|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Seems like old times McGwire leads Cardinals past Astros with two homers
Updated: Thursday September 27, 2001 9:30 AM
HOUSTON (AP) -- Mark McGwire playfully questioned his manager's health, but it turned out that Tony La Russa knew what he was doing with his lineup. McGwire, batting third despite a slump, broke out with two home runs and Darryl Kile allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Houston Astros 5-1 on Wednesday night. "I put my hand to Tony's forehead because I thought he was sick, putting me in the third spot," McGwire said. "But he was cold, so I knew he wasn't sick." The victory was St. Louis' second in a row over the Astros and pulled the Cardinals within 3 1/2 games of Houston in the NL Central Division. St. Louis started the day with a three-game lead over San Francisco in the wild card race. The Astros will try to keep ahead of the Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs, starting a four-game series Thursday. "There's no way we should press," Jeff Bagwell said. "We are up 3 1/2 games. We just have to go to Chicago and take care of business. We need to go out and win games. If we can't win this thing now, we probably aren't good enough to win in the playoffs, anyway." McGwire gave Kile a boost with his 26th homer in the fifth inning for a 3-0 lead. McGwire's two-run, 418-foot blast bounced on the train tracks atop the left-field fence and out of Enron Field. "I was just trying to do what I can do with what I have," said McGwire, talking with ice packs on both knees. "I want to get base hits as much as anyone, but it seems when I make contact they leave the ballpark." Before hitting his first homer, McGwire was 1-for-19 with 10 strikeouts in his previous 20 at-bats, including strikeouts in his first two at-bats Wednesday. McGwire went 2-for-4 and raised his season average to .185. "Mark has been moaning that he's not helping us, but he's got 60 RBIs, so he's had some hits," La Russa said. McGwire added a solo homer off Octavio Dotel in the eighth for his third multihomer game this season and the 67th of his career. McGwire's 581st career home run was the first homer allowed by Dotel since June 3 by Tim Bogar against Los Angeles. Kile, who had lost three of his previous four decisions, escaped the fourth after Julio Lugo reached on an infield hit and Jeff Bagwell walked to start the inning. Kile struck out Lance Berkman and Richard Hidalgo and Orlando Merced flew out. Kile struck out 10 and walked two. "I'm just trying to make pitches," Kile said. "If I made a mistake, they fouled it off and gave me another chance." Pinch-hitter J.D. Drew's sacrifice fly scored a run for the Cardinals in the seventh. Ron Villone (6-8) didn't allow a hit until Jim Edmonds' one-out double in the fourth. Craig Paquette followed with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Villone knew he'd made a mistake on his home-run pitch to McGwire. "It was over the plate," Villone said. "A nice fat, fastball. It was probably a pitch he'd probably like to see again." Dotel thought he'd made a good pitch to McGwire. "I was going right at him," Dotel said. "I was challenging him. It was inside and down and he killed that ball. No matter how hard you throw. I wanted to go away. I just missed it and he got it." Jeff Bagwell's 38th homer in the ninth off T.J. Mathews ended the shutout. "To beat a guy like Kile, you have to scratch and get a few base hits," Astros manager Larry Dierker said. "We couldn't manage that tonight. "It's hard to win games like that because you've got to pitch that well yourself. We've got to start hitting again. Sometimes, when you don't hit for a couple of days, you wonder what's wrong, but against guys like Kile, it was good pitching." Notes: Bagwell needs two walks to become the first player to get at least 30 homers, 100 RBIs, 100 runs and 100 walks in six consecutive seasons. ... McGwire is 5-for-15 lifetime against Villone, with all five hits being home runs.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
