Lankford Signs Extension

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed cleanup hitter Ray Lankford to a five-year $34-million contract extension.

The team was expected to announce the signing before tonight’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lankford was in the final year of a three-year $12-million deal he signed in 1996.

Lankford, 30, is one of the reasons No. 3 hitter Mark McGwire is off to a fast start with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. In 13 games, Lankford is batting .400 with a homer, four doubles and 12 RBIs.

Last season, Lankford sat out the first three weeks recovering from shoulder surgery, but still had 31 home runs and 98 RBIs.

Both totals are career highs for Lankford, the team’s third-round pick in the June 1987 free-agent draft.

Lankford also had 95 walks, 93 runs scored, a slugging percentage of .585 and an on-base average of .411.

The signing locks up the middle of the Cardinals’ attack. McGwire signed a three-year $28.5 million deal with an option for a fourth year last September.

*

Cleveland Indian outfielder Brian Giles on Tuesday signed a three-year contract extension with a club option for the 2002 season.

Giles, 27, had been signed just through this year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A 17th-round pick by Cleveland in the 1989 amateur draft, last season was the first Giles spent entirely at the major league level.

He hit .268 with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs.

Also Tuesday, the Indians claimed infielder David Bell off waivers from St. Louis.

To make room for Bell on the 40-man roster, the Indians transferred infielder Enrique Wilson to the 60-day disabled list.

*

A streaker who raced across Coors Field during Monday night’s Rockies-Reds game apologized Tuesday, and said he thought the prank would be a good way to meet women.

During a court appearance in Denver, Darren Kennedy, 30, pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace, trespassing and unlawful public indecency, all misdemeanors.

Kennedy was fined $500.