Astros Make Schilling Hard-Luck Loser

Curt Schilling did his job, but the Philadelphia Phillies’ offense and defense didn’t do theirs--again.

Schilling struck out 13 but lost to Mike Hampton, who pitched 7 2/3 strong innings Saturday night to become the National League’s first five-game winner as the Houston Astros beat the Phillies, 4-1, for their eighth consecutive victory.

Hampton (5-0) gave up seven hits, struck out two and walked two in besting the hard-luck Schilling (3-3).

Schilling gave up two runs--one earned--and five hits in seven innings, while walking only one. The major-league strikeout leader with 78, struck out 11 of the last 17 batters he faced and lowered his earned-run average to 1.80.

Schilling, who led the majors with 319 strikeouts last season, has struck out 10 or more batters in five of his seven starts.

But his teammates have scored only 18 runs in his seven starts and on Saturday Philadelphia’s defense let him down committing three crucial errors, leading to three unearned runs.

“We’re a young team. I hope we won’t be doing things wrong in August,” Schilling said. “I’m counting on these guys to do it right more than wrong and I’m confident that they will.”

Hampton won his seventh straight decision, and 17th in the last 20 after starting out 3-7 last year. Billy Wagner pitched the ninth for his seventh save as the Astros won their 12th in 14 games.

Colorado 7, New York 3--Ellis Burks hit a grand slam with two out in the ninth inning at New York as Rockies sent the Mets to their sixth consecutive loss.

Vinny Castilla, Larry Walker and Neifi Perez also homered for the Rockies, who won for the fifth time in six games. The Mets’ losing streak is their longest since dropping eight straight in August 1996.

Burks, stuck in a 1-for-19 skid, hit his ninth career grand slam and first since June 26, 1993, with the Chicago White Sox. It was Colorado’s first grand slam of the season.

Rookie Todd Helton opened the ninth with his first hit in 12 at-bats against a left-hander this year, a double against Dennis Cook (2-1), and pinch-hitter Kirt Manwaring walked.

Reliever Greg McMichael walked pinch-hitter John Vander Wal with one out to load the bases, and Mike Lansing struck out. Burks followed by slicing a drive over the fence in right-center field for his ninth home run.

Chicago 4, St. Louis 3--Sammy Sosa doubled in Mark Grace with two out in the 11th inning to give the Cubs the victory at Chicago.

Grace singled with two out against Kent Bottenfield (1-2) and then Sosa doubled into the left-center gap over the head of left-fielder John Mabry. Mabry relayed the ball to shortstop Royce Clayton, who threw home. Mark McGwire cut off the throw, then turned and threw to catcher Eli Marrero, who never caught the ball because Grace barreled him at the plate.

Reliever Terry Adams (1-1) pitched two perfect innings, striking out three of six batters, as the Cubs won their third game in a row.

Cincinnati 8, Milwaukee 5--Lenny Harris’ run-scoring pinch-hit single against Chad Fox in the eighth inning broke a tie and lifted the Reds at Milwaukee.

Barry Larkin started the winning rally with a one-out single to left that ended a career-worst 0-for-30 slump.

Larkin, who left the game in the bottom of the inning because of a cramp in his left shoulder, took third on Jon Nunnally’s single and scored when Harris bounced an 0-2 pitch past Fox (0-1) up the middle for a 6-5 Cincinnati lead.

Right-hander Jeff Juden drove in four runs for the Brewers, but he also surrendered four solo homers, three of them in the third inning.

In the second, David Weathers hung a breaking pitch to Juden, who stroked it into the right-field corner for a three-run double to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead. It was the first extra-base hit and first runs batted in by Milwaukee pitchers in the Brewers’ inaugural season in the National League.

Weathers quickly got his revenge by hitting one of three solo homers against Juden the next inning.

Montreal 5, Arizona 4--Ryan McGuire hit a run-scoring single in the 12th inning at Montreal as the Expos handed the Diamondbacks their fifth consecutive loss.

Rondell White led off with an infield single against Russ Springer (1-2) and advanced on Vladimir Guerrero’s one-out single. The Expos pulled off a double steal as Shane Andrews struck out, and Chris Widger walked, loading the bases for McGuire.

Shayne Bennett (1-1) pitched a hitless 11th for the Expos, who fell behind on Travis Lee’s 10th-inning homer against Steve Kline but retied it on a single by Scott Livingston and a pair of wild pitches by Felix Rodriguez.

Arizona starter Andy Benes and Expos starter Carlos Perez each yielded three runs and seven hits in seven innings.

San Diego 8, Florida 7--Wally Joyner had three hits at Miami, including one that broke the right wrist of Florida starter Eric Ludwick, and the Padres won for the sixth time in seven games.

Ludwick (1-3) left in the third inning after being hit just above the wrist of his throwing arm. He will be sidelined for two to three months.

San Diego scored four runs in the third and two in the fifth for an 8-2 lead and hung on.

Joey Hamilton (3-1) gave up five runs and eight hits in five-plus innings, and Trevor Hoffman got three outs for his eighth save in eight chances.