CHICAGO, Illinois, 13 July 2003 - Vinny Castilla homered and drove in four runs to lead the Atlanta Braves to their eighth straight victory, a 9-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Castilla also homered and drove in four runs on Thursday in an 11-3 Atlanta win and at one point had six consecutive hits against the Cubs over the two games.
Andruw Jones also homered for the Braves, while pitcher Mike Hampton hit a two-run triple in the eighth.
Hampton (5-5) allowed five runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts and three walks to get the win. Chicago’s Sammy Sosa went 4-for-4 with two homers, his 16th and 17th of the season.
Mark Prior (8-5) allowed six runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and three walks to take the loss. He also collided with Atlanta second baseman Marcus Giles in the second inning. Prior stayed in the game but Mark DeRosa replaced Giles, who went to hospital with a mild concussion.
Marlins 5 Expos 4
In Montreal, Todd Hollandsworth homered to tie the game in the ninth inning before Juan Encarnacion hit a RBI game-winning single to help the Florida Marlins a 5-4 win over the Expos.All of Montreal’s runs came off Wil Cordero’s fourth-inning grand slam home run off Brad Penny (8-6) who gave up five hits in eight innings before Braden Looper threw a perfect ninth for his 17th save.
Astros 4 Pirates 2
In Houston, the Astros quietly accumulated four runs to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2. Jeff Bagwell smacked a solo homer in the first inning, Adam Everett added an RBI double and Craig Biggio a RBI single in the fifth before Morgan Ensberg’s RBI single in the sixth capped the Houston scoring. Wade Miller (6-9) allowed just one run and four hits in six innings for the win.
Cardinals 4 Padres 2
In St. Louis, Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds hit solo homers to help the Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Woody Williams (12-3) allowed two runs on two hits in eight innings before Jason Isringhausen closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning for his fourth save.
Phillies 10 Mets 3
In New York, the Philadelphia Phillies scored four runs in the first inning and six more in the fifth to ease to a 10-3 victory over the Mets. Randy Wolf (10-4) held the Mets to one run and four hits in six innings for the win while New York’s Aaron Heilman (0-2) was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Reds 6 Brewers 1
In Milwaukee, Ken Griffey Jr. homered for the fourth successive game while Jose Guillen pounded out three hits and drove in two runs to help the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-1 win over the Brewers. Cincinnati’s Ryan Dempster (3-6) won for the first time in seven starts by holding Milwaukee to one run and eight hits in seven innings while Ben Sheets (7-7) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings for the loss.
Giants 10 Diamondbacks 7
In Phoenix, Barry Bonds hit his major league leading 29th homer of the season as the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7. Marquis Grissom also homered for the Giants and had four hits while Jose Cruz drove in three runs.
Rockies 7 Dodgers 6
In Denver, Todd Helton homered twice and scored on a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning to give the Rockies a 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brian Fuentes (2-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief for the win before Justin Speier worked a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save.
Cameron Ruins Piniella’s
Return to Seattle
Mike Cameron hit a solo home run to rally the Seattle Mariners past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4-3 and spoil the return of former Mariner manager Lou Piniella on Friday.
Tampa Bay took an early 3-0 lead but couldn’t hold on in Piniella’s first game back in Seattle since he left in the off-season for Tampa Bay.
Piniella managed the Mariners for 10 seasons, averaging 100 wins a year in his last three seasons, including an American League record 116 in 2001.
Bret Boone’s three-run homer tied the game for the Mariners in the third inning before Cameron’s blast in the eighth sealed the win. Jeremi Gonzalez (3-5) went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.
Angels 5 Twins 0
In Anaheim, Scott Spiezio and Tim Salmon both homered to lead the Angels to a 5-0 win over the slumping Minnesota Twins, who have now lost six successive games.
Ramon Ortiz (11-6) tossed a three-hitter over six innings for the win, striking out five and walking four before two relievers combined with him on the four-hit shutout.
Athletics 2 Orioles 0
In Oakland, Tim Hudson pitched a three-hit shutout to lead the Athletics past the Baltimore Orioles 2-0. Hudson (7-3) struck out nine and walked one while Terrence Long drove in both of Oakland’s runs. Rodrigo Lopez (2-5) went eight innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks for the loss.
In Cleveland, Ben Broussard clubbed a pair of homers and drove in five runs to power the Indians to a 12-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. Broussard hit a solo shot in the second inning, added a two-run double in the third then smacked a two-run drive in the seventh while Tim Laker and Shane Spencer also smacked two-run homers for the Indians.
Red Sox 5 Tigers 3
In Detroit, Jason Varitek hit a solo homer in the seventh inning to help the Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Tigers. Todd Walker scored twice and had a pair of hits for the Red Sox, who have won four straight. John Burkett (7-4) gave up three runs and four hits in seven innings before Byung-Hyun Kim struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning for his fourth save.
Yankees 8 Blue Jays 5
In Toronto, Jason Giambi had a pair of hits, including an eighth inning home run, to help the New York Yankees to an 8-5 win over the Blue Jays. Shannon Stewart and Chris Woodward homered for the Blue Jays, who have dropped four straight.
Royals 13 Rangers 3
In Texas, Raul Ibanez and Carlos Beltran clubbed two-run home runs while Angel Berroa scored three times and had three hits, to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 13-3 win over the Rangers. Kris Wilson (4-0) tossed three scoreless innings of relief for the win after starter Runelvys Hernandez allowed three runs in four innings. Texas’ R.A. Dickey (4-4) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings for the loss.
