Montreal Has a Field Day as Braves Get Exposed, 17-1

Jose Vidro and Orlando Cabrera each hit two home runs and the Montreal Expos rapped 18 hits, routing the Atlanta Braves, 17-1, Monday night at Atlanta.

Rookie Tony Armas Jr. (4-5) beat the Braves for the second time in a week. The son of former major league outfielder Tony Armas also got his first hit and run batted in.

The switch-hitting Vidro homered from both sides of the plate. Cabrera went four for five and drove in a career-high five runs.

Vidro went three for four and raised his average to .371, second best in the league to Colorado’s Todd Helton. Vidro is among several candidates to make the All-Star team at second base.

“I’m not going to think about it,” he said. “My numbers are pretty good, but if it doesn’t happen, I’ll just get ready for the second half of the season.”

Rondell White added a three-run homer as the Expos ended a four-game losing streak.

The 17 runs were the most Atlanta has given up since losing to Baltimore, 22-1, on June 13, 1999. The 18 hits against the Braves were a season high.

Atlanta came out flat after an emotional four-game series in New York with the Mets.

Terry Mulholland (8-8), who was 17-4 lifetime against the Expos, lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up nine runs and 10 hits.

Armas gave up one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Chicago 3, Pittsburgh 0--Jon Lieber pitched a career-best two-hitter for his second career shutout as the Cubs beat the Pirates at Chicago.

Lieber (7-5) has pitched seven innings-plus in 16 of his 18 starts this season. He is 4-0 in five career games against the Pirates, his former team.

The win was only the fourth in 13 games for the Cubs after a two-week trip filled with trade rumors about Sammy Sosa. Sosa, whose future is still unclear, was hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts.

Florida 2, New York 0--Mike Piazza’s streak of 15 consecutive games with an RBI ended as the Marlins won at Miami when Derrek Lee hit a two-run homer in the ninth.

Piazza came close to extending his string, hitting a high fly off the left-field scoreboard for a double in the eighth inning. That stretched his hitting streak to 21 games.

The major league record for consecutive games with an RBI is 17, set by Ray Grimes of the Cubs in 1922.

Florida won its fourth in a row.

Colorado 3, San Diego 1--Jeffrey Hammonds hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Brian Bohanon pitched eight strong innings as the Rockies beat the Padres at San Diego.

Colorado moved back into first place in the National League West, four percentage points ahead of Arizona.

Bohanon (4-5) gave up one run and four hits, struck out seven and walked two.

Jose Jimenez finished for his 15th save in 17 chances.

Cincinnati 3, Arizona 2--The Reds’ Steve Parris was 0-5 on the road since winning at Dodger Stadium April 16 and the Diamondbacks’ Brian Anderson had not lost at home in 1 1/2 years, but none of that mattered as the Reds won at Phoenix.

Alex Ochoa homered to help the Reds win consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month, both in Phoenix.

Anderson (8-3) lost at home for the first time since Sept. 18, 1998 (20 starts). He gave up three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Philadelphia 5, Milwaukee 3--Andy Ashby gave up three hits in seven innings for his first victory since May 7 as the Phillies beat the Brewers at Milwaukee.

Ashby (3-7) was far from perfect, but he pitched out of several jams and gave up only two runs--both on sacrifice flies by Ron Belliard.

He also hit three batters and walked three. Milwaukee’s only hits off Ashby were two doubles by Henry Blanco and another by Jose Hernandez.