Expos' Orlandos Pound BoSox

Carl Pavano almost went the distance against his former team.

Pavano came within three outs of his first career complete game as the Montreal Expos beat Boston 8-2 Monday night, sending the Red Sox to their third straight loss.

"I wanted it bad," said Pavano, who was acquired from Boston in the November 1997 deal that sent Pedro Martinez to the Red Sox. "It's always nice to win. I guess it's a little more special because it's the team that traded me."

However, Pavano doesn't harbor any grudges against the Red Sox.

Pavano (4-5), who was rocked for five runs in four innings against Boston last year, gave up a two-run homer to Brian Daubach following John Valentin's one-out single in the first. He struck out five and walked one, taking a five-hitter into the ninth.

He left after a leadoff walk to Daubach and a single to Nomar Garciaparra. Steve Kline finished the six-hitter.

"I went out there with all the intentions of getting the first guy out, second guy out and the third guy out," Pavano said. "I got ahead of (Daubach) with a first pitch fastball and then I fell behind and ended up walking him. Then I used the same strategy on (Garciaparra) and he ended up with a broken-bat hit. Those are the breaks."

Orlando Cabrera doubled, tripled and hit a two-run homer in the eighth off reliever John Wasdin.

"I don't try to hit home runs," Cabrera said. "I just try to hit the ball hard, be quick to the ball and if it happens, it happens."

Michael Barrett also had three hits for the Expos and Orlando Merced hit a two-run homer.

Montreal, which drew just 7,003, holds a 4-3 edge over Boston in interleague play with the home team winning every game. The Expos, 20-15 in interleague play and 11-4 at home, swept three games at Olympic Stadium from Sept. 1-3, 1997. The Red Sox outscored Monreal 28-5 in a three-game sweep last June 30-July 2 at Fenway Park.

Bret Saberhagen (2-2), who threw 96 pitches during six innings in his second start since returning from the 15-day disabled list, allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings.

"You've got to tip your hat to Pavano," Saberhagen said. "He did a great job. He gave up the home run early and got behind. He settled down great and had us off balance all night. He threw a great game."

Valentin left with a strained left groin after Boston batted in the fifth.

Pavano retired nine straight after Daubach's homer before Garciaparra's one-out double in the fourth, then set down 10 straight before Jason Varitek singled with two outs in the seventh.

"We just got beat, that's all," Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said. "Pavano pitched well. Saberhagen, to me, got better as the game went on but we got into a pitch count. We're trying to protect him a little bit. He probably could have kept going but it was best to take him out right then."

After Daubach's homer gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the first, Montreal tied it on Rondell White's RBI single in the first and Ryan McGuire's run-scoring triple in the second.

Merced homered following Rondell White's one-out single in the third for a 4-2 lead. Montreal got another run in the seventh seventh when Jeff Frye, who replaced Valentin at third, couldn't hold on to Vladimir Guerrero's sharply hit grounder, allowing White to score from second.

Barrett followed with an RBI single off Derek Lowe.

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