Braves Show They Have Some Hitting Too

Atlanta’s pitching, presumed to be immune to baseball’s emphasis on offense, is proving to be like everybody else’s.

The Braves were fortunate Monday night that their bats are like everyone else’s too.

Andruw Jones homered twice and drove in five runs for Atlanta, which squandered a three-run lead, then rallied from five runs behind to win, 10-8, at Pittsburgh.

The Pirates wasted Kevin Young’s six-RBI night.

Young drove in six runs in the first two innings with a double and homer for Pittsburgh, which chased Kevin Millwood and seized an 8-3 lead.

“It’s kind of a culture shock for us. When we score three and have one of our big guys on the mound, we expect to roll,” Atlanta’s Chipper Jones said. “The next thing we know, it’s 8-3. We were just shellshocked.”

Not for long. Andruw Jones led the Braves’ comeback with a solo homer and a two-run shot, both off Todd Ritchie. The Braves regained the lead in the ninth inning off Jason Christiansen (1-6) on run-scoring singles by Javy Lopez and Reggie Sanders.

Atlanta had tied it, 8-8, with a two-run eighth inning against Rich Loiselle and Christiansen on a walk, third baseman Luis Sojo’s run-scoring throwing error on Brian Jordan’s single and Keith Lockhart’s RBI double.

Brave relievers Jason Marquis, Bruce Chen, Kerry Ligtenberg and Mike Remlinger helped make the comeback possible by combining for seven scoreless innings after Marquis yielded three runs in the second.

Ligtenberg (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory and Remlinger, closing again with John Rocker in the minors, finished for his sixth save.

“Our bullpen was outstanding,” Andruw Jones said. “They gave us a chance to put some runs on the board and we did.”

Millwood remained in a major slump, surrendering five runs on four hits and walking two while retiring only leadoff hitter Warren Morris.

Millwood, an 18-game winner last season, hasn’t lasted past the fourth inning in three of his last five starts and has lost his last four decisions. His slump mirrors that of the long-reliable Brave starting staff, which has given up 47 earned runs in its last 38 1/3 innings.

San Francisco 10, Cincinnati 3--Joe Nathan scattered seven hits in eight innings and hit his first big league homer for the Giants, who won at San Francisco.

Marvin Benard added a two-run homer, and Bobby Estalella and Ellis Burks hit solo shots in Dusty Baker’s 587th victory, most by a San Francisco manager, one ahead of Roger Craig.

Baker is 587-541 in eight seasons with the Giants.

Burks had three hits and three RBIs, J.T. Snow hit a two-run double and Jeff Kent added an RBI double, helping San Francisco avoid consecutive losses at home for the first time since dropping its first six games at Pacific Bell Park.

Nathan (3-1) struck out four and walked two in winning for the first time since he was activated June 6 following one month on the disabled list with tendinitis. He had been tagged for 12 runs at Colorado on May 12 in his start before going on the DL.

A converted shortstop, Nathan homered off reliever Dennys Reyes in the seventh inning, driving a 3-and-2 offering over the center-field wall.

St. Louis 7, San Diego 3--Mark McGwire’s 23rd homer of the season broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning and sent the Cardinals winging toward their victory at San Diego.

McGwire’s two-run shot off the Padres’ Matt Clement also scored Jim Edmonds for the Cardinals, and Matt Matheny added another two-run homer in the ninth inning.

That came off San Diego’s Carlos Reyes.

Milwaukee 8, Montreal 1--Jason Bere won for only the second time in 11 starts since April 13, giving up three hits in 6 1/3 innings at Milwaukee.

Bere (4-5) struck out struck out seven, getting past the fifth inning for the first time in four starts. On May 5, the Expos pounded him for nine runs in five innings, winning, 10-2.

After winning his first two starts, Bere didn’t get another win until beating Houston on May 22.

Curtis Leskanic and David Weathers completed the five-hitter.

Milwaukee extended a winning streak to three for the first time since May 22-23 thanks to a three-run fourth inning off Javier Vazquez (6-3).

Vazquez gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings as the Expos lost for the fifth time in six games.

Geoff Jenkins doubled home Marquis Grissom in the fourth and and scored on a double by Jose Hernandez, who came around of Raul Casanova’s single for a 3-0 lead.