PHILADELPHIA, 2 July 2003 — Jim Thome hit a two-run homer to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their sixth straight win, a 4-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs in the National League on Monday.
Thome’s seventh-inning blast gave the Phillies their 11th victory in 13 outings, moving them within 5 1/2 games of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
Vicente Padilla (7-7) picked up the win thanks to Thome’s homer. He went seven innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Jose Mesa gave up a hit and a walk in a nervous ninth but still recorded his 18th save of the season. David Bell and Marlon Byrd drove in the other Philadelphia runs.
Shawn Estes (6-7) surrendered four runs on seven hits over seven innings and took the loss for the Cubs, who have lost five of their last six and eight of 11.
Diamondbacks 8 Rockies 7
In Denver, Luis Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to key a four-run 12th inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their 12th straight game, an 8-7 decision over the Colorado Rockies. Gonzalez drove in five runs for the D-Backs, who are on a franchise record-winning streak despite having several players on the disabled list.
Matthew Kata also homered for Arizona and had five hits, drove in two runs and scored another three, while Carlos Baerga added three hits and an RBI.
Marlins 8 Braves 1
In Miami, Mark Redman pitched a complete game five-hitter as the Florida Marlins crushed the Atlanta Braves 8-1.
Redman (6-3) struck out two and walked one. Ivan Rodriguez homered and drove in four runs while Derrek Lee also homered for Florida. Greg Maddux (6-8) was roughed up for seven runs on six hits in four innings.
Mets 3 Expos 1
In New York, Steve Trachsel tossed seven solid innings to help the Mets end a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Montreal Expos. Trachsel (7-5) allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Armando Benitez tossed a scoreless ninth for his 19th save of the season while Ty Wigginton had a two-run double for New York.
Giants 5 Cardinals 1
In St. Louis, Jason Schmidt threw his third consecutive complete game as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cardinals 5-1.
Schmidt (8-3) allowed one run on seven hits while striking out five and walking one. Edgardo Alfonzo had three hits and drove in a run while Marquis Grissom had two hits and an RBI for the Giants. Dan Haren (0-1) was called up from the minor leagues. He went six innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits over six innings.
Another Bidder Steps Up to
Buy, Move Montreal Expos
New York real estate executive Mark Broxmeyer officially threw his cap into the diamond as a bidder for the Montreal Expos on Monday, joining a handful of buyers who want to move the baseball team to the United States.
The Expos are owned by Major League Baseball (MLB), which bought them last year for $120 million after the franchise barely survived a planned reduction of teams in the league. Forbes magazine puts the Expos’ value at $113 million, the lowest among the 30 teams in the league, with the average value at $295 million. Walt Disney Co. recently sold the defending World Series champion Anaheim Angels for about $180 million. Broxmeyer, who founded Long Island, New York apartment owner Fairfield Properties about 30 years ago, said he hopes to move the 34-year-old franchise to the Washington, D.C.-Northern Virginia area.
