeat in Cincinnati on July 31, 1996.

The Astros have been shut out only twice this season--both times by the Reds--and have lost seven of nine against their division rival.

St. Louis 2, Arizona 1--The Cardinals won at St. Louis when Mark McGwire walked on four pitches with the bases loaded in the 10th inning.

Darren Bragg and Edgar Renteria walked off Byung-Hyun Kim (0-1) in the 10th and J.D. Drew reached on a two-out infield hit off Dan Plesac, setting up McGwire’s walk.

St. Louis’ Joe McEwing extended his hitting streak to 24 games--the longest by a rookie in the NL since Jerome Walton hit in 30 in a row for Chicago in 1989.

Atlanta 3, New York 0--Kevin Millwood and John Rocker combined on a three-hitter and stretched Atlanta’s shutout streak against the Mets to 28 innings at New York.

Brian Jordan hit the 100th home run of his career and Gerald Williams stole three bases as the Braves beat New York for the fourth time in five tries.

Milwaukee 9, Pittsburgh 4--Jeff Cirillo drove in three runs at Pittsburgh and Bill Pulsipher pitched five innings to win in his first start since April 18.

Cirillo had a two-run single in the second inning, when the Brewers scored five runs on only two hits off Kris Benson.

Florida 6, Montreal 1--Rookie Kevin Millar homered and had a career-high five RBIs at Miami.

Millar went three for four and has 11 RBIs in his last three games.