NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pirates Fumble Away Chance, Still Second

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance to go back on top in the National League East, but failed to make the routine plays and lost, 5-3, to the San Francisco Giants Sunday at Pittsburgh.

After the Pirates built a 3-0 lead, the Giants rallied for the victory with the help of errors and a variety of infield hits.

The Pirates remain half a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s the first time since April, 1990 that the Pirates ended a month without being first in the NL East.

Also, the Pirates went 11-17 in May, their first losing month since they were 13-15 in August, 1989.

Third baseman Steve Buechele, who hit a two-run home run in the second inning, committed a costly throwing error in the sixth inning. Willie McGee beat out an infield hit, moved up on a walk and scored when Buechele threw wildly on Robby Thompson’s sacrifice, enabling the Giants to tie at 3-3.

In the seventh, first baseman Jeff King, who homered in the third for the Pirates’ other run, fumbled Royce Clayton’s grounder to pave the way for two more unearned runs. Only two of the Giant runs were earned and three of the eight hits off Smith were infield hits.

Going into the game the Pirates had yielded only 11 unearned runs in 45 games, best in the league.

“We’re not in first place because we haven’t played like a first-place team so far,” Pirate Manager Jim Leyland said. “If we do, we’ll be in first place when it counts.

“We pitched well enough to win, but we didn’t have much offense or defense.”

McGee, who came into the game on an 0-for-13 streak, had three hits, one a triple, in his first three trips to help Bud Black (2-1) overcome the two home runs. Black went seven innings and Jeff Brantley pitched two scoreless innings for his sixth save.

Both teams wore old-style uniforms from 1939. The Giants’ uniforms bore the name New York.

San Diego 10, St. Louis 0--It figured that the best hitting team in the league couldn’t be held down forever.

After being held to nine runs in the previous five games against the Cardinals, the Padres needed only two innings to get 10 runs at St. Louis.

Rookie Rheal Cormier (0-5) gave up seven hits and seven runs in 1 2/3 innings and was sent down to triple-A Louisville.

Meanwhile, Greg Harris and three relievers combined on a two-hitter for the Padres’ fifth win in six games.

Darrin Jackson extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a two-run home run. Tony Gwynn, who has led the Padres’ surge into contention in the West, singled, tripled and doubled in his first three at-bats and raised his average to .367.

“I don’t think anybody but us anticipated that we could play this well,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. The Padres are only three percentage points behind the Giants in the West.

Montreal 6, Cincinnati 2--The Expos’ Gary Carter reached a milestone as a catcher at Cincinnati, and he celebrated with a home run.

Carter became the third player to catch 2,000 games, but Carter, who extended his hitting streak to eight games, started the winning rally in the second inning with his 322nd home run. Only Bob Boone and Carlton Fisk have caught more games.

The home run, which triggered a four-run rally off Jose Rijo (1-4), climaxed an eventful weekend for Carter, 38. On Saturday he was ejected for fighting with the Reds’ Hal Morris after a play at home plate. The crowd of 29,954 Sunday booed Carter every time he came to the plate. But when the Expos ended the Reds’ six-game winning streak, Carter had the last laugh.

“I play every game like it could be my last,” Carter said. “Today was a memorable one.”

Rookie outfielder Matt Stairs drove in two runs in the big inning with his first major league hit.

Philadelphia 6, Houston 3--Kim Batiste beat out an infield hit with the bases loaded to break a 3-3 tie in the 11th at Houston, and Len Dykstra followed with a two-run single.

The Phillies have won nine of their last 14 road games.

John Kruk, who led off the 11th with a walk, had three more hits and raised the best average in the majors to .381.

The Astros tied the score in the eighth against reliever Mitch Williams on a run-scoring double by Eric Anthony. Williams failed to save the win for Don Robinson, who pitched seven innings, giving up five hits and two runs.