Bell Dinged by Padres in Pitching Try

Wearing sunglasses and looking, well, like a right fielder who was trying to pitch, Derek Bell provided comic relief on a Tuesday that quickly turned disastrous in the New York Mets’ 16-1 loss at San Diego.

With the Padres leading, 11-1, Bell pitched the eighth inning to help save the New York bullpen.

After Joe Vitiello flied out to end the five-run, three-hit, four-walk inning, Bell, a former Padre, pumped his fist. He received a standing ovation and tipped his hat to the crowd.

“I was just lobbing it up there, like throwing it to a little kid,” Bell said. “I was floating it up there.”

The Mets were in deep trouble because left-hander Mike Hampton missed the start because of a broken rib, and emergency starter Pat Mahomes was ripped for 10 runs in four innings, serving up Damian Jackson’s first grand slam and consecutive second-deck homers to Phil Nevin and John Mabry.

Bell’s first pitch was clocked at 47 mph. He didn’t even look in to catcher Todd Pratt for signs and threw fastballs--sort of--and changeups.

Bell had pitched in the 1981 Little League World Series and in high school.

“I had to turn it up on Dave Magadan, because he’s from Tampa, Fla.,” Bell said. “That’s the one person I didn’t want to get a hit off me, but he got a hit off me. I always watched Dave Magadan growing up and he’s a pretty good friend of mine and he’s from the same hometown, and he’s going to talk about how he’s got a hit off me now.”

Houston 10, Chicago 7--Jeff Bagwell homered and doubled twice for the Astros, who spoiled Kerry Wood’s return from the disabled list and won at Houston.

Rondell White homered twice and drove in four runs for the Cubs.

Moises Alou hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning off Kyle Farnsworth (1-7) that rallied the Astros from a 7-6 deficit.

Wood, sidelined since July 30 because of a strained muscle in his left rib cage, lasted four innings.

Milwaukee 4, Arizona 3--Jeff D’Amico (10-4) won his eighth consecutive decision, giving up six hits in 8 2/3 innings for the Brewers in their win at Phoenix.

Richie Sexson and Tyler Houston homered for the second night in a row for Milwaukee.

D’Amico has a 1.36 earned-run average in the 10 starts since his last loss on May 5.

Philadelphia 5, Cincinnati 4--Dante Bichette’s error let in the Phillies’ go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning and Ken Griffey Jr. was doubled up at first base on Bichette’s foul pop for the final out of Philadelphia’s win at Cincinnati.

Bobby Abreu and Scott Rolen hit two-run homers, and the Phillies overcame Alex Ochoa’s first-inning grand slam, the record-setting 142nd in the majors.

Pat Burrell’s single led off the ninth. Marlon Anderson reached on a sacrifice attempt, and Tomas Perez sacrificed before Bichette dropped Kevin Jordan’s shallow fly to right, letting in Burrell.

Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 2--Alex Ramirez hit his second pinch-hit homer in six days off 14-game winner Darryl Kile and it broke a seventh-inning tie in the Pirates’ victory at St. Louis.

John Vander Wal also connected in a four-run seventh and Brian Giles homered for the third consecutive game for Pittsburgh, which won for only the fifth time in 15 games.

Colorado 7, Atlanta 6--Adam Melhuse singled in Neifi Perez in the 12th inning to give the Rockies a victory at Denver in a game that was interrupted in the 11th inning by a bench-clearing brawl after Colorado’s John Wasdin hit former Rocky Andres Galarraga with a pitch.

Brent Mayne became the first position player to be a winning pitcher since 1968, working a scoreless 12th.

Florida 7, San Francisco 5--Mike Lowell drove in three runs and A.J. Burnett pitched seven strong innings for the Marlins in their win at San Francisco.

Kevin Millar added a two-run homer for the Marlins, who stopped a three-game losing streak and sent Shawn Estes (12-4) to his first loss since June 10.