Maddux Loses Control for Cubs

On his return to Wrigley Field as a Chicago Cub, Greg Maddux had trouble finding a familiar spot: the plate.

Wild and ineffective, Maddux’s homecoming was upstaged on a cold and windy Monday by Kris Benson and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who rolled to a 13-2 victory in Chicago’s home opener

“When you don’t throw the ball where you want to throw it, it kind of takes the fun out of the game,” said Maddux, who walked five, hit a batter and gave up eight hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings.

“I made some good pitches that got hit, and I made some bad pitches that got hit harder. I didn’t throw the ball the way I wanted to. At the same time, you feel like you let a lot of people down. The frustrating part was that I felt good. I really did.”

But so did Benson, who gave up only one hit in six innings to get his first victory since May 27.

“It’s almost been a year, so it feels really good,” said Benson, whose season a year ago was cut short because of shoulder problems. “They made it easy on me getting out there and scoring a bunch of runs early.”

Making his first appearance at Wrigley in a Cub uniform since Sept. 30, 1992, Maddux (0-2) drew a rousing ovation when he was introduced as he was warming up in the bullpen.

Maddux left the Cubs in 1992 after winning the first of four consecutive Cy Young Awards, then helped the Atlanta Braves to 10 first-place finishes in a row and the 1995 World Series championship.

Colorado 7, Arizona 4 -- The Rockies rallied for four runs in the seventh inning, capitalizing on Diamondback reliever Jose Valverde’s wildness to win their home opener at Denver.

Colorado loaded the bases with a single and two walks off Mike Koplove (0-1), and Koplove walked Jeromy Burnitz to force in a run.

Valverde entered and hit Charles Johnson with his first pitch, leading to a run. Valverde’s second pitch was wild, letting in another run. Several pitches later, Valverde uncorked another wild pitch, and Burnitz scored to make it 7-4.

Vladimir Nunez (1-0) got two outs in relief to get the win. Shawn Chacon pitched the ninth for his second save in three opportunities.

New York 10, Atlanta 6 -- Newcomers Kaz Matsui and Mike Cameron each drove in two runs, Steve Trachsel was terrific on the mound and at the plate, and the Mets defeated the Braves in their home opener at New York.

Todd Zeile had three hits as a makeshift Met lineup roughed up former teammate Mike Hampton in building a 10-0 lead.

Hampton (0-1) was knocked out in the third and booed as he walked off the mound with his head down. Fans at Shea Stadium haven’t forgiven him for leaving town as a free agent after helping the Mets reach the 2000 World Series.

Trachsel (1-1), hit hard in an 18-10 loss at Atlanta in his first start, gave up one run and four hits in six innings, and also drove in two runs.

Cincinnati 4, Philadelphia 1 -- Paul Wilson gave only one run over 7 1/3 innings, and the Reds beat the Phillies at Philadelphia in the first game at Citizens Bank Park, triggering boos from Phillie fans frustrated by the team’s slow start.

D’Angelo Jimenez got the first hit, a ground-rule double down the right-field line on the fourth pitch of the game from Randy Wolf.

Bobby Abreu hit the first home run, the only bright spot for a dismal Phillie offense that has scored 16 runs in seven games.

A sellout crowd of 41,626 spent most of the afternoon hiding from the rain on a 48-degree afternoon. Most of the seats in the upper deck were empty by the fifth inning, and some of the remaining fans were booing or chanting, “Let’s Go Flyers!” by the seventh.

Houston 10, St. Louis 5 -- Richard Hidalgo hit a three-run home run and broke an eighth-inning tie with a sacrifice fly to help the Astros win at St. Louis.

Craig Biggio had three doubles, three RBIs and scored three times for the Astros.