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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ATLANTA (AP) -- Three unlikely events happened Monday night.
Greg Maddux gave up five runs in the opening inning for the
first time since 1990. Ron Villone pitched a complete game for the
first time since high school. And the Atlanta Braves found
themselves sharing first place in the NL East for the first time in
more than four months.
|  | | Greg Maddux found himself trailing by five runs after one inning for the first time in a decade. He lost for the fifth time in seven decisions. |
Villone, forced to start when Scott Williamson went on the
disabled list, pitched a five-hitter to lead the Cincinnati Reds to
a 6-3 victory over the slumping Braves, who dropped into a
first-place tie with the New York Mets.
The Mets defeated Houston 4-2 to grab a share of the lead, held
exclusively by the Braves since April 18.
"The sooner we start playing the way we are capable of playing,
the better the race will be," Maddux said. "We are capable of
playing better. I think we all know that."
Atlanta (78-53), trying to extend its already unprecedented
streak of division titles to nine, is only 13-13 in August and has
lost four of its last five. The Reds stopped a seven-game losing
streak at Turner Field dating to Aug. 6, 1998.
Maddux (14-8) equaled his career high for most runs allowed in
the first inning, the previous time coming June 6, 1990, when he
was an up-and-coming pitcher with the Chicago Cubs. Pokey Reese led
off the game with a homer and the first six Cincinnati hitters
reached.
"You have to stay out of the big inning early," Maddux said.
"I was the starting pitcher, and I didn't do that. We lost it in
the first inning."
It could have been worse, too. Brian Jordan made a spectacular
catch in right field for the first out of the game, and center
fielder Andruw Jones threw out Dmitri Young at the plate for the
second out.
"(Maddux) nibbles and nibbles. When you chase his pitches,
that's when you get in trouble," Reese said. "We just stayed on
him."
Villone (9-7) arrived at the ballpark to news that he would be
making his first start since July 22 because of Williamson's sore
back, which landed him on the 15-day disabled list. Villone, whose
previous nine appearances had been in relief, had no trouble
adapting to his former role.
The left-hander gave up only five hits, needing 112 pitches for
the first complete game of his eight-year professional career. His
last complete game came 12 years ago when he was a high school
senior.
"I was just trying to make the most of my opportunity," he
said. "I would go out there and throw 300 pitches if they asked
me."
Reese hit the fourth pitch of the game into the left-field
stands, the first time Maddux had surrendered a leadoff homer since
Sept. 28, 1991.
"Wow!" Reese said. "That's pretty impressive. That was a long
time ago."
The Reds were just getting warmed up. Chris Stynes singled, Ken
Griffey Jr. walked and Dante Bichette lined an RBI single to right,
making it 2-0. Sean Casey followed with a single that loaded the
bases and Young hit a liner that bounced into the left-field seats
for a ground-rule double, driving in two more runs.
Jordan made a diving catch on Juan Castro's liner down the
right-field line, but Casey trotted home on the sacrifice fly to
make it 5-0. Jason LaRue lined the sixth hit of the inning to
center, but Jones threw out Young by at least 20 feet at the plate.
Villone finally ended the inning with a weak grounder to third.
"My stuff was fine," Maddux said. "My location was just over
the middle of the plate and they found them."
He held the Reds scoreless over the next seven innings, allowing
just three more hits. But the damage was done as Maddux lost for
the fifth time in seven decisions.
LaRue hit his third homer leading off the ninth against Scott
Kamienicki for Cincinnati's other run.
Atlanta was held to Paul Bako's solo homer in the third inning,
a sacrifice fly by Chipper Jones in the sixth and B.J. Surhoff RBI
double with two outs in the ninth. Walt Weiss ended the game with a
flyout.
The biggest highlight of the night for the home fans came in the
ninth, when John Rocker was brought in to face Griffey. The
Cincinnati slugger missed a 96 mph fastball, then flied out to
short right field.
Game notes
Maddux also surrendered five runs in the first inning on
July 18, 1987, while pitching for the Cubs at San Francisco. ...
Villone threw a wild pitch in the sixth, giving the Reds 83 for the
season. That ties the club record, set in 1965, and is only eight
short of the NL record held by the 1970 Houston Astros and 1989
Philadelphia Phillies.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Tampa Bay 5
Boston 2
Cleveland 5
Texas 2
Toronto 4
Anaheim 2
Oakland 3
Chi. White Sox 0
NY Yankees 9
Seattle 1
St. Louis 5
Florida 2
Montreal 9
Arizona 5
San Francisco 5
Pittsburgh 4
NY Mets 4
Houston 2
Philadelphia 3
Colorado 2
Cincinnati 6
Atlanta 3
San Diego 8
Chicago Cubs 2
Los Angeles 5
Milwaukee 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Manager Bobby Cox could not blame Greg Maddux for the loss.
wav: 126 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Greg Maddux is confident the Braves can play better.
wav: 74 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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