Cubs Stay Alive to Beat Braves in 15th

<br>Pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth and his Chicago Cubs down a run, a daunting task for even the most accomplished hitter. <br><br>With John Smoltz on the

Saturday, April 10th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth and his Chicago Cubs down a run, a daunting task for even the most accomplished hitter.

With John Smoltz on the mound, it seemed near impossible.

But Hollandsworth hit a tying homer _ the third straight appearance Smoltz has been tagged for a home run. Tom Goodwin hit a sacrifice fly in the 15th inning to give the Cubs a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night in a rematch of the first round of last year's playoffs.

``Honestly, against Smoltz, you're hoping for it, but you're not trying to hit a home run,'' Hollandsworth said. ``It's a huge win for us, no matter how many innings it took.''

Smoltz, who has 100 saves over the last two years, had elbow surgery in the offseason and has allowed home runs in each of his outings this season. He hadn't allowed a home run in three consecutive appearances in nearly three years.

``Every inning we played was more salt in my wounds,'' Smoltz said. ``This is a tough one to lose.''

In other games, it was Houston 13, Milwaukee 7; the New York Mets 3, Montreal 2 in 11 innings; Cincinnati 5, Pittsburgh 1; Florida 4, Philadelphia 3; St. Louis 13, Arizona 6; and Los Angeles 5, Colorado 1.

Aramis Ramirez, who had four hits, doubled off Will Cunnane (0-1) to lead off the 15th inning, and moved to third on a single by Derrek Lee. Against a drawn-in infield, Ramon Martinez hit a grounder to shortstop Jesse Garcia, who quickly threw home to easily get Ramirez.

But Michael Barrett walked to load the bases, and Goodwin hit a fly ball down the right-field line to score Lee.

``We just didn't give up, we kept clawing and clawing,'' Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. ``Thank God for Hollandsworth and Goodwin.''

Kent Mercker (1-0) pitched the 14th, and Joe Borowski got three outs for his second save.

Horacio Ramirez pitched seven shutout innings for the Braves, and Carlos Zambrano allowed only two hits in seven innings for the Cubs.

One of those was a solo homer hit by Andruw Jones in the second, the only run through the first eight innings.

Astros 13, Brewers 7

At Milwaukee, Houston right-hander Wade Miller allowed two earned runs on four hits in improving to 11-1 against the Brewers. He pitched six solid innings to beat Milwaukee in its home opener.

Jeff Bagwell went 4-for-5 with five RBIs, including his sixth career grand slam, and scored three times. Richard Hidalgo added four RBIs for the Astros.

Wes Obermueller (0-1) gave up five runs and was pulled during the Astros' nine-run sixth inning.

Reds 5, Pirates 1

At Cincinnati, Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn homered, powering Cincinnati.

Aaron Harang (1-0) held the Pirates to six hits in six innings.

Griffey put the Reds ahead to stay with a two-run homer in the first off Josh Fogg (0-1), the 483rd of his career.

Mets 3, Expos 2, 11 innings

At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Todd Zeile doubled to break an 11th-inning tie, leading New York.

Montreal, owned by the other 29 major league teams, is back at Hiram Bithorn Stadium for 22 more home games this season.

Karim Garcia opened the 11th with a single off Luis Ayala (0-2), who had pitched a perfect 10th. Ty Wigginton reached on a fielder's choice, and Zeile doubled to left-center.

David Weathers (1-0) pitched the 10th for the win, and Orber Moreno got three outs for his first save.

Marlins 4, Phillies 3

At Miami, Mike Lowell had three hits and drove in two runs to lift Florida.

Lowell's third single sparked a three-run sixth inning that tied the game. Luis Castillo added a two-out RBI single in the seventh.

Eric Milton, making his first start for the Phillies, allowed two runs and six hits in five-plus innings. He left in the sixth after Miguel Cabrera doubled with Castillo aboard.

Rheal Cormier (1-1) came in to face Lowell, but the usually reliable left-hander promptly gave up a two-run double.

Matt Perisho (2-0) got Bobby Abreu to ground out to end the eighth. Armando Benitez pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

Cardinals 13, Diamondbacks 6

At Phoenix, St. Louis pounded Casey Daigle in his major league debut with five home runs _ two by ex-Diamondback Reggie Sanders _ in 2 2-3 innings.

Tony Womack, another former Diamondback, went 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Scott Rolen was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a two-run home run and a two-run single. Albert Pujols and Ray Lankford also homered for the Cardinals.

Chris Carpenter (1-0) got his first victory since July 24, 2002. Daigle (0-1), a 23-year-old right-hander who pitched for Double-A El Paso last season, allowed eight runs and 10 hits.

Dodgers 5, Rockies 1

At Los Angeles, leadoff hitter Dave Roberts stole a career-high four bases, Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer and Los Angeles beat Colorado for its third straight victory.

Kazuhisa Ishii (1-0) allowed a run and four hits over six innings. Wilson Alvarez allowed one hit over three innings with six strikeouts for his fourth career save.

Scott Elarton (0-1) allowed five runs, five hits and five walks over 5 2-3 innings.