FLORIDA 8, PITTSBURGH 1 ----------------------- MIAMI (Ticker) -- Livan Hernandez pitched a four-hitter and rookie Alex Gonzalez belted a two-run homer as the Florida Marlins won consecutive games for the first time this season with a 8-1 pounding of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hernandez (3-4) scattered four singles and allowed an unearned run with three walks and six strikeouts en route to his second complete game this season and 11th of his career. The Cuban righthander threw 80 of his 124 pitches for strikes and allowed just two hits over the final seven innings. Gonzalez's fourth homer with two outs in the third off Pittsburgh starter Pete Schourek (2-4) snapped a 1-1 tie. Preston Wilson added a solo homer in the fourth for the Marlins, who improved to just 7-18 at Pro Player Stadium. Florida (13-29) has the worst record in the majors. Schourek failed in his bid to win consecutive starts for the first time this season as he allowed six runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. The lefthander walked one and struck out three. Warren Morris accounted for the lone Pittsburgh run with an RBI single in the second. Following a three-game winning streak, the Pirates have dropped a season-high five straight games. MILWAUKEE 5, MONTREAL 3 (11 INNINGS) ------------------------------------ MONTREAL (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers spoiled another strong outing by Hideo Nomo before again getting to Bobby Ayala in a 5-3, 11-inning victory over the Montreal Expos. Nomo allowed only two solo homers over eight-plus innings but his third start on the comeback trail was ruined when closer Bob Wickman (2-1) gave up the tying run in the ninth. Wickman was one out from his 10th successful save opportunity in a row, but Jose Vidro reached on an infield single and scored when Michael Barrett lined a double down the right-field line. However, Milwaukee beat Ayala (0-4) for the second time this season as Ron Belliard doubled home two runs with one out in the top of the 11th. David Nilsson started the rally with a leadoff double and Rich Becker walked in place of Wickman. Both runners advanced on Geoff Jenkins' sacrifice and scored when Belliard lined Ayala's 2-2 pitch deep to the gap in left-center field. Ayala has given up more than one run in an outing just twice this season -- both losses to the Brewers. He was responsible for a 9-4 defeat April 15, when he gave up one hit, four walks and three runs while recording two outs. NY METS 7, PHILADELPHIA 5 ------------------------- FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Orel Hershiser and the New York Mets went long and deep against the Philadelphia Phillies. Hershiser allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings in his longest outing of the season and John Olerud and Mike Piazza hit back-to-back homers to give the Mets a 7-5 victory in the opener of a three-game series. The Mets built a 7-0 lead after five innings and would need most of it as the Phillies rallied for two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth before losing for the fifth time in seven games. The 40-year-old Hershiser had failed to last past the sixth inning in any of his seven starts since signing with the Mets late in spring training. But he worked deep into the seventh, allowing six hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Hershiser left after surrendering run-scoring hits to Kevin Jordan and Doug Glanville. Turk Wendell allowed a three-run homer to Ron Gant in the eighth before Armando Benitez, who allowed a game-winning homer to Marquis Grissom of Milwaukee on Tuesday, took over with a runner on third. Benitez recorded three outs with a pair of strikeouts to end the threat. John Franco struck out the side in the ninth for his 13th save in as many opportunities. Olerud hit a two-run homer and Piazza blasted a solo shot in the third off Carlton Loewer (2-4), who was tagged for six runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. Olerud was 3-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games and has reached base in all 41 of his starts this year. Piazza homered in his fourth straight game to tie a club record set five times previously, most recently by Bobby Bonilla in 1992. CHICAGO CUBS 8, ATLANTA 4 ------------------------- ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs used the long ball to match a season-high five-game winning streak, getting a grand slam from Gary Gaetti and two-run shots by Henry Rodriguez and Jeff Blauser for an 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Rookie Bruce Chen, called up to replace the injured John Smoltz in the rotation, issued an intentional walk to Sammy Sosa in the first inning before Gaetti launched a 2-1 pitch for his fourth homer of the season and 10th career grand slam. The Braves battled back to tie it in the seventh, but the Cubs scored four times in the ninth. Rookie Kevin McGlinchy walked pinch-hitter Tyler Houston and Rodriguez drilled a full count pitch inside the right-field foul pole for his sixth home run and second game-winning blast in three games. Benito Santitago grounded out but Mickey Morandini singled, prompting Braves manager Bobby Cox to bring in Justin Speier from the bullpen. Blauser victimized his former team with his first home run of the season. Terry Adams (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. The Cubs, who acquired closer Rick Aguilera from Minnesota earlier in the day, have won the first five games on a seven-game road trip, winning five straight away from Wrigley Field for the first time since August 20-24, 1992. Atlanta has lost two straight following a four-game winning streak. SAN DIEGO 5, CINCINNATI 4 ------------------------- SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Woody Williams struck out eight over six-plus innings for his first win in five starts and Ruben Rivera matched a career high with three hits as the San Diego Padres held on for a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Williams (2-2) limited the Reds to two runs and six hits with two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts. He won for the first time since April 24 but held an opponent to three runs or less for the sixth time in his last seven starts. Trevor Hoffman gave up a run in the ninth but struck out Sean Casey with the potential tying run at second for his eighth save in nine opportunities. Rivera, who entered the game hitting just .161, stroked an RBI single in the second inning against starter Brett Tomko (1-2). He reached on an infield single in the fourth and singled again in the eighth. He collected three hits in a game for the third time in his career, last accomplished against San Francisco on September 28, 1997. The Padres posted their eighth straight home victory against Cincinnati, which had its season-high five-game winning streak stopped. Padres right fielder Tony Gwynn was helped off the field with a strained left calf muscle in the first inning after grounding into a double play. He will officially be placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday. ST LOUIS 10, LOS ANGELES 6 -------------------------- LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Ray Lankford homered twice in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second time in less than a week, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-6 victory. Lankford smacked a solo homer in the second inning off Ismael Valdes (4-3). After the Dodgers scored twice in the seventh to close to 7-6, he added a two-run shot in the eighth that gave the Cardinals a cushion. Lankford also homered twice on Sunday against the Dodgers, including a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. Tonight was Lankford's 11th career multi-homer game. Darren Bragg matched a career high with four hits for the Cardinals, who have won five of their last six games after enduring a three-game losing streak. Making his second start after 15 relief appearances, St. Louis righthander Juan Acevedo (3-1) allowed only one hit over five innings, a solo homer to Gary Sheffield in the fourth. Acevedo, who did not have a decision against Los Angeles in his other start five days ago, walked two and struck out a pair. Manny Aybar allowed one hit over two scoreless innings to pick up his first career save. Sheffield also hit a pair of homers and knocked in three runs for Los Angeles, which lost for the fifth time in its last six games. It was Sheffield's third multi-homer game of the season and 14th career.  