A Not-So Perfect Effort for Cone This Time

Orlando Cabrera hit a three-run homer one pitch after being knocked down by David Cone and the Expos beat the New York Yankees, 6-4, Monday night at Montreal, for their season-high sixth consecutive win.

Cone (1-6) faced the Expos for the first time since his perfect game against them at Yankee Stadium last July 18. Since then, he has lost 11 of 14 decisions.

“I feel great,” Cone said. “I feel too good to be having these type of numbers out there.”

Cone, whose earned-run average is to 6.49 in 12 starts this season, would settle for much less than perfection to get back on track.

“I’m going to bang away at it,” he said. “Physically, I feel great. I’m firmly confident that I’m going to bounce back and have a big second half, or rest of the year, for our team. They need me.”

With the score tied, 3-3, in the sixth inning and runners on first and second, Cabrera was sent sprawling by a high, inside pitch from Cone on a 1-and-0 count.

Cabrera drove the next pitch into the left-field stands for his sixth homer.

“I got a good pitch to hit,” Cabrera said. “He was behind in the count and he gave me a good pitch--middle-in, high--that I was looking for, and I hit it pretty good.”

Cone started in place of Ramiro Mendoza, scratched prior to the game because of pain in his right shoulder. The Yankees try to get Cone an extra day of rest between starts, and he originally was scheduled to face Javier Vazquez tonight in a rematch of the starters in the perfect game.

Instead, Cone gave up six runs and seven hits in six innings.

Cone figured that another 2-and-0 pitch, which Vladimir Guerrero hit for a two-run homer in the first, also hurt him a lot.

“Two bad 2-0 pitches cost me five runs,” Cone said. “At times I was really good and, like the rest of the year, I lose it. It’s during these times when I lose it. It’s really costing me because I’m giving up some big home runs.”

Toronto 9, Atlanta 3--Rookie Chris Woodward’s three-run homer capped a five-run first inning, and the Blue Jays’ David Wells became baseball’s first 10-game winner in cruising to the win at Atlanta.

“There’s not a better No. 1 starter in the game than David Wells,” Atlanta’s Chipper Jones said. “When they got five runs in the first, the prospects of getting back in the game with David Wells on the mound were pretty remote.”

Wells (10-2) pitched six solid innings, turning the game over the bullpen with a 9-2 lead.

Raul Mondesi added a three-run homer in the third for the Blue Jays, who lead the American League with 93 homers. The Braves have lost three of four since beginning interleague play, giving up 51 hits in those games.

“Those guys can hit,” said Jones, referring to the Yankees and Toronto. “They’ve got some pretty good pitching, too.”

Houston 8, Minnesota 2--Jeff Bagwell broke out of a one for 15 slump with a two-run homer, giving him 1,000 RBIs and helping the Astros win at Enron Field.

Craig Biggio singled to lead off the sixth inning against Brad Radke (3-7) before Bagwell followed with his 14th homer of the season to make the score 4-2. He became the first player to reach 1,000 RBIs with the Astros.

“I haven’t been in the league 10 years yet and to have 1,000 RBI is a good stat to have,” Bagwell said. “Stats are something that I really don’t pay much attention to. I will look back when my career is over and think about stats then.”

Chicago White Sox 4, Cincinnati 3--Jose Valentin and Greg Norton each homered and Chicago’s bullpen had just enough to close out James Baldwin’s solid start for a victory at Cincinnati.

The White Sox won their fifth in six games, improving the AL’s best record to 33-23. It is the second time this season that they’ve been 10 games over .500.

“When you blow people out, it’s not as much of a test as these close ones,” said Paul Konerko, whose pinch-hit single in the ninth provided Chicago’s final run. “That’s a credit to our pitching, really.”

Baldwin (9-1), off to the best start by a White Sox pitcher since he won nine of his first 10 decisions in 1996, turned a 3-0 lead over to the bullpen with one out and two on in the seventh.

Pinch-hitter Dmitri Young had an RBI double off Kelly Wunsch and Benito Santiago drove in another run with a groundout off Bobby Howry. Keith Foulke pitched two innings, giving up a solo homer in the ninth to Sean Casey, as he converted his 12th consecutive save chance.

Baltimore 4, New York Mets 2--Albert Belle got three hits off Mike Hampton and drove in two runs as the Orioles broke a five-game losing streak in beating the Mets on a windy at New York.

Jason Tyner, making his major league debut, went two for three with a sacrifice bunt, including a run-scoring single off Mike Mussina.

The 23-year-old rookie was promoted from triple-A Norfolk before the game and immediately became the Mets’ leadoff hitter.

Seattle 6, Colorado 2--Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer and Edgar Martinez followed with a solo shot as the Mariners beat the Rockies at Seattle.

The game featured the American and National League players of the month in May--Edgar Martinez and Todd Helton. Martinez had the better day with a double and his 18th home run. Helton went hitless in four at-bats to lower his major league-leading average to .410.

Rodriguez went three for three and is five for seven with a double, a triple and a home run in his last two games.

Boston 3, Florida 2--Carl Everett hit a solo home run in the ninth inning against his former team to help the Red Sox snap their longest losing streak of the season at five games at Miami.

Everett, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, hit the first pitch from Ricky Bones (1-1) into the right-field seats.

Kansas City 7, St. Louis 4--Mark McGwire left the game in the fourth inning with an injured hamstring, and Jermaine Dye tied a Kansas City record by hitting a home run in his fourth straight game as the Royals beat the slumping Cardinals at St. Louis.

McGwire went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and has just one homer in his last 11 games. The Cardinals, who lead the majors with 101 home runs, have lost five of six, totaling 12 runs in that span.

Cleveland 8, Milwaukee 4--David Justice two home runs and drove in four runs to back Dave Burba, who won his fifth consecutive decision and led the Indians at Milwaukee.

Burba (6-1) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out eight as Cleveland won its third straight. He improved to 3-0 lifetime with a 2.38 ERA against the Brewers.

Tampa Bay 5, Philadelphia 3--Vinny Castilla hit a two-run single off Phillies’ reliever Jason Boyd with two out in the 12th inning to lead the Devil Rays at Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh 5, Detroit 1--After sitting through a 2 hour, 1 minute rain delay before the game, Francisco Cordova took a shutout into the eighth inning to win his third consecutive start as the Pirates beat the Tigers at Pittsburgh.

Oakland 3, San Diego 2--John Jaha singled home Jason Giambi with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning off Padre reliever Trevor Hoffman to give the Athletics the victory at Oakland.