McGwire Can’t Tee Off in Loss

Kevin Brown put a pitch “on a tee” for Mark McGwire and got away with it.

McGwire, who usually launches those kind of pitches into the outfield seats, settled for a two-run single as St. Louis jumped on Brown for a 3-0 first-inning lead. But the Padres quickly regained the lead behind Brown and Tony Gwynn and cruised to a 7-3 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Gwynn drove in three runs on two doubles while Brown faced just one batter over the minimum after the first inning and kept McGwire from adding to his major league-leading home run total of 27.

Brown (5-3) was victimized by two bloop hits and an infield single among the five St. Louis hits the first inning. A double to left by Delino DeShields followed by McGwire’s shot up the middle were the hardest-hit balls off Brown.

“I made a couple of bad pitches today, but for the most part I didn’t make that many mistakes,” Brown said. “Every ball they hit found a hole. I made a bad pitch on McGwire. I just didn’t do what I wanted to with the ball and gave up a hit. I put it on a tee for him.”

Brown understands how facing McGwire can be unsettling to some pitchers.

“I mean, any time a guy that big steps up to the plate--they’re very few and far between, thank God--it’s kind of hard not to notice them standing there. The sun just disappears for a while.”

McGwire finished one for four and struck out twice.

“I don’t mind facing him, but he’s a nasty pitcher,” said McGwire, who raised his league-leading RBI total to 68.

“It’s not like I’m the only one that he’s had success against.”

McGwire said Brown tried to throw an inside sinking fastball, but it stayed out over the plate. “You try to hit the mistakes, because you’re not going to get too many,” said McGwire, who scored on Willie McGee’s single.

“No doubt I was very disappointed in the way things turned out in the first inning, but I tried to take a deep breath and just say, ‘Leave ‘em right there and give the guys a chance,’ ” Brown said. “I didn’t have to wait very long. The guys got us right back in the game and took the lead very quickly.”

Brown won consecutive starts for the first time with the Padres, giving up seven hits and three runs in eight innings and striking out eight to match his season high.

NEXT SERIES FOR DODGERS

WHO: St. Louis Cardinals

WHERE: Dodger Stadium

WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 4:30