Test of Strengths : Giants, With NL’s Best Home Record, Will Host Team With Most Road Wins

Something’s got to give.

After a split of the first two games of the best-of-7 National League playoffs, the scene shifts Saturday night to San Francisco, where the Giants had the best home record in the league at 53-28.

But the Chicago Cubs’ 45-36 road mark also was the best in the league.

“I don’t think we’re going to San Francisco thinking we can’t win out there,” Cubs Manager Don Zimmer said after Chicago’s 9-5 victory Thursday night. That followed an 11-3 loss in the opener.

“It seemed like we got beat up pretty good,” Zimmer said of the opener. “It seemed like we weren’t supposed to be on the same field with them. But we always come back. Now here we are, after 14 games, 7-7.”

The two teams also split their 12 regular-season games, with each team 3-3 on its home field.

So far, the series has featured the two first-basemen, Mark Grace of the Cubs and the Giants’ Will Clark.

Grace has had six hits with six RBIs. Clark was the force in the opener with six RBIs and four hits, two of them home runs including a grand slam, and drove in six runs.

In fact, the Cubs didn’t retire Clark until the fifth inning of the second game when, with two on and two outs, Zimmer yanked Bielecki for left-hander Paul Assenmacher, who got Clark to bounce out on the first pitch.

Zimmer faced a similar situation in the opener when he allowed starter Greg Maddux to pitch to Clark, who hit his grand slam for an 8-3 lead.

“I didn’t come into the playoffs thinking about competing with Will Clark,” Grace said. “I’d be crazy, an idiot, to try to outdo Will Clark. He was right there for the batting title (.333) and drove in 115 runs.”

Grace, who said, “I’m here to face the Giants and try to help the Cubs win,” didn’t have bad figures either. He batted .314 with 79 RBIs.

“He’s a good young hitter,” Clark said. “He’s taking advantage of all the situations. As a hitter, you have to tip your hat to him because he does the job. Some way or another, we’re going to have to figure a way to get him out.”

It will be up to Rick Sutcliffe of the Cubs and Mike LaCoss of the Giants to do something about Clark and Grace Saturday night when the series continues.

“They are two veterans with good stomachs,” Craig said of the pitching match-up. “They pitch well in pressure situations.”