Expos’ Smith Beats Red Sox in Debut, 5-1

Dan Smith sure didn’t pitch like he was nervous about making his first start.

Smith retired 20 consecutive batters at one point in his major league debut Tuesday night and pitched the Montreal Expos to a 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Montreal.

“Once I got out there I was all right, but the two hours before the game it was on my mind,” Smith said. “I wanted to try and prepare as much as I could like I have every start in my career. I didn’t want to change anything.”

Smith (1-0) gave up three hits to the first four batters he faced, including a run-scoring single to Nomar Garciaparra. He didn’t allow another baserunner before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.

“It’s a dream come true, what can I say?” Smith said.

Smith, called up from triple-A Ottawa on Monday, struck out nine--the most by an Expo starter this season--to tie a team record for strikeouts in a major league debut. He struck out six of seven batters at one point.

“I’ll enjoy it tonight and start over tomorrow and get ready for my next start,” he said. “It feels great. I don’t have any other words for it.”

Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer in the sixth against Tim Wakefield (3-6) as Montreal sent the Red Sox to their season-high fourth consecutive loss.

Jose Offerman singled to left to lead off the game and advanced to third one out later on Brian Daubach’s double. Garciaparra then singled home Offerman on a soft liner to center to give Boston a 1-0 lead as Daubach advanced to third.

Smith got Troy O’Leary to line to short and Jason Varitek flied to left to end the Boston threat.

Smith then pitched six perfect innings before leaving the game. He got Wakefield swinging for his first strikeout to end the second, struck out the side in the third and fanned O’Leary and Varitek to end the fourth after Garciaparra grounded to short.

Florida 2-5, Baltimore 1-3--Tim Hyers drove in three runs, including the tiebreaker with an eighth-inning triple, to help the Marlins complete a doubleheader sweep at Miami.

Florida, which rallied to win the first game, extended the majors’ longest current winning streak to seven games.

Jesse Orosco walked Luis Castillo on a 3-and-2 pitch with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to decide the opener.

Only about 250 fans were on hand in the early innings of the doubleheader because of dismal weather. Steady showers fell, and there was a delay of 28 minutes in the first inning and more than two hours in the sixth.

The crowd grew to about 3,000 by the start of Game 2. The Marlins announced 13,003 tickets sold.

In the nightcap, Hyers doubled home runs in the first and sixth. After the Orioles scored three runs to tie the score in the eighth, Dave Berg singled to start the bottom of the inning and Hyers tripled him home. Bruce Aven followed with a run-scoring single against Scott Kamieniecki (0-1), who was recalled Monday from triple A.

New York Mets 11, Toronto 3--Jason Isringhausen, who gave up two hits in 5 2/3 innings at New York, earned his first major league victory since beating the Blue Jays in 1997.

Rey Ordonez went four for five as the Mets won their third in a row. The mini-streak came after General Manager Steve Phillips fired the pitching, hitting and bullpen coaches after eight consecutive defeats.

Isringhausen (1-1) won for the first time in the majors since beating the Blue Jays at New York on Sept. 1, 1997.

“I didn’t know that,” he said. “When they mentioned it on TV, then we had all the jokes--’They need to bring them in every time I pitch’ and stuff like that.”

Once one of the most promising pitchers in the Met system, Isringhausen sat out last season while recovering from surgery on his right elbow.

“He threw better than our reports said he was throwing,” Toronto Manager Jim Fregosi said.

Detroit 11, Pittsburgh 4--The Tigers hit five homers and Nelson Cruz pitched seven strong innings at Detroit to win his first major league start.

Cruz (1-0), a right-hander who was called up Monday after scheduled starter Justin Thompson complained of back spasms, gave up one run and two hits, struck out two and walked three.

It was the second consecutive night a Tiger pitcher got his first major league win. Reliever Will Brunson got his first victory with one inning of relief Monday night.

Kansas City 11, St. Louis 10--Joe Randa’s second triple triggered a four-run sixth inning at Kansas City as the error-prone Royals ended a nine-game losing streak.

Mark McGwire hit his 18th homer and 475th of his career after sitting out Monday’s game because of a sore back. His two-run shot in the ninth tied him with Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for 17th place on the all-time list.

Randa also had a two-run single as Kansas City ended the longest skid this year in the majors. The team record for consecutive losses is 12.

Atlanta 11, Tampa Bay 2--Gerald Williams and Ozzie Guillen, who have both struggled at the plate this season, each had four hits for the Braves at Atlanta.

Williams, who entered the game with a .207 average, went four for five, drove in three runs and scored twice as the Braves won their fourth in a row.

Guillen, who started the day with a .141 average, snapped out of a one-for-21 slump by going four for four with a run batted in and three runs.

Chicago White Sox 4, Houston 3--Magglio Ordonez drove in three runs and Jaime Navarro won his third consecutive start for the White Sox at Chicago.

Minnesota 5, Cincinnati 2--Brad Radke scattered five hits over eight innings at Minneapolis as the Twins won their third in a row.