MONTREAL – Livan Hernandez pitched a five-hitter for Montreal’s first complete game of the season, escaping a late jam to give the Expos a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

Hernandez breezed through the first eight innings. In the ninth, he gave up a two-out single to Todd Helton and a double to Vinny Castilla.

At that point, Expos manager Frank Robinson went to the mound. Hernandez began to hand over the ball, but Robinson tapped the pitcher on the left side and left him in.

Hernandez struck out Jeromy Burnitz swinging at a 3-2 pitch to end it.

Juan Rivera hit a two-run double as Montreal took two of three to win its first series of the season.

Hernandez (2-2), who led the National League with eight complete games last season, allowed Luis Gonzalez’s leadoff single in the first and then got 15 straight outs.

Hernandez walked one and struck out seven in his 32nd career complete game.

Scott Elarton (0-5) allowed six hits in five innings, including Rivera’s two-run double in the second. Elarton tied Montreal’s Tomo Ohka and Luis Ayala for the league lead in losses.

Brad Wilkerson doubled to lead off the Montreal second and Tony Batista walked. Both runners advanced on Terrmel Sledge’s sacrifice before scoring on Rivera’s double to center.

Sledge added an RBI single in the eighth.

The Expos, who were shut out for the seventh time one night earlier, have scored a major league-low 68 runs. Montreal has won three of four for the first time after getting off to a 5-20 start.

Gonzalez lined a single to right to begin the game and Denny Hocking grounded to short, beating out the throw to first to avoid a double play.

Hernandez was perfect in each of the next four innings before Brad Hawpe tripled off the wall, just above center fielder Endy Chavez’s leaping attempt.

Hawpe scored the Rockies’ only run on Todd Greene’s RBI grounder.

Notes: Rockies SS Royce Clayton didn’t start. He has one hit – a two-run homer in Tuesday’s 10-4 loss – in his last 14 at-bats since ending a 12-game hitting streak. … The Expos have scored two runs or less in 19 of their 29 games. Montreal is 5-14 in those games.

AP-ES-05-06-04 2144EDT