Giants Get Cardinals on Run and Breeze, 6-3 : World Series 1 Win Away for San Francisco

Roger Craig hinted this one might be different.

The San Francisco Giants played their game and beat the St. Louis Cardinals at theirs, too, sprinting to a 6-3 victory Sunday for a 3-2 lead in the National League playoffs.

“We found out some things about their pitching and found a way to steal some bases,” the Giants’ manager said after San Francisco ran the Cardinals out of breezy Candlestick Park.

The Giants are within one victory of their first World Series appearance since 1962. They can get there by winning Game 6 Tuesday night in St. Louis when Dave Dravecky, who pitched a shutout in the second game, opposes John Tudor.

Cardinals’ Manager Whitey Herzog knew something was strange when the first two Giants’ batters stole bases.

“They looked like the Gashouse Gang today and we looked like a bunch of leadfoots,” Herzog said. “We couldn’t get them out with a cannon.”

This best-of-seven series had been billed as power-versus-speed, and the Giants had both.

The Giants, who stole just 126 bases to St. Louis’ 248 this season, swiped three in the first four innings. That’s more than the Cardinals have stolen in the series.

Kevin Mitchell homered and drove in two runs and Jose Uribe’s two-run single sparked a four-run rally in the fourth inning that made it 6-3.

“We don’t have the speed like they do,” Craig said. “But we got some hits and runs and we had some hit-and-runs.”

The Cardinals finally contained Jeffrey Leonard, who went 0 for 4 after homering in the first four games, but could not control his teammates.

Joe Price pitched five innings of shutout relief, allowing one hit.

“It was a super day,” Price said after his first appearance in the playoffs. He struck out a season-high six and walked one.

“He looked like (Hall of Famer) Rube Waddell today,” Herzog said.

Craig promised before the game that his team would add a new dimension and it showed immediately. Robby Thompson and Mitchell stole bases in the first inning and Uribe stole another in the fourth after his two-run single.

They did not forgo the power, however.

Mitchell singled home Thompson in the first and launched a solo home run in the third. The Giants out-homered St. Louis, 205-94, during the regular season and hold a 9-1 edge in this matchup.

An injury to St. Louis starter Greg Mathews, the winner in Game 1, opened the way for San Francisco. Mathews left the game after three innings because of a strained quadricep muscle. Forsch, who won Game 3 with two shutout innings of relief, faced four batters and all of them scored as he took the loss.

“I probably asked too much of Forsch. This is his third appearance in six days,” Herzog said of Forsch, who has been a starter all season.

Chili Davis opened the fourth with a single off Forsch and raced to third when Will Clark followed with a hit-and-run single. A walk to Bob Brenly loaded the bases and Uribe singled sharply to right for a 4-3 lead, chasing Forsch.

Mike Aldrete, leading the Giants with a .417 average with runners in scoring position, batted for Reuschel as the Giants tried to break the game open. Aldrete hit a sacrifice fly off Rick Horton, Uribe stole third and Thompson tripled to right-center to make it 6-3.

That’s how it ended as both teams struggled with each other and the wind. There were several near collisions and a bunch of balloons and streamers were strewn across the field while a huge beach ball rolled into St. Louis first baseman Dan Driessen.

Reuschel and Mathews each struggled through the first three innings.

The Cardinals scored in the first on Vince Coleman’s leadoff double, a sacrifice and Tom Herr’s sacrifice fly.

The Giants matched it in their half. Thompson drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on Mitchell’s single. Mitchell also stole second but was stranded.

Singles by Tony Pena, Mathews and Coleman loaded the bases with none out in the third. Smith hit a sacrifice fly but Reuschel escaped further trouble when Herr hit into a double play, the third time he has done that while going 2 for 19 in the series.

Mitchell tied it with a home run in the third and the Cardinals scored in the fourth when Terry Pendleton tripled with two out and came home when Reuschel dropped a toss from Clark at first base for an error.