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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MONTREAL (AP) -- On a night when both teams had a player homer
twice, only John Vander Wal got to enjoy his personal
accomplishments.
Vander Wal homered twice, including a grand slam in Pittsburgh's
season-high seven-run third inning, as the Pirates beat the
Montreal Expos 8-3 Wednesday.
"I'm just glad we won," Vander Wal said. "I believe that's
the best game I've had in my career, and it's nice that we won,
too."
Montreal's Lee Stevens drew little pleasure from his eighth
multi-homer game.
"It really doesn't matter if you don't win the game," Stevens
said. "I don't go out there to do anything personally. It would
have been nice if they helped us win the game, that's the bottom
line."
Francisco Cordova (5-5) allowed two runs and seven hits in six
innings as the Pirates won their second straight following a
four-game losing streak.
Chris Peters pitched three innings for his first save this
season and second of his career.
After getting Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy's assurance earlier
in the day that he would manage through the end of the season,
embattled Pittsburgh manager Gene Lamont was pleased with both
pitchers' efforts, particularly Cordova's.
"He pitched his way out of tough spots," Lamont said. "He
could have gone seven innings, but Pee Wee came in and did a great
job."
Expos starter Tony Armas Jr. (2-5) set down six of the first
seven batters he faced before allowing Pat Meares' double leading
off the third. He struck out Cordova and then walked Warren Morris
and Jason Kendall to load the bases.
Armas threw three straight balls to Vander Wal -- making it 11 in
a row overall -- before a called strike made the count 3-1. Vander
Wal drove Armas' next pitch 400 feet over the wall just to the
right of center to give Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
It was Vander Wal's second career grand slam and his career-best
seventh homer of the season.
Pittsburgh added three more runs in the inning on Bruce Aven's
RBI single and Aramis Ramirez's two-run single, with both hits
coming off reliever Brad Rigby.
Vander Wal hit a solo shot off left-hander Scott Forster with
one out in the seventh, giving him a career-high five RBIs. He
added a double in the ninth to complete a 3-for-5 performance.
Armas allowed six runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings, his
shortest outing in the majors in nine career starts. He went just 3
1/3 innings in his last start, against Chicago.
Expos catcher Charlie O'Brien suggested that the rookie pitcher
may have been affected by a longer wait as the Expos loaded the
bases, though failed to score, in the bottom of the second.
"It happens, where you sit down a little longer or, all of a
sudden, you just don't feel comfortable when you go out there,"
O'Brien said. "It's just one of those things that young kids go
through. He's got to go out there and make some adjustments in the
course of a game to keep him in the game, and keep us in the
game."
Stevens homered leading off the fourth and came home from third
on Young's fielding error at first in the sixth to make it 7-2.
Stevens added another solo shot in the eighth inning.
Game
notes
Vander Wal, who made his major league debut with Montreal
and played for the Expos from 1991-93, hit six homers last season
for San Diego. ... Pittsburgh had three six-run innings this
season, the most recent on May 6 when they scored six in the ninth
at Chicago's Wrigley Field. ... Stevens also homered twice on June
2 against Baltimore.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
Montreal Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 9
NY Yankees 7
Toronto 6
Detroit 0
Cleveland 8
Chi. White Sox 6
Texas 7
Minnesota 5
Anaheim 3
Kansas City 1
Oakland 10
Baltimore 3
Seattle 8
Tampa Bay 5
Chicago Cubs 8
Atlanta 1
Colorado 6
Cincinnati 4
Florida 5
Milwaukee 4
Pittsburgh 8
Montreal 3
Philadelphia 10
NY Mets 5
Los Angeles 7
Houston 6
San Francisco 4
St. Louis 1
Arizona 11
San Diego 8
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