Wright Stops Braves, Beats Maddux, 2-1

Jamey Wright was just good enough to beat Greg Maddux and the Atlanta Braves.

Wright outpitched Maddux on Saturday night to win his third consecutive start in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-1 victory over the Braves at Atlanta.

Wright (4-1) scattered five hits, struck out seven and walked five in eight innings.

“It’s a good feeling not to have my best stuff and still come out on top,” he said. “After that first inning, I didn’t think I’d be standing here telling you I won.”

He has won his last five starts against the Braves and improved to 3-0 at Turner Field despite entering with a 6.17 earned-run average in two previous starts at Atlanta.

“I’ve had a few good games against them,” Wright said. “But I’ve had some lucky games too. My ERA is not what it should be against a team I’ve beaten five straight times.”

Bob Wickman pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 11 opportunities.

Maddux (9-2), who pitched his third complete game, had won five straight decisions and had not lost since the Dodgers beat him, 4-1, on May 3.

“I don’t worry about that,” Maddux said after he gave up six hits, walked one and struck out five. “I made two mistakes tonight. The other guy pitched a good game.”

One mistake came when Jeromy Burnitz gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead in the fourth with his 15th homer, a 454-foot shot to right field--the longest in Turner Field history.

Colorado 4, Arizona 0--Randy Johnson lost for the first time in seven starts since May 16, giving up as many as four runs for only the second time this year as the Rockies won at Phoenix.

Masato Yoshii (3-7) improved to 3-0 against Arizona this year. He hasn’t beaten any other team.

Johnson (11-2), who had given up six runs in his previous five starts and 35 2/3 innings, gave up all four runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six--his lowest total since June 20, 1999, against the Braves--and walked two.

Johnson’s only other loss was to Montreal’s Javier Vazquez on May 16. He had been 7-0 at home.

In the sixth inning, he fanned Neifi Perez for the 2,856th strikeout of his career, moving past Jim Bunning for 12th on the all-time list.

San Francisco 13, Houston 4--Jeff Kent had four hits, two in the Giants’ seven-run third inning, and Doug Mirabelli had a career-high five hits at Houston.

San Francisco had 22 hits, its highest total since June 12, 1999, against the Seattle Mariners and the most against the Astros since July 15, 1996, at Florida.

Shane Reynolds (6-4) was pounded for eight runs, six earned, and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings, his shortest outing since Sept. 20 at Pittsburgh.

Mirabelli went five for six with a three-run homer, and Ellis Burks tripled, homered and scored three runs. Burks has homered in 36 stadiums, tied with Fred McGriff of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for second-most, one behind Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Philadelphia 8, Montreal 1--Randy Wolf pitched seven strong innings and the Phillies scored six runs in the seventh inning at Montreal.

Wolf (7-4) scattered six hits and gave up only one run--on Vladimir Guerrero’s RBI single in the sixth--as the Phillies won for the seventh time in nine games, including five of six.

New York 10, Pittsburgh 8--Robin Ventura hit two home runs and Todd Zeile hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning as the Mets rallied from a four-run deficit at New York.

Derek Bell went three for three with three runs scored and Edgardo Alfonzo had two RBI doubles--including a game-tying hit in the eighth. New York, which trailed 8-4 in the seventh, has won 20 of its last 24 games against the Pirates at Shea Stadium.

Cincinnati 11, San Diego 5--Barry Larkin had two homers among his career-high five hits at Cincinnati as the Reds won for only the fourth time in 17 games.

Florida 7, Chicago 4--Preston Wilson hit two home runs at Miami, among them a three-run drive against Rick Aguilera in a five-run eighth inning, as the Marlins rallied for their eighth victory in 10 games.