St. Louis Has Unwrapped Another Big Mac

St. Louis might be Mark McGwire’s town, but Keith McDonald has assumed temporary custody.

With the slugging McGwire, nicknamed Big Mac, out with a knee injury, the former Pepperdine catcher has been tabbed by St. Louis media as the New Mac, Mini Mac and Temporary Big Mac.

A seven-year minor leaguer with 27 career home runs, McDonald went deep in his first two major league at-bats last week against the Cincinnati Reds, becoming only the second player ever to accomplish the feat.

Bob Nieman hit consecutive home runs during his Sept. 14, 1951 debut for the St. Louis Browns.

“I still can’t get over the humongous luck that has come to me,” McDonald said. “Me hitting home runs is a big fluke. I was more surprised than anyone.”

McDonald, a 24th-round draft choice by the Cardinals in 1994, had only one home run and 17 runs batted in this season for triple-A Memphis before he was promoted last weekend.

When he homered as a pinch-hitter Tuesday in the eighth inning off Andy Larkin, the Busch Stadium crowd stood and roared for McDonald to make a curtain call.

He didn’t.

When McDonald blasted his second home run, against Osvaldo Fernandez on Thursday, the crowd of 43,287 roared again.

This time, teammates Jim Edmonds and Edgar Renteria pushed McDonald out of the dugout, where he waved to the fans.

“I didn’t want to go,” he told reporters afterward. “I have never done that, but it felt great, a really nice feeling.”

Until this week, McDonald was probably best known as a quirky, Japanese-born career minor leaguer who liked to paint his toenails bright colors, a practice he began at Pepperdine.

“I’d paint them bright green or blue, nothing feminine,” he said. “I liked the way they looked. I guess I’m a colorful personality.”

McDonald, 27, lists himself at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, but he weighs closer to 235 pounds. Thus the nickname he answered to in the minors: Fat Kid.

He hasn’t heard it as much in St. Louis.

One day, you’re being accused of eating too many Big Macs. The next, you’re being compared to one.

Now he’s getting a heavy dose of national attention.

Dan Patrick of ESPN called McDonald for an interview the other day. He got McDonald’s voicemail.

“Hi, this is Fatty,” McDonald’s message began. “Leave a message and I’ll try to get back to ya, but don’t get mad if I don’t because I’m flaky.”

He called Patrick back. He isn’t taking any of this experience for granted.

“Every day I walk into this clubhouse, I just count my blessings,” he said. “And all this hype and stuff, I’m just rolling with it and enjoying the ride.”

*

Jon Garland’s major league debut for the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday was somewhat less memorable than McDonald’s.

The former Kennedy High right-hander allowed seven runs and eight hits in three innings against the Kansas City Royals and carries an earned-run average of 21.00 into the All-Star break.

The Chicago-area media, which had been clamoring for Garland’s promotion all spring, is apparently having second thoughts.

The reader poll on one newspaper’s Web site Wednesday: “Should the Sox give Garland another start?”

*

Left-hander Barry Zito from Pierce College and USC is expected to pitch today for the USA against the World in the All-Star Futures game, part of the major leagues’ all-star weekend in Atlanta.

The game will be televised live by ESPN2 at noon.

Zito is 7-5 with a 3.59 ERA for the Sacramento RiverCats, the Oakland Athletics’ triple-A affiliate.

*

For the second consecutive month, Bob Scanlan of the Indianapolis Indians has been selected the Rolaids Relief Man award winner in the International League.

The former Harvard-Westlake right-hander, in his 17th professional season, had nine saves and didn’t allow an earned run in 11 June appearances.

Scanlan, 2-2 with a 1.35 ERA, leads the league with 23 saves and will represent the Milwaukee Brewers’ affiliate this week in the Triple-A All-Star game at Rochester, home of the Baltimore Orioles’ top farm club.

Rochester pitchers Josh Towers, formerly of Hueneme High, and Javier Delahoya, formerly of Grant High, as well as Norfolk (Mets) outfielder Ryan McGuire, formerly of El Camino Real High, also are on the International League roster.

*

Infielder Jeff Cirillo of the Colorado Rockies, from Providence High, and catcher Mike Lieberthal of the Philadelphia Phillies, from Westlake High, will be among the reserves for the National League on Tuesday in the major league All-Star game in Atlanta.

Lieberthal reportedly will receive a $25,000 bonus for making the team. Cirillo’s contract with the Rockies has no all-star clause, according to USA Today.

Perhaps they should both hire the agent representing Edgardo Alfonzo of the Mets, another National League all-star. Alfonzo’s contract calls for a $250,000 bonus.

*

Brandon Knight, from Buena High and Ventura College, has won his last six starts for the Columbus Clippers, the New York Yankees’ triple-A affiliate. . . . Former JetHawks Jermaine Clark and Greg Wooten of the New Haven Ravens, who will play Tuesday in the Double-A All-Star game, were selected Eastern League player and pitcher of the week. . . . Juan Silvestre and Willie Bloomquist of the JetHawks will be among the minor leaguers featured by Topps later this summer in their Bowman baseball card set. . . . Josh Goldfield, formerly of Calabasas High, has been promoted from Missoula to High Desert by the Arizona Diamondbacks. . . .

Outfielder Jalal Leach, formerly of Pepperdine, has caught on with the triple-A Fresno Grizzlies in the San Francisco Giants’ organization after being released last week by the Philadelphia Phillies. Leach was originally drafted by the Giants. . . . Outfielder Junior Brignac, formerly of Cleveland High, recently went 15 games without an RBI and was five for 49. He is batting .191 for Myrtle Beach, a Class-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. . . . Jon Schaeffer, formerly of Harvard-Westlake, was demoted by the Oakland Athletics from double-A Midland to Class-A Modesto last week.