Person Pitches Past Astros

Robert Person came to a hitter`s ballpark and gave his best performance. Person pitched a two-hitter, the low-hit game of his career, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to over the Houston Astros 5-0 Monday night.

"Yeah, this was my best game," Person said. "I had one other shutout, but you really have to keep the ball down and hit your spots. They have a dangerous lineup."

Person (3-3), who lost three of his previous four starts, got the second complete game of his career in stopping the Astros` four-game winning streak. His other complete game was a four-hit shutout of Milwaukee last May 10.

Houston`s only hits were a first-inning double by Craig Biggio and a seventh-inning single by Brad Ausmus. Person struck out a season-high eight and walked four.

"That was an unbelievably pitched game," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "The way he was pitching, I told him we needed to give the bullpen a rest. For him to do what he did was something special."

Before the game, the Phillies learned third-base coach John Vukovich was scheduled to have surgery Tuesday morning to remove a mass from his head.

"That was definitely for Vukovich," Person said. "Vuke is such a key part of our team. Not having him here is so unusual."

Vukovich, 53, has been bothered by constant headaches since spring training. He had an MRI at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on Sunday and was admitted after test results were examined Monday. Neurosurgeon Dr. David Andrews was scheduled to operate.

"It was a special game for our players. They had their minds elsewhere tonight," Bowa said. "He`s going to be operated on tomorrow and I`m proud of what the guys did."

Scott Rolen and Mike Lieberthal hit consecutive homers in the fifth off Kent Bottenfield (1-2), making his first start since he was sent to the bullpen on April 13.

Rolen`s homer made it 4-0, and Lieberthal followed with an opposite-field shot to right. It was the first time this season the Phillies hit back-to-back homers.

Bottenfield allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings.

"I was trying to overthrow and that hurt me," Bottenfield said. "I felt pretty good, but in the fifth I got tired and tried to overthrow. I`ve got to hit my spots or I`m terrible."

Person hit Lance Berkman with a pitch in the first inning and Bottenfield hit Rolen with a pitch starting the second. Both dugouts received a warning from plate umpire Bill Miller.

Marlon Anderson`s RBI single put Philadelphia ahead in the second and James Rollins hit a sacrifice fly in the third.

"The guy did a good job of pitching," Berkman said. "He had some good fortune, too. We hit some balls hard right at some people and he made some mistakes that we didn`t capitalize on.

"He moved his fastball around and he had good speed and good location. When you have a combination of good stuff and good location and it comes together, it`s going to be tough to score on him." Notes: Houston was shut out for the second time this season. ... Philadelphia has a 16-0 record this season when leading after eight innings. ... Charlie Hayes returned to the team after attending the funeral of his mother, Lutherea Hayes, in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Saturday. The Astros optioned INF Keith Ginter to Triple-A New Orleans. ... Houston honored 2B Craig Biggio before the game as the franchises` first 2,000-hit player. He is the 216th player in major league history to reach 2,000 hits.

(Copyright 2001 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: 6 ABC - Action News (AP)