Tip for Biggio Costly to Giants

Craig Biggio owes his best game of the season to his hitting coach.

After going four for four with a three-run home run and four RBIs as the Houston Astros defeated the San Francisco Giants, 10-5, Saturday night for their fifth consecutive victory, Biggio said coach Tom McGraw gave him a tip that worked.

“Tom McCraw said something to me before the game and that helped make me more comfortable at the plate,” Biggio said. “I haven’t felt that good since spring training.”

What was the secret?

“I’d rather not say,” Biggio said with a smile. “That’s classified material between a hitting coach and player. It was just something that made sense to me. It’ll probably only last one game.”

Biggio tied his career high for hits in the game, hit his major league-leading 17th double in the eighth and tied Bob Watson for fifth all-time with his 140th homer for the Astros.

“He’s always leading the league in something,” Astro Manager Larry Dierker said. “With the doubles, I think if [opponents] are going to play him toward right field and try to pitch inside, they’re going to be vulnerable somewhere and he’s going to pull it to left and get all these doubles he’s getting.

“No matter which way you play him, you’ve got to leave something uncovered and that’s where he’s going to hit it.”

Biggio also hurt the Giants with a hit-by-pitch in the third. Biggio, who is consistently among the league leaders in getting hit by pitches, now has four to tie for third in the National League.

“He’s made a good living at that [getting hit by pitches],” Giant starter Mark Gardner (0-4) said. “He leaned into it. That’s his job. I thought I had it low enough, Usually he uses his arm, but this time he stuck his leg out there.”

On the mound, Mike Hampton gave up five hits in seven innings and held the Giants hitless until former Astro Scott Servais led off the sixth inning with a home run.

The left-hander struck out five and walked one while winning his fifth consecutive decision. During his last four starts Hampton is 4-0 with an 1.16 ERA with 24 strikeouts and four walks.

AROUND THE LEAGUE / Pirates’ Meares Has Surgery

Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop Pat Meares is expected to miss three months after undergoing hand surgery, the team said. Meares, 30, had surgery on Friday to repair tendons and remove a fractured hook of the hamate bone in his left hand.

He was originally injured during a spring training game on April 1, when he fouled a pitch off his wrist and missed the first 14 games of the regular-season. He went back on the disabled list Wednesday.

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The Chicago Cubs placed backup catcher Sandy Martinez on the 15-day disabled list because of a sprained left knee and recalled outfielder Roosevelt Brown from Double-A West Tennessee.

Martinez, 26, has played in only eight games this season behind Benito Santiago and Tyler Houston. He’s two for 11 with five strikeouts and went 0 for 3 in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, his second start of the season.