Something’s in the Air: Shutout for Rockies

Roger Bailey surprised himself by pitching a shutout. And he became only the second Colorado Rockies pitcher to throw one at Coors Field.

“I’ve never considered myself one of those guys to go out and throw a shutout,” said Bailey after he gave up nine hits in Colorado’s 9-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Denver. “I’ve always considered myself one of those guys that can go out and give you six or seven innings and keep your team in the game.”

Bailey (4-1) struck out three and walked none, becoming the first major league pitcher with two shutouts this season and lowering his earned-run average to 1.71. The only other complete-game shutout for Colorado at Coors Field was by Mark Thompson against Florida on Aug. 6.

“He is a surprise,” Colorado Manager Don Baylor said. “He has pitched as well as anybody in the National League.”

Last season, Bailey was 2-3 with a 6.24 ERA in 24 games.

“What happened with him somewhere is a transformation from last year to this year is being able to throw at whatever velocity he throws at, and throw strikes,” Baylor said. “That has been the main thing.”

Three opposing pitchers have thrown complete-game shutouts at the hitter-friendly ballpark, which opened in 1995.

Larry Walker doubled twice and singled in five at-bats to raise his league-leading average to .421 and Vinny Castilla hit his 10th homer of the season as the Rockies reached 12 games over .500 for the first time.

Montreal 9, San Diego 3--Jim Bullinger took a one-hitter into the ninth inning and homered, and Rondell White hit two of the Expos’ six home runs at San Diego.

Vladimir Guerrero, Henry Rodriguez and Chris Widger also homered for Montreal, which is second only to Colorado in home runs in the NL.

White had four hits and drove in four runs with the first two-homer game of his career.

Bullinger (2-4) gave up just Chris Gomez’s RBI double in the second before Ken Caminiti and Chris Jones hit consecutive home runs with one out in the ninth. Lee Smith relieved for the last two outs.

Bullinger was coming off a loss to Chicago in which he gave up eight runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. He hit his fourth career homer and also singled.

The defending NL West champion Padres lost for the 12th time in 15 games.

St. Louis 8, New York 2--Todd Stottlemyre gave up three hits in eight innings and Tom Lampkin drove in three runs to lead the Cardinals at New York.

Ray Lankford and Willie McGee homered as the Cardinals salvaged the final game of the three-game series.

Stottlemyre (1-1), who gave up six runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings against San Francisco in his previous start, gave up just two hits before Steve Beiser hit a leadoff double in the eighth.

Stottlemyre has won all four of his career starts against the Mets. The right-hander struck out five, walked three and was never in real trouble.

“That’s the way he’s pitched all year except for maybe one game,” St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s got a lot of pitches that get guys out.”

Delino DeShields has hit safely in nine consecutive games for the Cardinals.

Atlanta 3, Pittsburgh 1--Chipper Jones singled in one run and two more scored when rookie right fielder Emil Brown dropped a fly ball in the Braves’ victory over the Pirates at Atlanta.

The Braves, who lost the first two games of the series, scored three runs with two out in the third. Michael Tucker doubled, took third on Francisco Cordova’s wild pitch and scored when Jones singled to right.

After Fred McGriff walked, Ryan Klesko lofted a fly ball to Brown, who appeared to have trouble with the swirling wind and was unable to keep it in his glove. He was charged with an error.

“We got a break today,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “I’m telling you that sun field and wind was rough out there. I’m just glad we didn’t have a lot of high balls to catch. It was going to be a problem.”

Terrell Wade (1-1) gave up six hits, struck out six and walked two in six innings.

Houston 1, Florida 0--Darryl Kile pitched a four-hitter for his first shutout in four years as the Astros blanked the Marlins at Houston.

Kile (2-2) struck out six and walked three for his first complete game of the season and first shutout since Aug. 17, 1993 against Florida.

The Marlins had runners on first and second with two out in the ninth, but Kile struck out Greg Zaun to end the game.

Kevin Brown (3-2) took the loss even though he gave up only one run on five hits.

Houston scored the only run in the first inning on Luis Gonzalez’s RBI single.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Rondell White

Team: Montreal

Performance: 4 for 5, 4 RBIs, two home runs

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Larry Walker

Team: Colorado

Performance: 3 for 5, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 doubles; hitting .421

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Glenallen Hill

Team: San Francisco

Performance: Game-winning, two-out, two-run single in 10th

Team’s Result: Win

PITCHING

Player: Darryl Kile

Team: Houston

Performance: 9 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits, 6 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Roger Bailey

Team: Colorado

Performance: 9 innings, 9 hits, 0 runs, 3 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: T. Stottlemyre

Team: St. Louis

Performance: 8 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 5 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win