Valdez Misses Dunston in Giants’ 7-3 Victory

The last time Sergio Valdez faced the Chicago Cubs, he was attacked by an angry Shawon Dunston, who charged the mound after being hit with a pitch.

While Dunston watched from the press box Friday, serving a four-game suspension for starting the melee, Valdez pitched the San Francisco Giants to a 7-3 victory.

Valdez sort of missed Dunston.

“I didn’t see him around so I didn’t worry about it,” he said.

Valdez (3-3) allowed eight hits in seven innings with two walks and a strikeout.

In Valdez’s Aug. 13 start against the Cubs, he got the win but also got a cut under his left eye and was removed two batters after the fight broke up.

“It was totally him, nobody else. I’m kind of disappointed he was not playing. I want to face him again some day,” Valdez said.

Dunston and the Cubs were disappointed, too. Disappointed that he couldn’t play, disappointed they lost the game and disappointed they missed a chance to move up in the wild-card chase.

“Everyone’s concerned about the wild card. We’re just trying to win each game. Nobody’s feeling any particular pressure,” said Chicago manager Jim Riggleman, whose team began the day two games out.

Mark Carreon homered in a three-run first off Jaime Navarro (13-6) and Matt Williams had four hits for the Giants. San Francisco didn’t seem distracted by the hype surrounding center fielder Deion Sanders, who is reportedly on the verge of signing an NFL contract with the 49ers or Cowboys.

“Everybody wants to know what he’s going to do and we’ll all find out probably at the same time. He’s a member of the Giants at this point, so when I talk to Deion or he talks to me it’s about baseball,” Williams said.

Sanders drew a leadoff walk in the first and moved to third on Barry Bonds’ one-out single.

Bonds was cut down trying to stretch the hit into a double, but Matt Williams dropped a single to right to make it 1-0. Carreon then followed with his 14th homer to give the Giants a three-run cushion.

Williams singled in the fourth, Carreon walked and Royce Clayton slapped a single to right with Williams beating Sammy Sosa’s throw to the plate to make it 4-0.

Sosa singled, stole second and scored on Todd Zeile’s two-out single for the Cubs’ first run in the fourth.

Chicago loaded the bases in the fifth but got only one run after right fielder Glenallen Hill’s throw cut down Mark Grace at the plate.

Rey Sanchez reached on an infield single, Grace singled and Sosa walked to load the bases. Luis Gonzalez hit an RBI single, but Grace was thrown out at the plate by Hill as Giants catcher Kirt Manwaring held on to the ball despite a jarring shoulder block by Grace.

Grace, who had a sore hip from the collision, said the Cubs have to get going in a hurry. Chicago has 22 games left, 16 at Wrigley Field where they are 24-32.

“We’re not making it easy on ourselves,” he said. “We have to win two of three here and do the same against the Dodgers. We’ve just got to stay within striking distance on this home stand.”