Smoltz Pitches One-Hitter, Shuts Out Reds

John Smoltz is making it look easy, and it’s not just against the Cincinnati Reds.

Smoltz pitched his first one-hitter Friday night, giving up only a fifth-inning single by Eddie Taubensee in the Atlanta Braves’ 3-0 victory over the Reds and former teammate Steve Avery at Atlanta.

Smoltz (4-0) won his 10th consecutive decision against the Reds since June 19, 1994, and improved to 16-10 against Cincinnati in his career.

“I really don’t know why. I don’t go out there pitching against the Reds saying I’ve won this many in a row,” he said.

Smoltz, who has six two-hitters, struck out five and walked one in his 14th shutout and hit an eighth-inning double to help extend a 1-0 lead.

Smoltz, 17-3 last season, has won eight consecutive decisions since Aug. 31 and is 16-1 since last summer’s All-Star break. He hasn’t given up a run at Turner Field in 16 innings this season.

Taubensee broke up Smoltz’s no-hit bid with a one-out single to left.

Avery (1-2) gave up two runs and four hits in seven-plus innings and struck out eight in his second appearance against the Braves.

Colorado 7, Pittsburgh 2--Larry Walker didn’t leave his power stroke in St. Louis, hitting a pair of two-run home runs, and Vinny Castilla added a pair of solo homers for the Rockies at Pittsburgh.

Walker, who went three weeks without a homer before hitting three Wednesday against the Cardinals, had four runs batted in--giving him two club RBI records: 15 in three games and 17 in four.

Until his breakout three-homer, eight-RBI game against the Cardinals, Walker had no homers and five RBIs in eight games after sitting out the first seven games because of a strained rib cage muscle.

Walker’s homers came in his first two at-bats against Pete Schourek (1-2), who also gave up two homers to Mark McGwire. Walker is 12 for 27 (.444) with five homers and nine RBIs against the left-hander.

New York 7, San Francisco 2--Robin Ventura went three for five with a homer as the Mets took advantage of Shawn Estes’ wildness at New York to end the Giants’ six-game winning streak.

Allen Watson (2-2) tied a career high with eight strikeouts in five innings. Watson gave up one run and three hits, leaving after 97 pitches.

Estes’ walked four batters, threw two wild pitches--including one that allowed a run to score--and balked home a run as New York scored four runs in the 38-pitch inning.

Arizona 3, Milwaukee 2--Matt Williams hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning at Milwaukee as the Diamondbacks handed the Brewers their fourth consecutive loss.

Williams’ sacrifice came too late to help Randy Johnson extend his winning streak against the Brewers. Johnson, who has won 10 decisions in a row against Milwaukee, gave up two runs and five hits, but left in the seventh inning with the score tied, 2-2.

Houston 8, Florida 1--Derek Bell and Jeff Bagwell hit consecutive home runs for the second time in three games for the Astros at Miami.

Sean Bergman got his first complete game since last June and Paul Bako, filling in for injured catcher Mitch Meluskey, went three for four with two RBIs for Houston.

Chicago 6, San Diego 5--Mark Grace’s leadoff single in the fifth broke up Stan Spencer’s no-hit bid, sparking a five-run inning for the Cubs at Chicago.

Spencer gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings.