Johnson Finds Old Form, Strikes Out 15

Randy Johnson is back to his old self, and that’s bad news for National League batters.

Johnson struck out 15 and threw 149 pitches at Montreal in pitching his third complete game and the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Expos, 5-1, on Wednesday night.

“I felt locked in,” said Johnson (15-4), who raised his strikeout total to 215 and moved ahead of teammate Curt Schilling for the major league lead.

The four-time Cy Young Award winner, who pitched seven scoreless innings to win his last start, had his second strong outing since giving up eight runs in five innings in an 11-9 loss in San Diego on July 21.

“I felt my mechanics were much better in the last two starts,” Johnson said. “It really was like night and day compared to my start in San Diego. I watched some videotape of that game and worked hard in between, and mentally I’m back where I need to be.”

Johnson, who beat the Padres, 2-0, on April 1 in Arizona’s first game of the season, gave up eight hits. He lost what would have been his first shutout since opening day when Jose Macias drove in Andres Galarraga in the ninth.

It was Johnson’s first complete game since April 21. Johnson has 82 career complete games.

Luis Gonzalez hit his 22nd homer off Masato Yoshii (2-4) leading off the second.

Quinton McCracken added Arizona’s second run later in the inning on a run-scoring grounder and Erubiel Durazo’s sacrifice fly in the fourth put the Diamondbacks ahead, 3-0.

New York 10, Houston 0--At New York, slumping Jeromy Burnitz hit a three-run homer in the Mets’ seven-run first inning, helping Shawn Estes (4-8) end a seven-start winless streak.

Hours after bolstering their pitching staff with two deals at the trade deadline, the Mets broke through for their biggest first inning since scoring seven on June 8, 1995, against San Francisco.

Mo Vaughn and Rey Ordonez had run-scoring doubles, Edgardo Alfonzo hit a run-scoring single and Roberto Alomar’s run-scoring triple with two out capped the rally against Dave Mlicki (3-7). Every Met position player either scored or drove in a run in the inning.

Atlanta 9, Milwaukee 1--The Braves’ Matt Franco hit three doubles and drove in three runs and Chipper Jones homered at Atlanta.

Kevin Millwood (10-6) gave up one run and five hits and struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander is 8-1 in his last 14 starts.

Pittsburgh 7, Colorado 6--Brian Giles put the Pirates ahead with a two-run double, and Pittsburgh ran the Rockies’ losing streak to eight games.

Rob Mackowiak added a two-run homer and finished with three runs batted in at Pittsburgh.

Florida 8, St. Louis 5--The Marlins, who had been outscored, 95-52, in the first inning, bucked the trend by taking a 4-0 lead in the first against Travis Smith (4-2). That ended Florida’s 21-inning scoreless streak at home.

Josh Beckett (4-4) won despite giving up seven hits and five runs, including Jim Edmonds’ 22nd homer.

San Diego 8, Chicago 6--Mark Kotsay and Phil Nevin hit 11th-inning home runs--Nevin’s second of the game--to lead the Padres at Chicago.

Ron Gant and Ryan Klesko also homered for the Padres.