Schilling’s 19th Win Is No Sweat

On his third try, Curt Schilling hardly broke a sweat while becoming the season’s first 19-game winner.

Schilling pitched seven scoreless innings Sunday and the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the Florida Marlins with a 9-2 victory at Phoenix.

He gave up five hits, struck out eight, walked none and threw only 89 pitches, 61 for strikes.

“We jumped out early and I thought we kept the pressure on them offensively all day,” Schilling said. “That certainly changes the way you pitch. It feels good. We had a good homestand.”

While most of the Diamondbacks go to South Bend, Ind., for an exhibition game today against Arizona’s Class-A affiliate, Schilling is headed to the players’ union meetings in Chicago, where a strike date could be set.

“I have no idea,” he said when asked what he expected in Chicago. “I want to hear that we’ve got something solved, something done.”

Schilling (19-4) was the fastest to reach 18 victories since Randy Jones of San Diego in 1976, but had failed to get No. 19 despite two strong outings--a 2-1 complete-game loss at Montreal on Aug. 1 and a no-decision in Arizona’s 4-3, 13-inning loss to Atlanta on Tuesday.

This time, the Diamondbacks supported him with 14 hits through seven innings, and he left with an 8-0 lead. Manager Bob Brenly said Schilling easily could have continued to pitch.

“We had a couple of guys down there in the bullpen that needed some work,” Brenly said. “We had a comfortable lead, so we got him out of there at that point and hopefully saved some pitches for later on.”

Every Arizona starter had a hit, including Luis Gonzalez, who ended an 0-for-24 skid with a run-scoring single in the sixth.

San Francisco 5, Pittsburgh 4--Pinch-hitter Ramon Martinez singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning at San Francisco.

Jeff Kent homered and drove in two runs for the Giants, who won for the sixth time in eight games even though closer Robb Nen blew a 4-3 lead in the ninth.

Atlanta 13, Houston 3--Chipper Jones had a career-high five hits and scored three runs at Houston, and Kevin Millwood (11-6) won for the ninth time in 10 decisions.

Atlanta had a season-high 20 hits in winning for the 10th time in 12 games.

Cincinnati 9, San Diego 7--Aaron Boone hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning at Cincinnati to lift the Reds, who blew a late five-run lead.

Boone hit three homers in the series opener Friday night, then helped complete the three-game sweep by connecting against Brandon Villafuerte (1-1) with one out in the 12th.

The Reds led, 7-2, after six innings, but their bullpen let it slip away.

Bubba Trammell hit a solo homer in the seventh against Scott Williamson and a two-run shot in the ninth against Danny Graves that tied the score, 7-7.

Milwaukee 6, Montreal 2--Ben Sheets (6-14) gave up five hits in eight innings, and Matt Stairs and Richie Sexson homered at Milwaukee.

Stairs’ 420-foot drive to right-center in the fifth gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead, and Sexson’s 24th homer, a 430-foot shot to left field leading off the seventh, put the Brewers on top for good, 3-2. Jose Hernandez hit a solo homer, his 21st, later in the inning.

St. Louis 9, New York 0--Scott Rolen hit his first home run with St. Louis and a two-run triple, lifting Chuck Finley (3-2) and the Cardinals at St. Louis.

Rolen, who had been in a two-for-32 slump, homered in his 42nd at-bat since arriving in a trade with Philadelphia on July 29.

He finished with three hits, two walks and three runs batted in. Albert Pujols had a two-run double.