ATLANTA - Kevin Millwood pitched a three-hitter and hit a two-run double to win his seventh consecutive decision as the Atlanta Braves reduced their magic number to four with a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Expos on Friday night.
The Braves, seeking their 11th consecutive division title, have a 19.5-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East. With 21 games left, their 89 wins surpass their total from last season.
Millwood (16-6) is 14-1 in 21 starts since May 24, and the Braves won five of those six no-decisions. The streak is reminiscent of his 1999 breakout season, when he went 12-3 with a 2.17 ERA over his final 20 games.
The right-hander gave up only three singles and never allowed a runner past second base. He struck out five and walked one in his second career shutout. The other was April 14, 1998, against Pittsburgh.
He also went 2-for-3 with a perfect sacrifice bunt and received a hearty ovation when he batted to lead off the eighth. Millwood threw just 98 pitches in his sixth career complete game, and first since Sept. 19, 1999, against Milwaukee.
Troy O'Leary, Vladimir Guerrero and pinch-hitter Matt Cepicky had the hits for Montreal.
Expos starter Masato Yoshii (4-8) lasted only 1 2-3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits to fall to 0-8 in 15 career appearances against Atlanta.
Montreal manager Frank Robinson was livid in the dugout when Yoshii allowed four consecutive hits with one out in the second inning. Julio Franco started the rally with a single, and Vinny Castilla moved him to third with a double. Henry Blanco singled in Franco.
Robinson screamed at Yoshii after Millwood's double made it 4-0, and stormed out to lift him after Marcus Giles' double scored Millwood.
Giles also doubled in the first and scored the first run on Gary Sheffield's single.
Sheffield was returning from a nine-game layoff with a bruised thumb and went 1-for-3 with a walk. Castilla also was back in the lineup after sitting out a game as he tries to end the longest power drought of his career.
Castilla hasn't homered in 239 at-bats since June 11, but he did bounce one over the wall for a ground-rule double during the second-inning rally.
Britt Reames, Matt Herges and Zach Day combined to pitch 7 1-3 innings of scoreless relief for Montreal.
Notes: Guerrero extended his hitting streak to eight games. His 177 hits lead the National League. ... Montreal's Brad Wilkerson did not start despite a six-game hitting streak, but came in as a defensive replacement in the seventh. He is one home run shy of the team's rookie record of 19 set by Andre Dawson in 1977 Larry Walker in 1990. ... Braves C Javy Lopez sat out his sixth straight game with a sore right shoulder.
Thursday
February 13th, 2025
3:19PM
