NL Roundup
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 19, 2006
BRAVES 7, METS 1: NEW YORK - With two key teammates injured, Andruw Jones knows Atlanta needs production from him right now.
No problem. After all, he had a huge season under similar circumstances last year.
Jones hit two two-run homers, Kyle Davies pitched a three-hitter for his first career complete game and the Braves slowed the Mets.
Jones carried the offense at times last season while fellow slugger Chipper Jones was hurt, hitting 51 homers with 128 RBIs and finishing second in NL MVP voting to St. Louis' Albert With Chipper Jones and new shortstop Edgar Renteria sidelined, the Gold Glove centerfielder is turning it up again. He has four homers in his past three games and 22 RBIs this season.
"We know they're out, but we can't make excuses about it. We just have to go out there and play our game and battle with the guys we've got," he said.
Adam LaRoche also homered off former Devil Ray Victor Zambrano and drove in three, helping the Braves bounce back from a 4-3 loss in the series opener.
NOTABLE: Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran did not start for the third straight game because of tightness in his right hamstring. Leftfielder Cliff Floyd sat out after straining a muscle in his left rib cage Monday night. Second baseman Anderson Hernandez was scratched with back spasms.
ASTROS 13, BREWERS 12: HOUSTON - For the first time since their first month of play, the Astros have a .500 franchise record.
Houston held on for its fourth straight win, putting the franchise at .500 for the first time since the Colt .45's, as the team was known, were 6-6 before games of April 27, 1962. The franchise record is 3,507-3,507.
NOTABLE: Houston's Craig Biggio hit his 45th leadoff homer, second to Rickey Henderson's 80.
NATIONALS 10, PHILLIES 3: PHILADELPHIA - Ryan Zimmerman drove in three on two doubles and Ryan Church hit a grand slam for Washington.
Tony Armas pitched six effective innings and Daryle Ward homered, helping the Nationals win their third straight after a 2-9 start.
Pat Burrell hit a two-run shot for the Phillies, who fell to 1-6 at home.
Church broke the game open with a two-out slam in the ninth.
NOTABLE: After Ward homered, Zimmerman hit a broken-bat fly that sent Burrell to the leftfield wall. It would've been a homer last season, when the wall was 5 feet closer.
PIRATES 12, CARDINALS 4: PITTSBURGH - Jason Bay hit a three-run homer in the first inning to get the Pirates off to an unaccustomed quick start as they withstood Albert Pujols' 10th homer in 14 games.
Jeromy Burnitz homered and drove in three for Pittsburgh, which shook off an occasionally ragged start by Oliver Perez to beat the Cardinals for the 11th time in 32 home games.
The Pirates have trailed after the first in nine games while leading once. Four times, they allowed three runs in the first.
NOTABLE: Pujols tied Mark McGwire's 1998 club record for April homers.
MARLINS 12 REDS 6: CINCINNATI - Leadoff hitter Hanley Ramirez homered in his first two at-bats off Eric Milton and drove in four, and Florida stopped a three-game losing streak with its biggest offensive game of the season.
The Marlins hit three homers and had seven doubles among their season-high 18 hits.
NOTABLE: Marlins centerfielder Reggie Abercrombie snapped an 0-for-22 slump with a run-scoring single in the fifth.
ROCKIES 3, PADRES 2 (11): DENVER - Matt Holliday singled home the winner with two outs in the 11th for Colorado.
Todd Helton drew a one-out walk off Jon Adkins in the 11th and moved to second on Garrett Atkins' flyout to left. Holliday singled to right, and Helton beat Brian Giles' throw to the plate.
San Diego's Mike Piazza doubled to tie it at 2 in the eighth.
NOTABLE: The Rockies' Clint Barmes drew his first walk in 63 plate appearances.
D'BACKS 7, GIANTS 4: PHOENIX - Luis Gonzalez doubled to become the 21st major-leaguer with 300 home runs and 500 doubles, leading Arizona.
Facing Matt Morris in the sixth, Gonzalez doubled off the centerfield wall. Gonzalez, a 16-year veteran and former Jefferson High standout, has 320 home runs.
The list is led by Hank Aaron with 755 homers and 624 doubles. The only other active player is Barry Bonds, who hit his 567th double in the sixth.
NOTABLE: Arizona starter Russ Ortiz left with a cramp in his right calf in the third inning. He will be evaluated today.
DODGERS 2, CUBS 1: LOS ANGELES - J.D. Drew's two-out single in the ninth drove in Kenny Lofton with the winner for the Dodgers.
Lofton started the winning rally with a two-out walk off Will Ohman and stole second, his first steal this season and the 568th of his career. Drew then lined a pitch down the rightfield line, and Lofton scored easily.
The Dodgers have scored seven in their past five games.
Takashi Saito, a 36-year-old rookie who pitched for the Yokohama Baystars of the Japanese Central League the past 14 seasons, pitched two perfect innings with four strikeouts to earn his first big-league victory.
NOTABLE: Dodgers right-hander Yhency Brazoban had surgery on his pitching elbow at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic. He is expected to sidelined at least one year.