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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MIAMI (AP) -- Andy Tracy bettered his season RBI output in one
terrific night.
Tracy hit his first career grand slam and drove in seven runs,
and Montreal benefitted from a franchise-high three balks by
Florida pitchers to beat the Marlins 17-7 Saturday night.
Tracy, who entered with a .164 average and six RBI for the
season, finished 3-for-4 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Since
taking over the first base and cleanup jobs Friday night, Tracy is
5-for-9.
His seven RBI tied Rondell White for the most by an Expos
rookie. White drove in seven runs against the Dodgers on July 24,
1994.
"I don't remember getting this many (RBI) in the minors,"
Tracy said. "Whenever you have three or four, you can call it a
good night.
"It was a good night. It's pretty special because I've been
struggling up here. This is my third time up here, and I haven't
hit the ball well.
"Hopefully, this will be a turning point for me and I can
continue to help this club and keep doing what I'm doing."
Florida starter Reid Cornelius was charged with two balks in the
second inning, his first since 1995 with the Mets.
Marlins manager John Boles was ejected for the first time this
season in the third inning after arguing a balk call against
reliever Ricky Bones by first base umpire Bill Welke with Montreal
ahead 6-1.
"I'm waiting for them to go back to their regulars," Boles
said of Montreal's injuries.
Cornelius (3-4) lasted only 2 1/3 innings, his shortest outing
in 11 starts this year. He gave up six runs on four hits and four
walks.
"You can hang this loss right at my locker," Cornelius said.
"This was an ugly example on how to pitch.
"It all starts with the starter, and I was responsible for too
many guys in the bullpen having to absorb extra innings."
Tracy's slam snapped a 1-1 tie in the third and sent the Expos
to their third straight win.
"He's a changeup guy, and he left it up and I jumped on it,"
Tracy said.
"Their pitchers fell behind and then gave me some good pitches
to hit. Everything worked out for me."
The Marlins have lost six of eight games to drop below .500
(48-49) for the first time since July 1.
Mike Lowell and Alex Gonzalez each hit solo homers in the sixth
for the Marlins.
Mike Johnson (5-4) allowed four runs and six hits in six innings
for his third win in five starts.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third, the Expos loaded the bases
on singles by Milton Bradley and Peter Bergeron and a walk to
Fernando Seguignol.
Tracy's blast to right was the first grand slam this season by
Montreal, and the sixth allowed by Florida, making it 5-1.
Geoff Blum's single chased Cornelius, but Bones ran into
immediate trouble, issuing a balk while facing Chris Widger.
Widger singled and Blum scored the fifth run of the inning on
Tomas De La Rosa's single.
The Expos scored six more in the fifth against Bones to break
the game open. Tracy and Johnson each had two-run singles as
Montreal collected six hits and sent 10 batters to the plate.
The Marlins led 1-0 in the first on Preston Wilson's ground-rule
double.
The Expos tied the game in the second as Cornelius issued a pair
of balks and walks.
Blum added a three-run homer off Armando Almanza in the ninth.
The Expos finished with a season-high 19 hits and the 17 runs
tied a season high.
"I'm glad the day is over," Boles said. "Tomorrow's a new
day. These things happen. It didn't look any better on TV.
"I've never seen three balks in a game. I don't discuss what I
talk about with the umpire, but let's just say that I didn't think
that it was a balk."
Game notes
There were two great catches in the first inning, one by a
fan in right field. The fan reached over the fence, giving Wilson
his ground-rule double. Not to be outdone, Montreal center fielder
Bradley denied Derrek Lee of extra bases, leaping high for a catch
in front of the scoreboard with two men aboard. ... Vladimir
Guerrero didn't start for the third straight game because of a
strained right hip flexor. The All-Star right fielder started 120
straight games before being scratched Thursday. ... The Expos have
14 players (10 pitchers) on the disabled list following Friday's
sidelining of RHP Yovanny Lara (triceps strain). ... The Marlins
added another stolen base, increasing their major league-leading
total to 108. ... Florida 2B Luis Castillo extended his hitting
streak to 14 games and stole his major league-leading 41st base.
... Half of Lee's 20 home runs came after the sixth inning.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Montreal Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 8
Detroit 5
Detroit 10
Kansas City 6
(2nd game)
Oakland 10
Anaheim 3
Seattle 13
Texas 5
Baltimore 8
Toronto 2
Tampa Bay 12
NY Yankees 4
Boston 8
Chi. White Sox 6
Minnesota 10
Cleveland 6
NY Mets 4
Atlanta 0
Cincinnati 7
Arizona 3
Houston 10
St. Louis 5
Chicago Cubs 3
Milwaukee 2
San Francisco 5
Los Angeles 2
Montreal 17
Florida 7
Pittsburgh 2
Philadelphia 1
Colorado 9
San Diego 4
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