ATLANTA, 5 August 2003 — Adrian Beltre smashed a three-run homer and Robin Ventura added an inside-the-park homer as the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded 15-game winner Ramon Ortiz and the Atlanta Braves 8-4 in the National League on Sunday.
The Dodgers handed Ortiz his first loss since June 13 and used six pitchers, including rookie Scott Mullen in his first major league start, to edge back to the .500 mark and end a five-game losing streak.
Los Angeles recorded four unearned runs in the first inning off Ortiz (15-5) before the Braves scored three times in the opener off Mullen.
Mullen lasted three innings, allowing three runs on two hits with five walks. Guillermo Mota (3-2), the first of five relievers, seized the win with two shutout innings, giving up two hits with four strikeouts.
Dave Roberts, Shawn Green and Jeromy Burnitz all had two hits and one RBI for the Dodgers, who had 10 hits.
Ortiz went five innings, surrendering five runs, one earned, on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks, throwing 118 pitches in five innings.
Gary Sheffield clubbed his 27th home run of the season for Atlanta, the runaway leaders in the AL East. Javy Lopez also had two hits and drove in a run.
Astros 3 Marlins 1
In Miami, Jared Fernandez allowed one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings to win his seasonal debut as the Houston Astros edged the Florida Marlins 3-1.
Orlando Merced homered for Houston and Lance Berkman had two hits and one RBI. Billy Wagner picked up the last three outs for his 33rd save of the season.
Mark Redman (9-5) allowed three runs on eight hits over eight innings with seven strikeouts to take the loss.
Expos 4 Brewers 2
In Montreal, Livan Hernandez pitched seven solid innings as the Expos downed the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2.
Hernandez (11-7) allowed one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Rocky Biddle pitched a scoreless ninth for his 27th save of the season while Endy Chavez had two hits and drove in a run for Montreal.
Ben Sheets (10-8) was the loser, giving up two runs on six hits over six innings. Royce Clayton homered for Milwaukee.
Mets 13 Cardinals 5
In New York, Tony Clark homered from both sides of the plate and drove in five runs as the Mets pounded the St. Louis Cardinals 13-5.
Jason Phillips had three hits and drove in three runs for the Mets while Cliff Floyd also had three hits and drove in a run. Jeremy Griffiths (1-1) claimed his first major league win, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits over seven innings.
Garrett Stephenson (5-11) went six innings, giving up four runs on 10 hits, to take the loss. Bo Hart homered and Eduardo Perez drove in two runs for St. Louis.
Padres 5 Phillies 2 (10 innings)
In Philadelphia, Brian Buchanan struck a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the San Diego Padres past the Phillies 5-2.
Mark Loretta had three hits and drove in a run for the Padres while starting pitcher Oliver Perez struck out 13 batters in seven innings. Jay Witasick (3-2) tossed two shutout innings for the win before Rod Beck pitched a scoreless ninth for his 15th save this season.
Jose Mesa (5-6), the sixth of seven Philadelphia pitchers, allowed the homer while failing to get an out. Pat Burrell had a home run for Philadelphia.
Rockies 16 Pirates 4
In Pittsburgh, Jay Payton belted two three-run homers and drove in seven runs to propel the Colorado Rockies to a 16-4 rout of the Pirates.
Juan Uribe had four hits including a homer while Preston Wilson had four hits and two RBI. Bobby Estalella also homered for Colorado, which had 23 hits.
Darren Oliver (10-6) gained the win, going five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits before Jose Jimenez allowed one run on four hits over four innings for his 20th save this season.
Jeff D’Amico (6-11) gave up eight runs on 12 hits over five innings. Abraham Nunez homered for the Pirates.
Cubs 2 Diamondbacks 1
In Chicago, Sammy Sosa hit a two-run homer to lead the Cubs past the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1.
Sosa’s 24th homer of the season and 523rd of his career came after a rain delay of three hours and 15 minutes. The teams had to play in the rain in the ninth inning.
Matt Clement (9-9) went eight innings, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts for the win. Dave Veres recorded the last two outs for his first save of the season. Luis Gonzalez homered for Arizona. Oscar Villarreal (7-5) gave up the Sosa homer and took the loss in relief.
Giants 7 Reds 3
In Cincinnati, Edgardo Alfonzo had three hits and drove in two runs as the San Francisco Giants ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Reds 7-3.
Barry Bonds also drove in two runs for the Giants. Dustin Hermanson (2-2) went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on four hits.
Jimmy Haynes (2-12) went 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on five hits to take the loss. Jason LaRue homered for Cincinnati.
