Maddux's 3-hits help Braves beat Yankees

NEW YORK (Reuter): Greg Maddux pitched a three-hitter and Ryan Klesko belted his second homer in as many days to lead the Atlanta Braves to its seventh win in eight games, 2-0 over the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Maddux (11-3), who has won his last four starts, struck out eight and did not walk a batter in his first outing at Yankee Stadium since losing the decisive sixth game of the 1996 World Series.

Maddux has not walked a batter in his last five starts, covering 36 innings. Maddux threw just 86 pitches in recording his second shutout of the season and 23rd of his career. He gave up only three outfield outs while facing just 28 batters.

The Braves took the final two games of the series after New York recorded a 1-0, 10-innings win Monday. The teams combined for only seven runs in the three-game series.

Dwight Gooden (3-1) allowed two runs and seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts over seven innings.

In Toronto, Joe Carter's single with two out at the bottom of the 13th scored Otis Nixon with the winning run as the Blue Jays salvaged the finale of its Canadian interleague series with the Montreal Expos, 7-6.

Carter, who snapped an 0-for-16 slump with a fifth-innings homer, blooped a 3-2 pitch from Ugueth Urbina into shallow center.

Toronto's Mike Timlin (2-0) tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings to notch the win in his longest relief stint in 22 months. Carlos Delgado also homered for Toronto while David Segui and Vladimir Guerrero homered for Montreal.

National League

Elsewhere in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jason Schmidt threw a five-hitter to cap an impressive display of Pirate pitching as Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago White Sox with a 3-1 win Wednesday.

Schmidt got his second straight complete game and third consecutive win as Pirate pitchers limited Chicago to two runs and 15 hits while striking out 28 in the interleague series.

Schmidt (4-4) walked one, recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts and came within one out of his first career shutout. He has given up just three runs and 14 hits in his last three starts, spanning 25 innings.

The 24-year-old right-hander blanked Chicago until Albert Belle doubled home Ray Durham with two out in the top of the ninth.

Pittsburgh's starters pitched all but one innings of the series against a White Sox team that averaged more than seven runs in its previous seven games.

Chicago's Jaime Navarro (6-7) allowed three runs -- two earned -- and six hits in seven innings. The loss dropped the White Sox below .500 at 40-41.

Dale Sveum put Pittsburgh ahead to stay in the second when he drilled a 2-0 pitch from Navarro 428 feet down the right-field line into the fourth level at Three Rivers Stadium.

Results

Interleague games: Cincinnati 7 Milwaukee 4 Detroit 9 NY Mets 7 Atlanta 2 NY Yankees 0 Chicago Cubs 3 Kansas City 2 Baltimore 10 Philadelphia 6 Oakland 8 San Francisco 1 Florida 3 Boston 2 Pittsburgh 3 Chi White Sox 1 Texas 9 Colorado 1 Toronto 7 Montreal 6 (in 13 Houston 6 Cleveland 2 St Louis 2 Minnesota 1 (in 10) Los Angeles 5 Anaheim 4 San Diego 8 Seattle 5