Once Again, Sheets Beats the Astros

Ben Sheets was humbled by his pitching last season and on opening day this year.

He felt much better Saturday, after striking out a career-high 10 in six scoreless innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros at Milwaukee.

Sheets (1-0) has beaten the Astros seven consecutive times since losing his first two decisions against them in 2001.

“I haven’t been this excited for a long time, because I’ve struggled for as long as I ever have in my career,” Sheets said. “Maybe it’s partly because I’ve been embarrassed the way things are going. It was a great day today.”

Jeff Bagwell, who had five RBIs in Friday’s 13-7 victory over the Brewers to spoil their home opener, was impressed after striking out twice and then doubling against Sheets.

“He was great today,” Bagwell said. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen him. He’s pitched some good games against us. He had an overpowering fastball and curveball against us today.”

Milwaukee Manager Ned Yost said Sheets provided the performance he always expected would come.

“He had command of all his pitches today and that was evident,” Yost said. “He threw a fantastic game. He really pitched great.”

Sheets, who was 11-13 last season and 0-3 in spring training, lasted only 3 1/3 innings Monday in St. Louis. But he was locked in a scoreless duel with Tim Redding (0-1) until the fifth inning, when the Brewers rallied with two out.

Geoff Jenkins was hit by a pitch and Lyle Overbay singled before Wes Helms hit his first home run of the season, giving the Brewers a 3-0 lead.

Sheets needed only five innings to equal his previous career high of nine strikeouts. He faced only 22 batters, four over the minimum. He yielded four hits and walked none before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth, when the Brewers made it 6-0 against Houston reliever Ricky Stone.

Before being shut down by the Brewers, the Astros scored 32 runs in their first four games.

The 10 strikeouts by Sheets marked the first time the Brewers had someone in double digits since Aug. 31, 2001, when Jamey Wright struck out 12 against Houston.

Florida 5, Philadelphia 3 -- Hee Seop Choi watched from the bench as his Marlin teammates received their World Series rings. It was all the motivation he needed.

Choi homered twice, wanting to do what he could to get his own ring, and the Marlins rallied past the Phillies at Miami.

Choi’s leadoff homer in the sixth tied the score at 3-3, and Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the seventh to help Florida beat the Phillies for the 12th time in 14 games. The Phillies have lost nine in a row in Miami.

The Marlins started their comeback in the fourth when Choi homered to right with two out. Alex Gonzalez doubled to open the fifth and scored on Juan Pierre’s single.

Philadelphia starter Brett Myers gave up another hit and two walks, prompting bench coach Gary Varsho to go to the bullpen early.

Varsho was filling in for Manager Larry Bowa, who served a one-game suspension for a beanball incident during spring training. Bowa watched the game on television from the visiting manager’s office.

Montreal 1, New York 0 -- John Patterson pitched seven strong innings in his debut for Montreal, and Peter Bergeron’s two-out RBI single in the seventh gave the Expos the victory in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The teams split the first two games of their series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, where the Expos will play 22 “home” games for the second consecutive season.

Patterson, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks late in spring training, yielded two hits, struck out six and walked one.

Atlanta 5, Chicago 2 -- Julio Franco completed a 13-pitch at-bat against Kyle Farnsworth with a tie-breaking, three-run double in the eighth inning at Atlanta.

In the game only because rookie first baseman Adam LaRoche fouled a pitch off his foot earlier, Franco fought back from an 0-2 count by fouling off five straight pitches at one point. He eventually worked the count full, then drove a fastball over Sammy Sosa’s head in right field.

The comeback spoiled a marvelous outing by Cub right-hander Sergio Mitre, who pitched five-hit ball for 7 2/3 innings and was in line to get his first major league win.

Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 1 -- The Reds extended their best start in 10 years by beating the Pirates in Cincinnati.

At 4-1, they are three games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 19, 2002, when they were still playing at Cinergy Field.

They never got more than two games above the break-even mark in their first year at Great American Ball Park. It’s their best start since they opened the 1994 season 6-1.

San Diego 6, San Francisco 4 -- The Padres kept Barry Bonds in the yard for the second straight game at Petco Park in San Diego.

Bonds singled in three at-bats and walked to remain on hold with 659 home runs, one behind his godfather, Willie Mays, for third place on the career list.

Bonds, who singled to center off Brian Lawrence in the fifth inning, has 75 career homers against the Padres, his most against any team, but hasn’t connected in the first two games at Petco Park.

Bonds was on deck in the top of the ninth when Trevor Hoffman struck out Michael Tucker with the bases loaded to end the game.

Scott Linebrink (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh for the win in relief of Lawrence. Hoffman struggled in the ninth but got his 353rd career save and his first since September 2002. Hoffman, who blew a save Thursday night, sat out the first five months of the 2003 season after undergoing double shoulder surgery.

St. Louis 10, Arizona 2 -- Scott Rolen homered twice and drove in five runs to lead the Cardinals, who have outscored the Diamondbacks, 23-8, and have 30 hits in the first two games of a three-game series at Phoenix.

Ray Lankford also homered as the Cardinals boosted their home run total to 15, most in the majors. They have eight homers in two games against the Diamondbacks.