For Hermanson, It’s Just a Win

Dustin Hermanson insists he’s not more motivated facing the San Diego Padres. The numbers say otherwise.

Hermanson pitched eight shutout innings before tiring in the ninth against his former team and led the Montreal Expos to an 8-4 victory Sunday.

Hermanson improved his career record against San Diego to 6-1 with a 2.08 earned-run average in seven games.

“Everyone likes to think it’s because they got rid of me,” Hermanson said. “Maybe there’s a little extra there because of it, but I try and pitch that way against everybody.”

Hermanson (8-12), the Padres’ No. 1 pick in the 1994 draft, yielded seven hits in the first eight innings before giving up singles to Chris Gomez and Ben Davis to open the ninth. Rookie David Newhan, who was hitless in his previous 23 at-bats, followed with his first career homer, knocking Hermanson out.

Hermanson pitched in only 34 games as a reliever for San Diego in parts of the 1995-96 seasons before being traded to Florida during the 1996 off-season.

Since a 14-start winless streak earlier this season, Hermanson is 5-2 in his last nine starts. The right-hander credits a change in his delivery.

“I’m using different arm angles rather than just over the top,” he said. “It’s like have different fastballs now. It actually gives me more pitches.”

Hermanson was rarely in trouble through eight innings as he struck out six and walked three in winning his third consecutive game for the first time this season.

“He looked pretty good,” San Diego’s Phil Nevin said. “He threw the heck out of the ball. I see that performance and I wonder how he’s got the numbers that he does.”

Rondell White, who hit the game-winning, two-run homer in the Expos’ 5-4 victory Saturday night, was three for five with three RBIs. He staked Montreal to a 2-0 lead with a two-run single in the fifth off Sterling Hitchcock (11-12).

Hitchcock suffered his career-high 12th loss and lost for the third start in a row despite having a 2.86 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 22 innings.

Michael Barrett hit a three-run homer in the seventh off Hitchcock after singles by Hermanson and White to open the inning. Barrett’s sixth home run put the Expos ahead, 5-0.

“I had a feeling he might try and come inside because he had been hitting the outside corner,” Barrett said. “I knew I’d get something good to hit with Vladimir [Guerrero] hitting behind me.”