Pinch-hitter Damon Berryhill's sacrifice fly with one out in the 10th inning gave the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati on Friday night, snapping the Reds' seven-game winning streak.
Pinch-hitter Deion Sanders started the winning rally by drawing a leadoff walk from reliever Dwayne Henry (1-2). Sanders went to second on a sacrifice by Mark Lemke and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Berryhill's fly ball to right field.The victory went to Kent Mercker (2-4), who fanned four and walked one while facing five batters.
It was Atlanta's eighth victory in nine games and its 17th in 20. Cincinnati has lost only five of its last 24 games. The Braves moved within 31/2 of the first-place Reds in the NL West.
Greg Swindell was working on a three-hit shutout when David Justice tied the score 1-1 in the seventh inning, driving a 3-2 pitch over the right-field fence for his eighth homer. Brian Hunter then hit a 2-1 pitch over the left-field fence, his sixth, to put the Braves ahead.
Padres 3, Giants 2
At San Francisco, Gary Sheffield, slightly injured in a brawl with San Francisco 24 hours earlier, came back with a solo home run in the 10th inning as the San Diego Padres beat the Giants. Sheffield's 13th homer came off reliever Rod Beck (0-2) and sent the Giants to their season-high seventh straight loss. The Padres have won three straight games.
Expos 2, Pirates 1
At Pittsburgh, Ken Hill gave up one run in seven innings as the Montreal Expos beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It's the first time this season the Pirates have lost consecutive games to a National League East team. The Expos have won four of their last five.
Cubs 5, Phillies 2
At Philadelphia, rookie Derrick May hit two homers and drove in five runs and Danny Jackson pitched 6 1/3 strong innings for his third straight victory as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Cubs have won seven of their last eight games.
Mets 4, Cardinals 3
At New York, Vince Coleman, who hit a game-tying two-run homer in the fifth inning, singled home Dick Schofield in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Mets a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Both the Cardinals and Mets have lost 15 of their last 21 games.
Astros 2, Dodgers 1
At Houston, Luis Gonzalez led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a home run to give the Houston Astros a victory over slumping Los Angeles, the Dodgers' eighth straight loss.
The loss left the Dodgers alone in last place in the NL West.
American League
Mariners 1, Twins 0
At Minneapolis, rookie Dave Fleming rebounded from his worst start of the season with his best, pitching a four-hitter to become the AL's first 10-game winner as the Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins.
Greg Briley began the game with a home run, one of only three hits off Kevin Tapani (6-5). That was enough for Fleming (10-2), who pitched the Mariners to their fifth straight victory.
Athletics 12, Angels 8
At Anaheim, Calif., Dave Stewart won his third straight start and Terry Steinbach hit a three-run homer as the Oakland Athletics built a 10-run lead and beat the California Angels.
Mark McGwire had a pair of RBI singles and Jose Canseco got two hits and scored three runs as Oakland won for the 12th time in 14 games at Anaheim Stadium. The Athletics got 15 hits and have won seven of their nine overall.
Orioles 10, Yankees 7
At Baltimore, Mike Devereaux hit a grand slam and Cal Ripken and Randy Milligan added solo shots as the Baltimore Orioles outlasted the New York Yankees.
Leo Gomez scored three runs for the Orioles, who enjoyed a successful return to Camden Yards after losing four of their last five on a seven-game road trip. Baltimore's 20-10 home record is the best in the AL.
Indians 5, Brewers 3
At Milwaukee, Albert Belle hit a three-run homer, highlighting a five-run third inning that led the Cleveland Indians past the Milwaukee Brewers.
Belle's 16th home run hit the right-field foul pole. Paul Sorrento and Mark Whiten then hit consecutive doubles off Ricky Bones (3-3), and Whiten later scored on a grounder by Mark Lewis for a 5-0 lead.
Royals 11, Blue Jays 4
At Kansas City, Mo., Gregg Jefferies drove in five runs and the Toronto Blue Jays lost their defensive poise and their division lead, committing four errors as Kansas City romped.
The loss dropped the Blue Jays into a first-place tie in the AL East with Baltimore, which beat New York 10-7. Mark Gubicza (7-4) gave up two runs in eight innings for the victory while Todd Stottlemyre (5-6) took the loss.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 1
At Arlington, Texas, Juan Gonzalez tied a team record with his 10th home run of the month and Rafael Palmeiro homered for the first time in more than a month, giving the Texas Rangers a victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the eighth, his 17th of the season. He matched the club mark for homers in a month, set by Mike Hargrove in August 1977 and tied by Dave Hostetler in June 1982.
Tigers 8, White Sox 3
At Chicago, Rob Deer hit his second homer of the game, a three-run shot that capped a five-run 13th inning and led the Detroit Tigers to victory over the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox lost their sixth straight game. Detroit has won five of six.