NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Valenzuela Helps, Hurts Padres

Fernando Valenzuela hit his first home run since 1990 but gave up most of an 11-run lead and couldn’t pitch long enough to get credit for San Diego’s 11-8 victory Saturday night at Pittsburgh.

Valenzuela’s three-run shot came in an eight-run third inning. It was the ninth homer of his career--tops among active pitchers--and his first since May 15, 1990.

“I like to help myself at the plate and I got lucky,” Valenzuela said. “It was a fastball over the plate. If any pitch is over the plate, I’m going to swing.”

The home run helped San Diego build its 11-0 lead, but Valenzuela gave up eight runs and had to be bailed out by reliever Bryce Florie in the fifth inning.

After Valenzuela surrendered three homers and three doubles over 1 1/3 innings, Florie relieved and pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-hit relief for his first major league victory.

Trevor Hoffman worked the ninth inning for his eighth save.

Cincinnati 5, Montreal 4--Jeff Branson singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to help the Reds defeat the Expos at Cincinnati after blowing a late three-run lead.

Jose Rijo started for the Reds for the first time in two weeks because of elbow tendinitis, but he lasted only one inning and 11 pitches because of a long rain delay.

“I hated to lose Rijo, but I couldn’t see using him after the delay,” Cincinnati Manager Davey Johnson said. “Once we were out for over 30 minutes, that was it.”

The Reds ended a three-game losing streak by rallying in the eighth inning against Luis Aquino (0-1). Eddie Taubensee walked with one out and Bret Boone singled before Branson’s hit.

Hector Carrasco (2-3) got the final out in the seventh inning after the bullpen blew a 4-1 lead, and Jeff Brantley pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

Philadelphia 11, Florida 4--The Phillies rallied from a four-run deficit by scoring five runs in the sixth inning and six more in the eighth to win at Philadelphia.

Darren Daulton and Jim Eisenreich hit back-to-back two-run doubles in the sixth inning, and Mickey Morandini had a two-run double in the eighth when the Phillies had their highest-scoring inning of the season.

Michael Mimbs (5-1), who gave up five hits and struck out five in six innings, trailed, 4-0, when he was removed for pinch-hitter Gary Varsho, who started the sixth-inning rally with a single.

Houston 7, New York 3--Doug Drabek’s run-scoring single capped a five-run first inning off prized Met pitching prospect Bill Pulsipher to lead the Astros at New York.

Pulsipher, a 21-year-old left-hander, lost in his major league debut. He lasted seven innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits, striking out three and walking six.

Drabek (3-4) gave up eight hits in 7 1/3 innings.

San Francisco 4, St. Louis 1--Jose Bautista settled down after a wild first inning and came within one out of a two-hitter as the Giants defeated the Cardinals at St. Louis.

Mark Carreon hit a two-run homer for the Giants, who handed Mike Jorgensen his first loss as manager of the Cardinals. He took over Friday after Joe Torre was fired.

Bautista (2-3) walked three, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in the first inning, but the Cardinals got only one run on a bases-loaded balk. From the second inning on, only two St. Louis batters reached second base.

Atlanta 7, Colorado 1--Fred McGriff went three for four with three RBIs at Denver and the Braves’ Steve Avery (2-4) won his first in nearly a month.

It was the fourth victory in a row for Atlanta, which is 26-3 overall against Colorado.

Rocky outfielder Dante Bichette went two for four to extend his hitting streak to 22 games.