NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Baylor Sees Enough, Says Plenty to Reliever

Don Baylor has been watching relief pitchers blow game after game, so he simply blew up Friday afternoon in Chicago.

Colorado had a two-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth inning, but reliever Darren Holmes walked the first two batters and got a visit from his manager.

“I told him the players have played too damn hard for you to give this away with bases on balls,” Baylor said. “I have no beef with the way they’ve played. They’ve played hard. But I was not going to go like it was in the past.”

Holmes struck out Ryne Sandberg, then gave up a run-scoring single to Mark Grace before getting Glenallen Hill to hit into a double play to finish a 6-5 Colorado victory.

It was aided by Andres Galarraga’s two-out double in the fifth inning that gave him his 30th RBI in April, a National League record. Dale Murphy (1985) and Ron Cey (1977) shared the old mark.

Galarraga’s 30 also matches Joe Carter’s major league RBI mark. Both finish their months with games today.

“I’m going to try to break both records,” Galarraga said.

The Cubs would like to break a record. They are 0-9 in what has become the unfriendly confines of Wrigley Field.

“I don’t think anyone’s pressing,” Sandberg said. “In some of those situations, you want to come through with a big hit and we haven’t.”

Montreal 3, San Diego 1--Kirk Rueter became the first major league pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 to start his career with a 10-0 record, pitching 7 1/3 innings and striking out seven in the Expos’ victory at Montreal.

Rueter (2-0) outdueled Padre starter Andy Benes (1-5) in helping Montreal win its third in a row and eighth in its last nine games. Mel Rojas pitched 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief for his sixth save.

Hooks Wiltse holds the major league record of 12 victories to start a career, set with the New York Giants in 1904.

Rueter was 8-0 with six no-decisions last season after being called up from the minor leagues in July.

Cincinnati 8, Florida 5--Brian Dorsett had two run-scoring doubles to lead the Reds at Miami.

Dorsett’s first double drove in Tony Fernandez to make it 5-3 in the sixth inning. After the teams exchanged runs in the seventh, Dorsett again drove Fernandez home with a two-base hit in the eighth, making it 7-4.

Red starter Tom Browning (3-0) gave up three home runs in five innings--including homers by Rich Renteria and Gary Sheffield on consecutive pitches--but still picked up the victory.

Philadelphia 6, San Francisco 3--Mariano Duncan hit a three-run homer and Ben Rivera pitched seven strong innings at Philadelphia as the Phillies ended their five-game losing streak.

Rivera (2-1) gave up only three hits. He retired the first 12 batters he faced before Matt Williams walked in the fifth inning and Barry Bonds followed with his sixth homer of the season for a 2-1 lead.

Pittsburgh 8, Atlanta 5--With four RBIs from Jeff King and a strong start from previously winless Steve Cooke at Pittsburgh, the Pirates continued to torment the Braves.

Atlanta is 15-7 but has lost three of four to Pittsburgh, which had lost, 19-7, to the Reds the day before.

Cooke (1-3) gave up six hits and withstood Fred McGriff’s two-run homer in the fourth inning for his first victory since he beat Florida last Sept. 15. The left-hander lost his final two decisions in 1993 and failed to win in his first four starts this season.

King had a run-scoring single in the first, a two-run double in the fifth and a sacrifice fly in the seventh after driving in only five runs in his first 69 at-bats.

Houston 4, St. Louis 3--Jeff Bagwell doubled home the winning run with two out in the 10th inning in Houston.

Craig Biggio walked with two out, and Bagwell lined a double over the head of left fielder Bernard Gilkey. Biggio easily beat the throw home, making a winner of Mike Hampton (1-0).