Schilling Is Valuable for Phillies

The question of who is the National League’s top pitcher is becoming increasingly obvious.

Curt Schilling became the NL’s first seven-game winner, and Ron Gant and Bobby Abreu each hit two-run homers as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Montreal Expos, 4-3, Monday night at Montreal.

Schilling (7-1) gave up three runs, one earned, and eight hits in his 200th career start. Schilling, who tied Boston’s Pedro Martinez for the major league lead in wins, struck out seven and walked three in his third complete game in a row and major league-leading fourth this season.

The Phillies have averaged 7.1 runs in Schilling’s nine starts this season after producing only 3.5 runs per game for him in 1998, when he went 15-14 despite pitching a major league high 15 complete games.

“When I’m pitching, we’re scoring runs,” Schilling said. “That’s really the only difference. I think I’ve pitched as well or better the last two years statistically but we’re scoring runs now when I pitch and that’s the major difference. That’s why I’m 7-1.”

Arizona 12, San Francisco 1--Matt Williams may have had the big blast for the Diamondbacks, but Luis Gonzalez’s infield singled in the seventh inning made the most noise.

The hit extended his hitting streak to 29 games while Williams’ three-run home run was the key blow in a victory at San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks pulled into a tie with San Francisco for first place in the NL West but lost Todd Stottlemyre, who was removed after four innings because of tightness in his right shoulder. The Diamondbacks described the move as precautionary and said he’ll be evaluated today.

Milwaukee 7, New York 6--The Brewers won at Shea Stadium for the first time since 1975 and Scott Karl picked up his fourth consecutive victory.

The Brewers’ last victory at the ballpark came on June 18, 1975, when Sixto Lezcano homered in a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees. The Yankees were forced to move to Shea in 1974-75 because of renovations at Yankee Stadium.

Milwaukee went 0-3 at Shea last year, its first season in the National League. Overall, the Brewers had lost eight in a row to the Mets.

Cincinnati 7, Colorado 2--Pete Harnisch gave the Reds another strong pitching performance, limiting the Rockies to six hits in 8 1/3 innings as the Reds won at Denver.

Greg Vaughn and Sean Casey homered for the Reds, who have won three in a row for the first time this season.

Colorado’s Larry Walker singled in the first inning and hit an inside-the-park homer in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.

Chicago 8, Florida 1--Sammy Sosa homered twice for the first time this season as the Cubs won at Miami.

Sosa hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Ryan Dempster, then added a solo shot in the eighth against Braden Looper. Both went out to left-center, the deepest part of Pro Player Stadium.

Kevin Tapani pitched a four-hitter for his first complete game since May 20 and drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in the seventh.

Atlanta 2, Pittsburgh 1--Walt Weiss hit a two-run single in the seventh inning and Kevin Millwood pitched seven strong innings as the Braves defeated the Pirates at Atlanta.

Millwood gave up only four hits and one run. In his last four starts--a span of 26 2/3 innings--Millwood has compiled a 1.69 earned-run average.