Braves: John Smoltz has 57 victories since 1996, the most in the majors, two more than New York Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte. Bret Boone, traded by Cincinnati in the offseason, was 0-for-7 before getting his first hit for Atlanta, an infield single in the first.

Reds: Steve Avery gave up San Francisco's first hit on his 90th pitch of the game and Stan Javier's homer on his 112th. The left-hander threw 118 pitches in all.

Giants: Are 10-2 against Cincinnati over the last two seasons. Last season, San Francisco had 19 wins when it was tied or trailed after the seventh inning.

Pub Date: 4/08/99