McGwire Gets Assist in Bottenfield’s Win

Kent Bottenfield is expecting some good news today.

“I bought my tickets for Boston last week,” he said after Mark McGwire’s 27th home run helped Bottenfield become the National League’s first 13-game winner in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night at St. Louis.

Bottenfield (13-3) thinks it’s likely he will be notified that he has been picked for the NL All-Star team by San Diego Manager Bruce Bochy.

“I’m sure there are some people who already know,” Bottenfield said. “I’m sure Tony [La Russa] has an idea right now.”

La Russa, the Cardinal manager, hinted that Bottenfield would make the team when he said Bochy wasn’t concerned that Bottenfield is scheduled to pitch Sunday.

McGwire, elected an All-Star starter earlier in the day, broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth, hitting a 431-foot drive off Brett Tomko (3-5).

Red Manager Jack McKeon said his team had its chances against Bottenfield.

“He’s a good pitcher, but he’s beatable,” McKeon said. “We had him on the ropes tonight and but couldn’t get him.”

Bottenfield gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings, sending Cincinnati to its third loss in 16 games.

Philadelphia 1, Milwaukee 0--Robert Person had a career-high 10 strikeouts in the sweltering heat to out duel Hideo Nomo at Philadelphia.

Bobby Abreu drove in the only run with an run-scoring single in the third.

Nomo (6-2), who matched his season high with nine strikeouts, had won his previous five decisions. On a night when the game-time temperature was 94 degrees, he lasted 129 pitches.

It was even hotter on the field. The thermometer on the artificial turf at Veterans Stadium read 165 degrees, five degrees more than the reading the previous two days.

Houston 3, Arizona 1--Jose Lima became the NL’s third 12-game winner and Richard Hidalgo drove in all of the Astros’ runs with a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly at Phoenix.

Lima (12-4) won for the first time since June 12. He had gone 0-2 in his last four starts.

Lima gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked two in seven innings. Reliever Jay Powell got two outs in the eighth with Tony Womack at second, then Billy Wagner came in to end the inning and strike out the side in the ninth for his 21st save in 22 opportunities.

Florida 5, Atlanta 2--Alex Fernandez gave up three hits in eight innings and beat Tom Glavine, who gave up a career-high 15 hits to the Marlins at Atlanta.

Pitching at Turner Field for the first time since tearing his right rotator cuff in Game 2 of the 1997 NL championship series, Fernandez (3-5) didn’t give up a hit until Chipper Jones’ solo homer with one out in the fourth.

Fernandez, who missed the 1998 season after reconstructive surgery, struck out five and walked one, throwing 98 pitches--two under his limit.

New York 10, Montreal 0--Starting on one day of rest for the first time in his 17-year career, Orel Hershiser gave up three hits in five innings in 99-degree heat at New York.

Brian McRae homered and drove in three runs and Edgardo Alfonzo had two hits and two RBIs. The Mets have won 21 of 29 games.

San Francisco 10, San Diego 9--Marvin Benard, Jeff Kent and Ellis Burks homered as the Giants held off the Padres at San Diego for their eighth victory in nine games.

San Francisco’s Barry Bonds left in the third inning because of tightness in his right groin. He will be reevaluated today.

Pittsburgh 6, Chicago 1--Warren Morris homered and Todd Ritchie pitched eight effective innings to continue his surprising season as the Pirates spoiled Sammy Sosa Day in Pittsburgh.

Sosa, voted to his third All-Star game a few hours after Pittsburgh City Council proclaimed a day in his honor, hit a sacrifice fly and went one for three.