Misplays Costly to Giants, 3-2

After one big hit from Mark McGwire, the San Francisco Giants made sure he couldn’t do it again. Then they ended up beating themselves.

McGwire broke up Mark Gardner’s no-hit bid with a home run with one out in the sixth inning, and drew intentional walks his last two at-bats in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-2, 12-inning victory at St. Louis.

“You’d be crazy not to [walk him],” San Francisco Manager Dusty Baker said. “The guy can miss the ball and still hit it 400 or 500 feet. I don’t like walking Big Mac, but I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. I’m glad we don’t see him again for a while.”

Two misplays by the Giants gave away the game in the 12th. Eric Davis tripled with one out against Jerry Spradlin (0-1) when his liner to right spun away from Armando Rios.

Davis scored two pitches later when Spradlin missed a pitchout sign and threw a breaking ball that was inside and in the dirt.

Catcher Scott Servais had moved outside and he had no chance to block the ball. Spradlin said he noticed the sign too late to change his grip.

“You miss signs, you give games away,” he said. “I basically gave them the game. It’s a hard lesson to learn.”

Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa said the Giants were on the right track. With Joe McEwing at the plate, he said he had been thinking of calling for the squeeze later in the count.

“It was just a guessing game as to when we were going to do it,” he said. “It was a good call, the pitchout, they just miscommunicated.”

McGwire’s 14th homer was a 427-foot shot into the upper deck in left field for a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta 8, Milwaukee 7--Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer at Milwaukee to help the Braves notch their third consecutive victory.

Jones’ third-inning homer was his 12th overall and his third in the four-game series. On Wednesday, his solo drive in the 10th inning gave the Braves a 3-2 victory over the Brewers.

Colorado 4, Houston 3--Two wild pitches and a ninth-inning sacrifice fly by Henry Blanco led to the go-ahead run at Houston.

Chris Petersen reached base on a force play in the ninth, then moved to third on a pair of wild pitches by Trever Miller (0-1). Blanco drove in Petersen with a long fly to left field.