NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : It’s Black’s Turn as Giants Make New Pitch, 3-1

A year ago the San Francisco Giants weren’t much of a threat in the National League West mainly because their pitching was weak.

The Giants tied the Chicago Cubs for the worst pitching in the league. They allowed 4.03 earned runs per game.

The one move the Giants made in the off-season was to trade Kevin Mitchell to Seattle to strengthen the pitching. Bill Swift, winner of six in a row, has given the staff a lift, but that’s only part of the story.

The Giants have gone from the worst staff to the best, lowering their ERA by a full run. Manager Roger Craig long ago made a reputation for being able to build a pitching staff. He seems to have regained his touch. Everyone he sends to the mound pitches well.

Bud Black, recently off the disabled list, joined the list of winners Wednesday when the Giants handed the slumping Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-1 defeat, their fifth loss in a row.

Black, in his third start, held the Eastern Division leaders to four hits in 7 2/3 innings. Relievers Bryan Hickerson and Jeff Brantley finished the Giants’ victory.

Zane Smith (5-2) was the tough-luck loser and is 0-7 against the Giants since 1987.

The Giants broke the 1-1 tie with two tainted runs in the sixth. Matt Williams blooped a single into left to score Will Clark and break the tie. When Mike Felder hit a short fly to center, gold glove winner Andy Van Slyke hesitated long enough for Cory Snyder to score the other run.

“You’re taught as a rookie to get the ball back into the infield and I didn’t,” Van Slyke said. “It was a mental mistake and I have to live with it.”

Snyder fooled Van Slyke by acting as if he weren’t going, then taking off for home.

“That was heads up,” Craig said, “to pull that on a four-time gold glove winner.”

San Diego 12, New York 6--Tony Fernandez hit a three-run home run to climax a six-run rally in the sixth inning at San Diego that led the Padres to their sixth victory in the last seven games.

The Mets took a 4-2 lead in the second inning on pitcher Wally Whitehurst’s two-run single.

The six-run inning enabled Craig Lefferts (5-2) win his fourth in a row.

Gary Sheffield went four for five, including a home run.

Atlanta 6, St. Louis 3--Left-hander Steve Avery, who had not won in nearly a month, held the Cardinals to four hits in 8 1/3 innings at Atlanta for his second victory against four defeats.

When Avery, an 18-game winner last season, walked two batters in the ninth, he was removed.

Brian Hunter hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs against Rheal Cormier (0-4). It was only the Braves fourth win in the last 12 games.

Montreal 6, Cincinnati 5--Norm Charlton and Rob Dibble are two of the most feared relief pitchers in the majors. They throw hard and usually with good control.

But they couldn’t hold a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning at Montreal.

Marquis Grissom dumped a single into center field off Dibble with two out to drive in two runs and cap a four-run uprising.

After Charlton gave up two singles to open the inning, Dibble forced home two runs with bases-loaded walks before giving up the hit to Grissom.

Philadelphia 2, Houston 1--Terry Mulholland pitched another strong game at Philadelphia to win his fourth in a row.

Mulholland (4-3), who lost his first three starts, gave up nine hits in 8 1/3 innings before Mitch Williams came in to get the save for the second night in a row.

Dave Hollins, who hit two home runs Tuesday night, doubled home the winning run in the fifth.