Schilling Gets Help to Win His 16th

Curt Schilling was one out away from a no-decision Sunday. Instead, he became the first 16-game winner in the major leagues.

Junior Spivey hit a two-out, eighth-inning home run to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets at Phoenix.

“This is the time of year when guys have to step up and do things,” said Schilling, who won for the fourth time in five decisions. “Everything was good today. This is where you can make a name for yourself in sports. . . . Crunch time.”

Reggie Sanders also homered for the Diamondbacks, who remained a half-game behind the Dodgers in the National League West.

Schilling (16-5) struck out 13 and gave up six hits in eight innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth with the score tied, 1-1.

Schilling won despite yielding his major league-leading 30th homer, a solo shot to Matt Lawton in the seventh inning.

Sanders tied the score with his 22nd homer in the bottom half against Glendon Rusch before Arizona rallied in the eighth. With two out, Spivey lined a 1-and-2 pitch from Rick White (3-2) into the right-center-field pool area for his third homer of the season and second in two days.

Schilling, who retired 13 in a row before Lawton’s homer, struck out the side in the second inning and had two strikeouts each in the third, fourth and fifth. He has 205 strikeouts, passing 200 for the third time in his career.

San Francisco 8, Philadelphia 4--Rich Aurilia is swinging a powerful bat these days, yet even the Giants’ all-star shortstop is impressed by Livan Hernandez’s prowess at the plate.

Aurilia had four hits in five at-bats with a three-run homer and five runs batted in and Hernandez got three hits while pitching 6 2/3 innings at San Francisco as the Giants won for the 10th time in 11 games. It was their major league-leading 38th home victory.

Aurilia drove in the big runs, but Hernandez provided the spark. He went three for three and scored two runs, giving him eight hits in his last nine at-bats.

“Livan can have all the accolades today,” Aurilia said. “It’s nice to know we’ve got a guy at the bottom of the order who can get on base and put a charge in the ball.”

Houston 4, Montreal 1--Ron Villone provided strong relief for injured starter Wade Miller at Houston to help the Astros complete a six-game sweep of the season series.

Miller left the game after facing one batter. Peter Bergeron hit the first pitch of the game toward first base. Miller covered and collided with Bergeron, who accidentally stepped on Miller’s hand. Miller left the game and received four stitches in his pinky finger.

Villone (5-4) gave up one run and five hits in 4 2/3 innings to help the Astros win their fourth in a row.

Atlanta 12, Milwaukee 8--The Braves handed Ben Sheets his worst loss of the season. He gave up 10 runs, nine earned, and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings at Milwaukee in losing his fifth consecutive decision. He is 0-5 with an 8.58 earned-run average in his last six starts.

Cincinnati 10, San Diego 9--Todd Walker drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning at San Diego with a bloop single, enabling the Reds, who blew leads of 5-0, 5-3 and 8-7, to win for the 10th time in 12 games.

Florida 5, St. Louis 3--Ryan Dempster won his fifth consecutive start on the road, enabling the Marlins to split the four-game series at St. Louis. His seven road victories are one short of the combined road-win total of Florida’s four other starters.

Pittsburgh 5, Colorado 4--With runners on first and third and none out in the bottom of the ninth at Denver, former Dodger Mike Fetters struck out Todd Helton and retired the next two hitters to preserve the Pirates’ third road series victory of the season.