Astros Extend Winning Streak to Eight

L.A. Times Archives

July 27, 1997 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

Sean Berry led off the 10th inning with a home run off Ugueth Urbina as the Astros rallied for their eighth consecutive victory, defeating Montreal, 9-8, at Houston.

Pinch-hitter J.R. Phillips hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Urbina (3-7) to tie the score, 8-8.

Berry’s seventh homer enabled the Astros to extend their season-high winning streak and kept them 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh in the National League Central.

Rondell White hit a pair of two-run homers and Mike Lansing added a two-run shot for the Expos, who lost their fourth in a row.

Berry went three for three and Craig Biggio had three hits for Houston.

White’s second homer, off Russ Springer in the ninth, gave the Astros an 8-5 lead. But in the bottom of the inning, Montreal shortstop Mark Grudzielanek’s fielding error allowed Billy Spiers to reach and Chuckie Carr singled, setting the stage for Phillips, whose home run came in only his fourth at-bat of the season.

Cincinnati 7, Atlanta 6--The Reds won a bizarre 11-inning game at Cincinnati when Deion Sanders stole second and third uncontested after a walk, then scored on a single by Pokey Reese.

Jack McKeon’s first victory as Reds’ manager had a little bit of everything.

Bret Boone hit a disputed homer in the eighth, Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox was ejected, the home plate umpire left the game because of 96-degree heat and a flurry of homers sent the game into extra innings.

The Reds blew an early four-run lead and later a one-run lead with two out and two strikes on Javier Lopez in the ninth. His solo homer sent it to extra innings.

Cincinnati’s Eduardo Perez hit two homers off Atlanta starter Tom Glavine, who gave up six hits and five runs over three innings--his shortest outing of the season--and was hampered by a sore Achilles’ tendon.

With the score tied, 5-5, Boone hit a slicing fly toward the right-field foul screen. A fan reached in front of the screen from foul territory and touched the ball, and umpire Charlie Reliford ruled it a homer.

Cox thought the ball was foul and his outburst led to his ejection.

San Diego 5, New York 3--Sterling Hitchcock gave up one run in six innings for the Padres at San Diego.

Hitchcock (7-5), in his best outing since returning from the disabled list July 3 after an elbow injury, limited the Mets to five hits while tying a season high with six strikeouts.

The Padres have won 12 of their last 15 games and are joining the picture in the NL West race, six games behind San Francisco and four behind the Dodgers.

Tony Gwynn went two for four and improved his average to .391 and take over the lead in the NL batting race from Colorado’s Larry Walker, who went 0 for 3 to drop to .390.

Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save.

Colorado 6, Chicago 3--Dante Bichette drove in four runs and Roger Bailey pitched eight solid innings at Colorado as the Rockies won for the fifth time in six games.

Bichette, who has homered in his last three games against the Cubs, hit a two-run shot off starter Terry Mulholland (6-10) in the sixth to give Colorado a 6-1 lead.

Bichette is 10 for 20 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 11 games.

Bailey (9-7) gave up three runs and eight hits. He walked two and struck out one.

Bailey said he was less distracted than in his last start, when his wife was in labor as she prepared to give birth to their daughter.

“It was less stressed today,” said Bailey, who won for the first time in three starts since June 19. “I had to go out and do my job last Sunday even though my wife was in labor--and to come back in a week and be successful means a lot.”

Chicago second baseman Ryne Sandberg was scratched from the lineup. He left Friday’s game in the middle of the fourth inning because of tightness in his right groin.

St. Louis 3, Florida 1--Pinch-hitter Delino DeShields hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the seventh inning as the Cardinals beat the Marlins in triple-digit heat at St. Louis.

The hit-and-run signal was on when DeShields hit a 3-and-1 pitch over the right-field wall for his seventh home run.

“If it didn’t get out of the park, it’d have been [bad],” DeShields said. “I knew I hit it kind of good, but I don’t hit that many, so I don’t know for sure.”

Rookie Matt Morris (8-6) gave up five hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking two. He struggled only in the second when, with one out, Darren Daulton walked, Moises Alou singled and Gregg Zaun hit an RBI double.

The Cardinals’ other run came on a leadoff homer in the first by shortstop Royce Clayton.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Rondell White

Team: Montreal

Performance: 3 for 5, 2 homers, 4 RBIs

Team’s Result: Loss

BATTING

Player: Eduardo Perez

Team: Cincinnati

Performance: 2 homers, 4 RBIs