MLB
NL: Mordecai homer leads Marlins past Braves
By Times Wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 24, 2003
ATLANTA - Mike Mordecai hit his first home run in nearly two years, a 12th-inning drive that salvaged a 5-4 win for Florida after it squandered a three-run lead in the ninth.
Mordecai, batting .192, entered as a pinch-runner in the 10th and came through at the plate two innings later. The former Brave hit a 3-and-1 pitch off Trey Hodges (3-1) that barely cleared the leftfield wall.
Florida's Mark Redman allowed four hits in 72/3 innings, but closer Braden Looper couldn't hold a 4-1 lead in the ninth.
Andruw Jones walked on four straight pitches, Javy Lopez singled and both came around to score on a horrible defensive play by Juan Encarnacion.
When Julio Franco lofted a soft liner to right, Encarnacion attempted to make a diving catch instead of playing it safe. The ball skipped under his glove and rolled to the wall for a two-run triple.
Pinch-hitter Robert Fick tied it at 4 by lining a one-out single past the drawn-in infield.
Nate Bump (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
PHILLIES 3, CUBS 0: Randy Wolf pitched a four-hitter and Jim Thome hit a two-run homer for his 1,000th and 1,001st career RBIs to lead visiting Philadelphia.
Wolf (11-5) struck out four and walked three, earning his sixth career shutout despite three Phillies errors. It was the second shutout this season for Wolf, who threw 136 pitches and 87 strikes.
Ricky Ledee opened the scoring in the second, hitting a 1-and-2 pitch into the rightfield bleachers off Cubs starter Matt Clement (8-8).
CARDINALS 8, PADRES 4: Edgar Renteria had three hits and two RBIs to lead visiting St. Louis.
The Cardinals, who have lost 18 of 23 one-run games, got at least one hit from every position player during their 17-hit performance.
Tino Martinez had three hits and scored three runs. Kerry Robinson added three hits and Scott Rolen had two RBIs as St. Louis avoided being swept by San Diego for the first time since August 1995.
Brett Tomko (6-6) wasn't overpowering but the right-hander pitched effectively enough in key situations to defeat his former team. He allowed three runs and 10 hits in five innings, striking out six and walking one.
Mark Loretta went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs for the Padres.
PIRATES 6, REDS 5: Newly acquired Jose Hernandez, who leads the league with 123 strikeouts, hit a homer in the eighth to forge a tie and Matt Stairs added another in the ninth to win it for visiting Pittsburgh.
Randall Simon also homered as the Pirates overcame an early three-run deficit and three days of roster-gutting trades.
They looked bad at the outset as Jeff Suppan gave up four hits and three runs on his first nine pitches. But Suppan settled down and the Pirates turned it into a back-and-forth game.
Hernandez, acquired from the Cubs as part of a trade for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez on Tuesday, hit his 11th home run of the season off Chris Reitsma in the fifth.
Stairs' blast came off Kent Mercker (0-2), who has given up three homers in his past two appearances.
EXPOS 5, METS 2: Javier Vazquez struck out 11 in eight innings and Ron Calloway hit a two-run single in a five-run first for host Montreal.
Vazquez (8-6), who pitched his first complete game of the season in Philadelphia on Friday, allowed five hits and two runs, reaching double-digits in strikeouts for the fifth time in 22 starts.
Montreal ended a four-game losing streak after building a 5-0 lead against Jae Weong Seo (5-7) in the first.
ASTROS 3, BREWERS 2 (11): Lance Berkman homered with two outs in the 11th off Dan Kolb (0-1) to lead visiting Houston.
Billy Wagner pitched the 11th for his 30th save in 33 chances, helping the Astros to their 12th win in the past 14 games. Mike Gallo (1-0) pitched to two batters in the 10th for the victory.
The Astros tied it at 2 in the ninth off reliever Valerio De Los Santos, which cost Brewers starter Glendon Rusch his first victory since April 8.
ROCKIES 8, DODGERS 3: Darren Oliver (8-6) won for the fifth time in six decisions and doubled home two runs for visiting Colorado.
The Rockies loaded the bases three times in the first six innings against Kazuhisa Ishii (9-4), who escaped the first jam unscathed and yielded one run the second time. But the left-hander's luck ran out in the sixth when the Rockies tied a season high with seven runs in the inning.
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