ATLANTA – Kerry Wood tied a Cubs’ record with seven straight strikeouts and finished with 11 to lead Chicago over the Atlanta Braves 10-2 Sunday.

Corey Patterson, Michael Barrett, pinch-hitter Alex Gonzalez and Moises Alou all homered for the Cubs.

Wood (2-0) got all seven batters to go down swinging during his streak, retiring the first six on offspeed pitches. The streak began in the third, after Mark DeRosa walked, and Marcus Giles singled and stole second.

Chipper Jones, J.D. Drew and Andruw Jones fanned, ending the inning. Julio Franco, Johnny Estrada and Jesse Garcia struck out in the fourth, and pitcher Russ Ortiz (0-2) struck out opening the fifth. DeRosa then flied to right.

Wood also struck out seven straight as a rookie against Houston on May 6, 1998, when Wood struck out 20 to tie the record for a nine-inning game. Mark Prior also struck out seven straight batters against the Astros on Aug. 5, 2002.

Wood, who led the major leagues with 266 strikeouts last year, gave up five hits and three walks in seven innings, taking a shutout into the seventh before allowing consecutive doubles to Franco and Estrada that made it 4-1. Wood then struck out pinch-hitters DeWayne Wise and Adam LaRoche, and got DeRosa on another flyout.

It was Wood’s 38th game with 10 or more strikeouts.
Mets 4, Expos 1
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Cliff Floyd’s injury gave Eric Valent an opportunity.

Valent hit his first major league home run, a go-ahead, two-run drive that backed Tom Glavine and led the New York Mets over the Montreal Expos 4-1 Sunday.

Mike Piazza, making his first start for the Mets at first base, and also got banged up. The All-Star catcher collided with Peter Bergeron in the third inning after Bergeron bunted to Glavine.

Piazza reached into foul territory in an attempt to grab Glavine’s throw, which got away. Piazza appeared to be brushed in the head by Bergeron’s knee and stayed on the ground for about 30 seconds, but he remained in the game.

Floyd injured his right thigh running out an infield grounder in the first and needed to be helped off the field by manager Art Howe and a trainer. Valent pinch ran and went to right field in the bottom half.

With the score 1-all in the sixth and a runner on third, Valent sent a 66 mph curveball from Livan Hernandez (0-1) into the right-field bleachers.
Astros 7, Brewers 4
MILWAUKEE – Lance Berkman hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, leading the Houston Astros to a 7-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Berkman’s homer, his first of the season, capped a five-run rally against Doug Davis (1-1) in the third inning. The four RBIs were also his first of the season.

It was Berkman’s third career slam and first batting right-handed. His last grand slam was June 20, 2002 and was hit in Milwaukee.

Roy Oswalt (1-0) gave up runs in the first and sixth innings before being replaced by Brad Lidge to start the seventh. Oswalt allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out six.

For all the talk about the Astros’ pitching with the additions of Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, Houston’s hitters have been the story early. The Astros came in hitting .320.

Even Oswalt contributed at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a single that started the Astros’ rally in the third.
Pirates 4, Reds 3
CINCINNATI – Rob Mackowiak hit a two-run homer, Raul Mondesi drove in two runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Oliver Perez (1-0) allowed six hits and three runs in five innings in his first start of the season.

Four Pittsburgh relievers combined allowed two hits in four scoreless innings. Jose Mesa pitched a perfect ninth for his third save in three opportunities.

Pittsburgh swept the Reds in the three-game series to open Great American Ball Park last season.

The loss snapped Cincinnati’s four-game winning streak.

Mondesi’s RBI double into the left-field corner in the fifth gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Mackowiak followed with his first home run of the season to knock Reds starter Jimmy Haynes (0-1) out of the game.
Marlins 3, Phillies 1
MIAMI – Josh Beckett was sharp again, and the Florida Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies again.

Beckett allowed two hits and struck out 11 in seven inning Sunday to help the World Series champions defeat the Phillies 3-1, sweep the three-game series and hand Philadelphia its fourth consecutive loss.

The Marlins have won 10 in a row against Philadelphia in Miami and have beaten the Phillies 13 times in the last 15 games.

Widely picked to win the NL East, the Phillies dropped to 1-5 as they head home to open their new ballpark Monday against Cincinnati.

It certainly wasn’t the start they expected. The Marlins, meanwhile, have continued the success they found late last season. Beckett has, too.

He gave up four hits and a run in seven innings on opening day. He was even better Sunday.
Rockies 4, Dodgers 2
LOS ANGELES – Shawn Estes pitched seven strong innings, and Vinny Castilla and Jeromy Burnitz homered Sunday as the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 to snap a four-game losing streak.

Estes (2-0), a non-roster invitee to spring training who has both Colorado victories, allowed one run and three hits before Brian Fuentes relieved to start the eighth.

Fuentes pitched one scoreless inning and Shawn Chacon got his first career save despite allowing a run on a wild pitch, helping the Rockies end a nine-game losing streak to the Dodgers.

Estes, who walked three and struck out one, retired his final seven batters. The 31-year-old left-hander gave up one run and two hits over seven innings in Colorado’s 6-2 victory over Arizona on opening day.

Los Angeles had won four straight since losing its season opener.

Colorado trailed 1-0 before Castilla hit a two-run homer and Burnitz added a solo shot in the sixth – both on full-count pitches from Odalis Perez (0-1).
Cardinals 6, D-backs 5
PHOENIX – Marlon Anderson’s pinch-hit home run off Matt Mantei in the ninth inning Sunday gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 6-5 victory over Arizona and a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks.

Roberto Alomar triggered a four-run Arizona seventh that tied it at 5. The 12-time All-Star fouled off four in a 10-pitch at bat, then singled in a run and made a heady base-running play that resulted in two more crossing the plate.

Mantei (0-1) came on in the ninth and Anderson hit a 1-2 pitch just over the right-field fence for his fourth career pinch-hit homer.

Cards closer Jason Isringhausen loaded the bases in the ninth with three walks – including one intentional to Luis Gonzalez – but got Alex Cintron on a grounder to earn his first save.

Albert Pujols homered, doubled and drove in three runs off Randy Johnson as the Cardinals took a 5-1 lead.

Johnson labored through seven innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. He struck out seven and walked four, all in the Cardinals’ two-run fourth inning.

St. Louis starter Jason Marquis scattered four singles over six innings and left with a 5-1 lead.

But Ray King walked pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga to load the bases with no outs in the seventh. After Steve Finley’s grounder forced a runner at home, Alomar fought his way to a 3-2 count, then singled to left to bring in a run.

With the bases still loaded, Mike Lincoln (2-0) relieved King and Gonzalez hit a slow roller to second baseman Tony Womack. Womack fielded it and went to tag Alomar, intending to toss it to first for an inning-ending double play.

But Alomar stopped in his tracks, then retreated toward first. Womack had to run him down as one run scored, then had the ball knocked free in the collision and another run crossed the plate. Gonzalez wound up at second and scored the tying run on Richie Sexson’s RBI single.

With St. Louis leading 2-0, Edgar Renteria fouled off five pitches to draw a leadoff walk from Johnson in the fourth, then Reggie Sanders walked on four pitches.

One out later, Mike Matheny doubled to bring in Renteria. Marquis’ sacrifice fly made it 4-0 when Danny Bautista made a diving catch in right.

Pujols’ RBI double made it 5-1 in the seventh.

Notes: Bautista also made a running shoestring grab of Sanders’ fly to end the St. Louis ninth. … The Cardinals placed OF Roger Cedeno on the 15-day DL (strained left hamstring) and recalled INF Bo Hart from Triple-A Memphis. … The big screen at Bank One Ballpark showed Scottsdale, Ariz., resident Phil Mickelson’s winning birdie putt at the Masters just as it rolled into the cup after the top of the fourth inning, and the crowd cheered wildly. … The first baseman Sexson and plate umpire Brian Gorman had a head-on collision in the sixth on Womack’s foul ball dribbler down the first base line.

AP-ES-04-11-04 1948EDT