Baseball
Maddux of old is back at last
By Associated Press
Published April 24, 2004
CHICAGO - Greg Maddux watched as all the Cubs starters except him got victories.
Kerry Wood. Carlos Zambrano. Matt Clement. Even rookie Sergio Mitre was ahead of the four-time Cy Young Award winner.
"You look up and we've won nine games and we haven't won any that you've played in," Maddux said.
He changed that Friday, beating the Mets 3-1 for his first victory since rejoining his original team.
"It's nice to play in one that we've actually won," he said.
Maddux earned his 290th win and first in a Cubs uniform since Sept. 30, 1992.
"He looked like the Maddux of old," closer Joe Borowski said.
Maddux gave up seven hits but one run in seven innings, and he worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the third in vintage style. After getting Mike Piazza to ground into a double play, he struck out Mike Cameron.
Maddux struck out eight while walking one and didn't allow a runner into scoring position after the third. His ERA went from 8.62 to 6.35.
Moises Alou hit a two-run homer in the first to give Maddux all the offense he needed, and Todd Walker added a homer in the third. Borowski pitched a perfect ninth for his third save in as many chances.
Cameron homered and the Mets outhit the Cubs 8-4, but New York stranded seven and managed three baserunners over the final six innings. The Mets have lost six of their past eight and have scored 12 in their past seven.
Jae Seo lost despite allowing four hits in six innings.
"The third inning was probably the ballgame," Mets manager Art Howe said. "Maddux can get the ground ball when he needs it. He knows how to manage the game. He knows how to stop the bleeding."
Maddux spent his first five seasons in Chicago, going 95-75 and winning the first of his four straight Cy Youngs. He left after the 1992 season in a money dispute and went to Atlanta, where he developed into one of the great pitchers of his era.
The return trip didn't start as well as Cubs fans hoped. Maddux lost his first two starts and wasn't involved in the decision in his third, giving up a total of 15 earned runs. He had as many walks as strikeouts (nine).
But on Friday, Maddux flashed the form that has helped him win at least 15 for 16 straight seasons.
BRAVES 6, MARLINS 1: Visiting Atlanta roughed up Josh Beckett for the second time in a week as J.D. Drew and Adam LaRoche drove in two each.
The Braves improved to 4-0 against Florida this season. The rest of the league is 1-11 against the defending world champion Marlins.
Beckett, the World Series MVP, gave up six hits and six runs in five innings and lost his second straight start. The Braves scored four on eight hits in 61/3 innings against Beckett April 17.
PHILLIES 8, EXPOS 6: Bobby Abreu had four extra-base hits and five RBIs, and Jim Thome homered for a third straight game to lead Philadelphia.
Montreal, which arrived at Olympic Stadium with a 4-12 record, had been the first team to score four or fewer in its first 16 games. Trailing 5-1, the Expos tied the score with a four-run sixth, then faltered.
Abreu hit a three-run homer in the first and a run-scoring double off Claudio Vargas in the second, then doubled to lead off the seventh against Chad Bentz and scored on David Bell's grounder for a 6-5 lead.
ASTROS 13, ROCKIES 7: Mike Lamb had four hits and a career-high six RBIs as Houston stopped its three-game losing streak. Orlando Palmeiro and Craig Biggio hit two-run homers for the Astros, 6-1 on the road but 4-6 at home.
D'BACKS 5, PADRES 2: Richie Sexson's three-run home run with two outs in the eighth lifted host Arizona. San Diego starter Adam Eaton intentionally walked Luis Gonzalez to get to Sexson, who lined the first pitch 428 feet off the centerfield wall for his sixth homer.
BREWERS 2, CARDINALS 1: Craig Counsell hit a bases-loaded single in the ninth as Milwaukee sent St. Louis to its first road loss. The Cardinals' 6-0 road start was their best since they won 12 straight to start the 1941 season.
REDS 6, PIRATES 4: Adam Dunn hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth after Pittsburgh pitcher Kip Wells' throwing error on a potential inning-ending double play, and visiting Cincinnati held on.
[Last modified April 24, 2004, 02:05:07]
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