This Time, Marlins Close to ‘Perfect’

With the help of some solid defense, a timely hit and pitcher Tony Saunders, the Florida Marlins were one run better than the Atlanta Braves, the best team in the National League.

Saunders pitched seven shutout innings and Darren Daulton drove in the only run with a fourth-inning single to help the Marlins beat the Braves, 1-0, Thursday night in Miami.

“They played a perfect game,” Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. “It feels good to know that it took a perfect game to beat us.”

Florida moved to within 6 1/2 games of Atlanta in the NL East. The teams play three more times this weekend in a series billed as the biggest in the Marlins’ five-year history.

Saunders, who benefited from several fine defensive plays, improved to 3-3. The rookie left-hander is 3-0 against Atlanta with a 1.35 earned-run average.

The Marlins scored when Edgar Renteria led off the fourth with a single for their first hit, stole second and scored on Daulton’s two-out single.

“It was just a great, exciting game, and very tense,” Florida Manager Jim Leyland said. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Saunders yielded all four Atlanta hits, including two infield singles, while striking out seven.

Robb Nen pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings for his 27th save of the season, the 100th of his career.

The shutout was the fifth against Atlanta. The Marlins have won seven of their past eight games against the Braves, including four of five this year.

Montreal 9, San Diego 2--A broken thumb may have turned Rondell White into a better hitter.

White drove in four runs, hitting one of the Expos three home runs at Olympic Stadium.

“It helped me not grab the bat so tight,” White said of the injury, a chip fracture of his right thumb sustained when he was hit by a pitch July 19. “I go out and relax, swing the bat and be nice and loose. So far it’s working pretty good.”

Henry Rodriguez and Chris Widger also homered as Montreal used the long ball in support of Dustin Hermanson (5-5), who pitched six solid innings to help the Expos to their fourth win in 11 games.

White gave Montreal a 1-0 lead in the first with his 17th homer off Sterling Hitchcock (7-6), and made it 6-0 in the second with a three-run double.

Tony Gwynn had an RBI double in the fourth and Mark Sweeney a run-scoring single in the sixth for the Padres, who lost their third straight.

Gwynn went one for two to raise his major league-leading average to .391.

Philadelphia 2, St. Louis 1--A sore hamstring has made it difficult for Midre Cummings to run, but it hasn’t affected his hitting.

Cummings, sidelined since Saturday, was forced into the lineup as a pinch-runner in the ninth and singled home the winning run in the 10th to give the Phillies a victory at Philadelphia.

“Right now, I’m still in pain,” said Cummings, the former Pirate whom the Phillies claimed off waivers July 8. “I hope I feel better tomorrow.”

Cummings’ bases-loaded, two-out single scored Gregg Jefferies with the winning run as the Phillies won their third straight, tying their longest streak of the season.

Philadelphia’s Curt Schilling gave up four hits and one run over nine innings, retiring 18 straight batters after a first-inning single.

Schilling struck out 11 to raise his league-leading total to 212. He walked three.

Pittsburgh 4, Colorado 1--Kevin Young was too sick to take batting practice, then cut short his postgame interview because he was so weak.

But Young, one of the league’s hottest hitters, greeted Curtis Leskanic with a tie-breaking three-run homer in a four-run eighth inning that rallied the Pirates past the Rockies at Pittsburgh.

Young came down with stomach flu after the Pirates returned from a 5-8 road trip. He told Manager Gene Lamont he could play only if he could skip pregame batting practice and rest.

“He wasn’t doing too well,” Pirate starter Jason Schmidt (6-6) said. “When he came up in the eighth, I went, ‘Uh, oh, the game’s on the line and he’s really sick.’ But he came through in a game we really needed to win.”

Rockies starter Roger Bailey (9-8) was working on a two-hit shutout until pinch-hitter Turner Ward singled and scored on Jermaine Allensworth’s game-tying, two-out double to left-center.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

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Player Team Performance Team’s Result Rondell White Montreal 3 for 4, homer, 4 RBIs Win Raul Mondesi Dodgers 3 for 4, 2 RBIS, 2 runs scored Win Kevin Young Pittsburgh 3-run homer Win

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PITCHING

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Player Team Performance Team’s Result Chan Ho Park Dodgers 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts Win Curt Schilling Philadelphia 9 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 11 strikeouts Loss Tony Saunders Florida 7 shutout innings, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts Win

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