Marlins’ Millar Is Right On

Florida Marlin Manager John Boles, desperate for right-handed hitters against Randy Johnson, started Kevin Millar in left field for the first time this season for Sunday’s game against Arizona at Miami.

“Are you nervous?” Boles asked Millar before the game.

“No, but I know you are,” Millar joked.

Boles’ move paid off. Millar had no trouble in the field and went four for four, including a seventh-inning home run off Johnson and, after Johnson left the game, an RBI double to cap a two-run eighth inning as the Marlins rallied for a 4-3 victory.

Boles got nine right-handed hitters into the lineup by starting Millar, a reserve who fills in mostly at first base.

Johnson departed with a 3-2 lead after seven innings. On a humid, 89-degree afternoon he threw 145 pitches, his highest total in two seasons with Arizona, and struck out 11.

“They made me really work out there,” Johnson said. “I feel pretty worn out.”

Luis Gonzalez homered twice, giving him 22, to drive in Arizona’s runs. The Diamondbacks lost two of three to Florida and ended a nine-game trip leading the National League West by one-half game over the San Francisco Giants.

Chicago 3, San Francisco 1--Jon Lieber pitched a four-hitter at Chicago to win his fifth consecutive decision and Sammy Sosa hit his 32nd home run.

After his last start last Tuesday, Lieber went home to Mobile, Ala., to be with his wife, Jessica, who gave birth Thursday to the couple’s second child. He returned Saturday night.

Sosa hit a solo homer with two out in the seventh off Felix Rodriguez to lift the Cubs to their 15th win in the last 19 games. Sosa raised his NL-leading RBI total to 93. Over his last 22 games, Sosa is batting .372 with 11 homers and 24 RBIs.

San Diego 9, Pittsburgh 8--Down five runs and seemingly headed to their third consecutive loss to the Pirates at Pittsburgh, the Padres did something totally out of character: they rallied to win.

Phil Nevin, who went three for five with four RBIs, hit reliever Marc Wilkins’ first pitch into the center-field seats in the ninth inning for the winning run.

The Padres trailed, 8-3, until Ruben Rivera’s second career grand slam highlighted a score-tying, five-run seventh inning against relievers Jason Christiansen and Josias Manzanillo.

Christiansen, who allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base, flipped the ball in the air to Manager Gene Lamont as he walked off the mound. Lamont followed him down the tunnel to the clubhouse and the two exchanged words.

Christiansen was traded to St. Louis after the game. “Gene has been a good friend of mine and we straightened things out afterward,” he said.

Milwaukee 3, Colorado 2--Jeff D’Amico closed a magnificent month by hitting his first home run and giving up seven hits over eight innings as the Brewers won at Milwaukee.

D’Amico went 5-0 in July with an 0.76 ERA. Todd Helton’s fourth-inning homer was the only run he gave up until the ninth, when Colorado got three straight singles and cut the Brewer lead to 3-2.

Curtis Leskanic, in his first appearance since becoming the Brewer closer, got two out before intentionally walking Jeff Cirillo to load the bases. Brian Hunter then grounded out, giving Leskanic his second save in two chances.

In the fifth, D’Amico hit a 405-foot homer to right-center against Masato Yoshii. It was the first big league hit in 27 at-bats for D’Amico.

New York 4, St. Louis 2--Bubba Trammell became the second player in two days to homer in his first at-bat as a Met, hitting a three-run homer at New York. Mike Bordick did it Saturday.

Bordick was acquired from Baltimore on Friday, the same day Trammell, a 28-year-old outfielder, was acquired by the Mets from Tampa Bay.

Cincinnati 7, Montreal 4--Eddie Taubensee remained a red-hot Red, going three for four with two RBI doubles as the Reds completed a three-game sweep at Montreal.

Taubensee, who had a four-hit game Friday and three more hits on Saturday, went 10 for 14 in the series.