Lopez grand slam wins it in 10th for Braves
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Island favorite Javy Lopez hit his second homer of the game, a grand slam in the 10th inning that set off a festive celebration and sent the Atlanta Braves over the Montreal Expos 14-8 Thursday for a three-game sweep.
So popular in his homeland that he bought 40 tickets each day, Lopez rewarded his fans with a career-high six RBIs. Both of his homers brought prolonged chants and cheers led by his dad prompting a pair of rare curtain calls by a visiting player.
Rafael Furcal hit his first homer, Marcus Giles homered, doubled twice and singled, and Andruw Jones also homered as the Braves won their fourth in a row and reached .500 for the first time this season.
Diamondbacks 11, Rockies 2
PHOENIX Carlos Baerga drove in a career-best seven runs with two homers and a double and Curt Schilling pitched a four-hitter for his first victory of the season as Arizona routed Colorado.
Baerga, starting at second base in place of slumping Junior Spivey, hit his first grand slam in nearly 10 years, off Jason Jennings (1-2) in the second inning.
The Diamondbacks won consecutive games for the first time this season and split the four-game series.
Schilling gave up a double to Ronnie Belliard to start the game, then retired 19 in a row before Todd Helton singled in the seventh.
Schilling (1-2) struck out 10 and walked none in his 77th career complete game and first this season. He threw 102 pitches, 78 strikes.
Cubs 16, Reds 3
CHICAGO Pitcher Kerry Wood (3-0) hit his fifth career home run, Sammy Sosa hit his 503rd and Chicago routed Cincinnati.
Hee Seop Choi and Mark Grudzielanek also went deep for the Cubs, who scored at least 10 runs against the Reds three days in a row for the first time since August 1894, according to team historian Ed Hartig.
Sosa hit his third homer in as many days, leaving him one shy of Eddie Murray for 17th on the career list. All four of Sosa's home runs this season have come against Cincinnati.
Marlins 7, Phillies 3
PHILADELPHIA Mike Lowell drove in four runs with three extra-base hits and Carl Pavano pitched six shutout innings for Florida.
Luis Castillo had three hits, three stolen bases and two runs scored for the Marlins, who swiped five bases in all to gain a split of the four-game series.
Lowell doubled twice and hit the first triple of his career. Pavano (2-2) allowed only two hits, struck out five and walked one.
Mets 7, Pirates 2
PITTSBURGH Jae Seo pitched seven shutout innings for his first major league victory and Mo Vaughn had four hits and four RBIs.
Vaughn had an RBI double in the first off Jeff D'Amico (1-2) and a three-run double in the seventh.
Jeromy Burnitz and Mike Piazza hit long homers as the Mets won for the third time on a 10-game road trip in which they averaged only three runs.
The Pirates, losing their sixth in nine games, also aren't scoring runs, and it showed against Seo (1-1), who allowed only five singles in his fourth big league appearance.
Brewers 4, Astros 2
MILWAUKEE Matt Kinney pitched seven crisp innings and Richie Sexson and Geoff Jenkins hit consecutive home runs for Milwaukee.
The Brewers moved into fifth place in the NL Central, the first time they've been out of the cellar since May 18, 2002.
Coming off a 3-2 victory over Curt Schilling and Arizona last week, Kinney (2-1) scattered four singles while walking one and striking out six.
Valerio De Los Santos got six outs for his first career save, allowing solo homers to Jeff Bagwell and Richard Hidalgo in the ninth.
Dodgers 4, Padres 3
LOS ANGELES Pinch hitter Todd Hundley hit a three-run homer to cap a four-run eighth as Los Angeles beat San Diego.
Fred McGriff's leadoff double in the fourth was the Dodgers' last hit until Shawn Green and Brian Jordan opened the eighth with singles against Jesse Orosco (0-1). Daryle Ward delivered an RBI single for the Dodgers' first run.