PHOENIX, Arizona, 12 August 2003 — Five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson was far from his best, but was still good enough to earn the decision as the Arizona Diamondbacks outlasted the New York Mets 7-4 on Sunday.
Johnson (3-4), just a month away from his 40th birthday, allowed 10 hits and four runs in eight innings of work.
He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter in winning his second straight start for the first time in 2003.
Junior Spivey’s sixth-inning double plated the winning run, the Diamondbacks adding two more in the eighth to put the game away. Al Leiter (11-6) took the loss, his first in four outings. With Florida and Philadelphia both losing, Arizona is now within two games of the NL wildcard spot.
Cubs 3 Dodgers 1
In Los Angeles, Sammy Sosa belted two colossal home runs as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Dodgers 3-1, snapping Los Angeles’ six-game win streak.
Sosa’s two shots, both served up by league ERA leader Kevin Brown (11-6), traveled more than 900 feet in total.Sosa now has 28 homers on the season and 527 lifetime, 498 of those with Chicago. Hard-throwing Mark Prior (10-5), who hails from nearby San Diego, went all the way for Chicago, scattering five hits while striking out nine.
Astros 8 Expos 2
In Houston, the Astros went deep four times in an 8-2 rout of the road-weary Montreal Expos. Richard Hidalgo, Brad Ausmus, Jeff Kent and Lance Berkman all connected for the home side. Hidalgo’s and Ausmus’ blasts were served up by first-time starter Scott Downs (0-1). Ron Villone (4-2) notched the victory despite yielding back-to-back homers to Orlando Cabrera and Wil Cordero in the seventh.The Expos have dropped 13 of their past 15 road games.
Brewers 5 Marlins 4
In Milwaukee, the Brewers never trailed, snapping a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins. Richie Sexson clubbed a two-run home run off Brad Penny (10-9) and John Vander Wal added a solo shot to account for three Milwaukee runs.
Pirates 5 Rockies 3
In Denver, Nelson Figueroa enjoyed a winning return to the majors as he tossed six innings of seven-hit ball in a 5-3 victory for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Colorado Rockies. Figueroa (1-0), who was playing in nearby Colorado Springs before being recalled by the Pirates, struck out four in winning for the first time since April of 2002. Randall Simon helped his cause with a two-run homer served up by loser Shawn Chacon (11-7). Rene Reyes and Ronnie Belliard homered for Colorado.
Giants 5 Phillies 2
In San Francisco, the Giants pushed across five third-inning runs and made them stand up in a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Yorvit Torrealba’s two-run single off Brett Myers (11-7) was the inning’s big blow. Kevin Correia (1-0), subbing for ailing ace Jason Schmidt, tossed six innings of seven-hit ball for his first major league victory.
Padres 2 Reds 0
In San Diego, Brian Lawrence and three relievers combined to blank the reeling Reds, the Padres downing Cincinnati 2-0.
Lawrence (6-14) worked six innings for the win, scattering six hits while striking out four. Veteran Rod Beck closed out for his 16th save, but not before allowing two men on base. The Padres did all their scoring in the sixth, Rondell White’s single off Danny Graves (4-13) plating the first of the two runs.
Cardinals 3 Braves 2
In St. Louis, NL batting leader Albert Pujols extended his hitting streak to 24 games in taking the Braves’ ace reliever John Smoltz (0-2) deep in the bottom of the eighth to plate the winning run in the Cardinals’ 3-2 victory over Atlanta.
“I don’t care how hard they throw, I just make myself quicker,” Pujols said before the game. Eduardo Perez homered earlier in the inning to knot the score at 2-2.
The win went to Cal Eldred (5-4), who worked an inning in relief of Woody Williams, with Jason Isringhausen closing out for his 11th save.
The Cards shook off an unassisted triple play executed by Braves’ shortstop Rafael Furcal in the fifth inning with the game tied 1-1.
It was just the 12th time the feat had been accomplished in major-league history and the first for Atlanta.
