NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Clark Breaks Drought; Giants Beat Reds

Almost everything about the San Francisco Giants’ 4-2 victory over the Reds Saturday night at Cincinnati was a source of encouragement to Manager Roger Craig.

The victory brought the Giants to within 4 1/2 games of the Reds in the National League West. There was the return of Mike LaCoss. And bullpen star Jeff Brantley pitched two scoreless innings to get his 17th save.

Undoubtedly, though, it was most pleasing that Will Clark found his long-lost home run swing.

Clark, after going 124 at-bats--the longest in his career--without a homer, hit one in the first inning to get the Giants off to a fast start. It was the 15th home run for Clark, who had not hit one since June 29.

“The ball was flying in batting practice and I thought I might hit one,” Clark said.

It was the Giants’ sixth victory in the last seven meetings with the slumping Reds, but San Francisco won for only the second time in the last eight games.

Rookie John Burkett (11-4) gave up four hits and two runs in five innings. He became the winner when Ernest Riles pinch-hit for him in the sixth and singled home the tiebreaking run. Riles has eight hits in his last 12 pinch-hit attempts.

LaCoss, who had not pitched since suffering a knee injury in late April, had two scoreless innings.

Brantley received a freak injury in a simulated game a couple of weeks ago and was injured when he returned July 31. He appears to be ready to resume his role as closer.

The Reds lost more than their 14th in the last 19 games. Shortstop Barry Larkin was hit hard when Clark took him out on a slide at second base as Larkin took a high throw from second baseman Mariano Duncan in the fifth inning. Larkin sprained his left knee on a play and left a half-inning later.

Later Larkin placed the blame on Clark, who was his roommate on the 1984 U. S. Olympic team.

“He didn’t slide,” Larkin said. “I asked him if he slid and he said he did. I looked at the replay and he didn’t.”

But Larkin’s teammates expressed only admiration. “We need to look and see how they’re playing,” infielder Ron Oester said of the Giants. “We need to do the same thing.”

“We complain too much,” said starter Jose Rijo (8-5), who served up Clark’s homer. “We should be playing hard, the way they are. Those guys play hard. We should play hard that way. We’re playing like a last-place team.”

St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 2--Joe Magrane won his fourth in a row and the Cardinals improved their record at Pittsburgh to 4-1.

Magrane (8-12) had a shutout until the ninth inning when Barry Bonds hit a two-run home run. Lee Smith came in to get the final out for his 21st save.

Craig Wilson, playing third base for the injured Terry Pendleton, had three hits and scored two runs for the Cardinals.

Rookie Randy Tomlin retired the first 13 Cardinals before Wilson doubled with one out in the fifth inning and scored on Milt Thompson’s single. Tomlin (1-1) gave up five hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Chicago 6, New York 3--Steve Wilson bailed the Cubs out of a first-inning jam at New York. After Mike Bielecki walked three of the first five batters he faced, Wilson held the Mets to five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Shawon Dunston hit a two-run home run as the Cubs scored four times in the second inning. In the fourth a downpour halted play for 1 hour 33 minutes.

The Cubs, who have won 18 of their last 25, stopped a three-game Met winning streak.

Montreal 5, Philadelphia 4--Second baseman Tommy Herr committed his first error in 61 games and it cost the Phillies.

Herr bobbled Dave Martinez’s hot smash to open the bottom of the 12th at Montreal. A sacrifice, another error and a pop out set the stage for Andres Galarraga, who singled in the winning run.

Rookie Jason Grimsley had a 4-0 lead and a four-hitter until the Expos scored four runs in the eighth inning.

San Diego 6, Houston 3--Joe Carter drove in three runs at Houston, two of them on a 10th-inning home run that powered the Padres to victory. He has 92 RBIs.