Phillies tied with Braves

Robert Person has become a stopper.

Person hit a homer and pitched eight strong innings, and Scott Rolen homered and had three RBI as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 4-1 Saturday.

The Phillies, 5-11 in their last 16 games, moved into a first-place tie with Atlanta in the NL East. The Braves lost 5-3 to Chicago.

Person (13-6) allowed one run, three hits, and tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts, including his last five batters. Since losing on June 5, Person is 9-1 and has snapped losing streaks of three, two and five games in his last three starts.

"Person has been unbelievable," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "He wants to be the man. He`s stopped a few streaks for us. He`s picked us up more ways than one."

For the second straight start, Person went to the mound knowing the Braves already lost earlier in the day.

"Of course, that gets me pumped up," he said.

Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 21st straight save and 35th in 37 chances. It was his first outing since serving a two-game suspension for hitting St. Louis` Jim Edmonds with a pitch last month.

Vladimir Guerrero stole his 30th base in the sixth inning to become the first player in Montreal history to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in a season.

"That`s quite an accomplishment," Expos manager Jeff Torborg said. "He deserves it. He`s liable to make 40-40 sometime."

Rolen gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run double off Montreal starter Carl Pavano (0-3). Jimmy Rollins singled to start the inning and moved to third on a single by Doug Glanville.

After Bobby Abreu flied to shallow left, Rolen doubled off the left-field wall. Lee Stevens cut it to 2-1 on his 21st homer in the second.

Rolen then hit his 20th homer to make it 3-1. Person hit a shot into the left-field bullpen for a 4-1 lead in the fourth. It was his second career homer -- both this year.

"One, they say is lucky. Two, you`re a home run hitter," Person joked. "They`re all going to hear about it tomorrow."

Pavano, making his third start after elbow surgery last August, allowed four runs and eight hits in four innings. Pavano gave up 15 earned runs in his first two starts.

After getting three hits and one run in a 5-1 loss Friday night, Bowa juggled the starting lineup. Marlon Anderson moved from the two-hole to fifth, Glanville moved up from No. 7 to No. 2, and Rolen and Abreu flip-flopped at No. 3 and No. 4.

Rolen now has doubled his home run total since Aug. 6, when he was criticized by Dallas Green, senior adviser to general manager Ed Wade.

"He stepped it up before the last 20 games," Bowa said. "He`s been getting huge hits for the last month and a half."

Said Rolen: "I`m seeing the ball better and I`m in better position to hit it well."

Game notes:
Person has pitched eight innings and allowed one run in each of his last three starts. He has given up 10 hits and has 29 strikeouts in that span. Person is the first Phillies pitcher to hit two homers in one season since Tommy Greene did it in 1993. ... Expos SS Orlando Cabrera has committed just eight errors in 635 chances. ... Philadelphia is 41-26 at home, 31-37 on the road. ... The Phillies are 62-0 when leading after eight innings. ... Montreal had won seven of its previous 10 road games. ... Burrell recorded his NL-leading 17th outfield assist in the third. ... The Phillies tied their season-high with five steals.

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News