Hershiser Finally Gets First Giant Victory

Orel Hershiser’s hazing is over.

Hershiser won his first game in eight starts for San Francisco, giving up two hits in eight innings Sunday to lead the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Chicago.

“I’m done pledging,” said Hershiser, who signed with the Giants as a free agent. “It was time to let me become a Giant.”

Jeff Kent hit a two-run double in a three-run ninth for the Giants, who won for the sixth time in eight games.

Hershiser (1-3) walked two and struck out six in his first National League victory since Aug. 7, 1994, for the Dodgers. He has not allowed a run in his last 14 innings, giving up just four hits.

“That guy is a competitor,” Chicago’s Jeff Blauser said. “He’s not the same Orel Hershiser in terms of velocity. He’s always had good movement on all his pitches. He keeps hitters off-balance and has lots of confidence.”

Colorado 5, Montreal 3--Dante Bichette hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, his first homer since April 2, and Todd Helton homered twice to lead the Rockies at Montreal.

Darryl Kile (5-3) won his fourth consecutive start, giving up two runs and four hits in eight innings with four strikeouts and five walks. Jerry Dipoto finished for his seventh save, allowing a solo homer to Shane Andrews.

Atlanta 8, San Diego 5--Javy Lopez, Andres Galarraga, Andruw Jones and Ryan Klesko all homered at Atlanta as the Braves tied a franchise record for hitting at least one home run in 22 consecutive games.

The Braves matched the club mark set in 1953. The NL record is 24 by the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers, and the major league mark is 25 by the 1941 New York Yankees and the 1994 Detroit Tigers.

Houston 7, Milwaukee 1--Jose Lima scattered eight hits in seven innings and sparked a five-run rally at Milwaukee with his first major league hit.

After Lima (6-1) got an infield single in the fifth, Craig Biggio was hit by a pitch, Derek Bell doubled for a 4-0 lead, snapping his 0-for-eight skid in Milwaukee.

Sean Berry’s RBI double made it 5-0 and chased Steve Woodard (2-1), who gave up all seven runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Cincinnati 4, Pittsburgh 3--The Pirates’ Al Martin couldn’t score from third on an apparent game-winning single into the outfield in the ninth, allowing the Reds to recover and defeat the Pirates in the 12th at Pittsburgh.

Reggie Sanders’ two-out RBI single in the 12th scored Bret Boone, who had doubled for the second time, as the Reds escaped with an unlikely victory after apparently losing in the ninth.

Reds starter Pete Harnisch had retired 21 in a row and was working on a three-hitter until Tony Womack’s leadoff single in the ninth.

St. Louis at New York--For the second day in a row, the Mets and Cardinals had a game postponed by rain at New York as overnight rain made the outfield unplayable. The teams will now play doubleheaders on Aug. 20-21 in New York.