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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals were outhomered for
one of the few times this season. Unlike the past few seasons, that
doesn't mean they got outscored.
Mark McGwire hit a two-run homer -- the 540th of his career -- and
drove in three runs as the Cardinals, who lead the majors in
homers, overcame four Pittsburgh homers to beat the Pirates 7-5 on
Sunday.
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Career HR leaders
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Player
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Homers
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1.
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Hank Aaron
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755
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2.
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Babe Ruth
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714
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3.
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Willie Mays
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660
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4.
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Frank Robinson
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586
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5.
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Harmon Killebrew
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573
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6.
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Reggie Jackson
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563
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7.
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Mike Schmidt
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548
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8.
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x-Mark McGwire
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540
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9.
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Mickey Mantle
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536
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10.
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Jimmie Foxx
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534
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x-player is still active
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Placido Polanco, making a spot start for Fernando Vina at second
base, had three hits and three RBIs as the Cardinals outscored the
Pirates 26-9 in winning twice after losing the series opener 13-1.
St. Louis took over the NL Central lead by one game as the Reds
lost to the Cubs 4-2.
"We don't win that game without Polanco having a monster
game," manager Tony La Russa said. "One of the things that makes
for a good year is consistency. You try to win series. But that's
the hard way, the way we did it."
McGwire's drive into the third-level private boxes on a 2-0
slider by Todd Ritchie in the first inning was estimated at 444
feet -- average by McGwire's standards -- and followed Ray Lankford's
one-out walk. It was the Cardinals' 89th homer.
McGwire's major league-leading 18th homer and fourth in four
games left him eight behind Mike Schmidt, who ranks eighth all-time
with 548 homers.
McGwire didn't take batting practice, just as he didn't before
hitting three homers Thursday in Philadelphia or two homers the
Sunday before against the Dodgers.
"I've always said batting practice is overrated," said
McGwire, whose pregame hitting sessions always draw huge throngs of
fans who expect a torrent of homers. "If you're playing every day,
all you have to do is your (indoor) cage work, see the ball and get
loose.
"I've been doing that for years. When I go out there and have
to deal with what I have to deal with every day with the fans, you
have to take a break every once in a while."
Brian Giles, quietly enjoying another excellent season, answered
McGwire's shot with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first --
his 12th homer and eighth in 24 games.
Giles, who signed a $45 million contract extension on Friday,
has 44 RBI and is on pace for 170 RBI.
But Andy Benes (4-2) effectively shut down the Pirates after
that, retiring 12 consecutive batters until Luis Sojo hit a solo
homer, his fourth, with two outs in the seventh.
The final two Pirates homers came against the Cardinals'
bullpen, with Jason Kendall hitting his third off Mike James in the
eighth and Pat Meares homering off Dave Veres in the ninth.
"The homers are nice, but they don't mean as much sometimes if
there aren't runners on base," Meares said.
Veres pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for his eighth save,
striking out Ivan Cruz with two on and two outs in the eighth.
Despite surrendering the two homers, Benes improved his career
record in Three Rivers Stadium to 8-3, striking out five and
walking one in seven innings.
"We feel like if we give up three or four runs, we still have a
good chance to win," Benes said. "There aren't going to be too
many games where we are completely shut down."
The Cardinals retook the lead with the help of some more shaky
play by a Pirates defense that has committed five errors in its
last two games.
J.D. Drew and Edgar Renteria singled to start the fourth against
Ritchie (2-3), who allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3
innings. Ritchie struck out the next two batters, and appeared to
get out of the inning when Polanco bounced a slow-hit grounder over
the mound.
But shortstop Meares and second baseman Warren Morris nearly
collided as each failed to make the play, scoring Drew as Polanco
was credited with an RBI single. Ritchie walked Lankford and
McGwire in succession to force in another run, making it 4-2.
"We haven't made the plays we need to," Morris said. "I'm not
talking about the great plays, I'm talking about the routine ones.
We were both being aggressive in going after the ball, I took off
and I didn't see him until the last minute. Good teams like them
make you pay for that."
Eli Marrero tripled and scored on Polanco's single in the sixth
and had an RBI triple in a two-run eighth off reliever Scott
Sauerbeck that made it 7-3. Polanco went 5-for-8 in the final two
games of the series.
The Pirates finished 2-4 in a week-long stretch against the
teams ahead of them in the NL Central, St. Louis and Cincinnati.
The Cardinals took over the division lead by one game as the Reds
lost to the Cubs 4-2.
Game notes
Wil Cordero of the Pirates went 2-for-4 to extend his
hitting streak to 14 games (26-for-57). But Cordero, whose base
running has been shaky all season, got trapped off second on Cruz's
single, ending the first inning and costing Meares a chance to bat
with two on. ... McGwire, who missed a grand slam by a few feet in
Saturday's 19-4 victory, has 12 homers in 25 games. ... Vina left
Saturday's game after fouling a ball off his right shin and will be
reexamined Monday. ... Ritchie has allowed 14 earned runs in 13 1-3
innings in three starts after pitching into the seventh inning in
each of his first six starts. ... The Pirates recalled RHP Rich
Loiselle from his rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Altoona and
activated him off the 60-day disabled list. RHP Mike Garcia was
optioned to Triple-A Nashville.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 7
Boston 5
Cleveland 6
NY Yankees 1
Chi. White Sox 2
Toronto 1
Kansas City 10
Anaheim 6
Oakland 13
Minnesota 4
Seattle 8
Tampa Bay 4
Texas 6
Baltimore 5
Los Angeles 12
Florida 3
Atlanta 12
San Diego 6
NY Mets 7
Arizona 6
Montreal 8
Houston 3
Philadelphia 4
Colorado 3
St. Louis 7
Pittsburgh 5
San Francisco 16
Milwaukee 10
Chicago Cubs 4
Cincinnati 2
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