Fernandez Is Tough for Reds

Osvaldo Fernandez retired the last 19 batters he faced Tuesday night, helping the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Expos at Cincinnati.

Fernandez (2-0) gave up only two hits and didn’t walk a batter in seven innings before leaving for a pinch-hitter.

Only four of the 23 batters he faced got the ball out of the infield--five struck out and 14 grounded out.

“That guy pitched well,� Expo Manager Felipe Alou said. “He’s really recovered from that arm problem he had. He’s like a new pitcher. He’s better now than when he first came over from Cuba. Whatever the doctor fixed, you’ve got to keep an eye on.�

The Reds called up Fernandez on May 13 to fill in for Pete Harnisch, disabled by a weak shoulder. The loss of Harnisch seemed at first to be a major setback; Fernandez has turned it into no problem at all by leading the Reds to wins in all four of his starts.

“I’m getting into my rhythm,� Fernandez said through teammate Alex Ochoa, doubling as a translator.

“I’m throwing a lot of pitches for strikes, getting ahead of batters and throwing the pitches where I want to.�

The Expos lost their sixth in a row.

St. Louis 6, Arizona 1--Shawon Dunston hit a grand slam in the sixth, then was ejected two innings later at Phoenix when he protested after being thrown out at home trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park homer.

Replays appeared to show that Dunston’s foot was on the plate before Kelly Stinnett applied the tag.

San Diego 6, Milwaukee 3--Right-hander Adam Eaton took care of it all in one game at San Diego--first major league start, win, hit, RBI and run.

A double by the 22-year-old started a string of four consecutive run-scoring hits in the fifth inning. He gave up three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Colorado 10, Houston 7--Todd Helton, who leads the majors with a .420 batting average, put the Rockies ahead for good with a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning at Denver.

Helton went one for one with three walks, giving him 12 hits in his last 17 at-bats. He is hitting .500 at Denver.

Pittsburgh 3, Florida 2--Brian Giles capped a comeback with a home run in the 10th inning at Pittsburgh.

Atlanta 5, Chicago 2--Andres Galarraga made a diving catch in the fifth and homered to spark a three-run sixth for the Braves at Chicago.

San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 3--Livan Hernandez scattered eight hits in 8 1/3 innings and had a run-scoring double, and Jeff Kent and Bill Mueller each homered at San Francisco.