Giants Can’t Solve Hentgen; Cardinals Win

Maybe Pat Hentgen should pitch on three days’ rest more often.

Hentgen gave up two hits in five scoreless innings in 94-degree heat Sunday as the St. Louis Cardinals ended the San Francisco Giants’ eight-game winning streak with an 8-7 victory.

“He was wild today,” Giant Manager Dusty Baker said. “He was wild enough where you really couldn’t zero in on him. He’d throw three up or three down, and then he’d hit the black.”

Hentgen (8-6) worked on three days’ rest for the third time in his career. He has won all three starts with a 0.89 ERA.

The NL Central leaders barely avoided a three-game sweep heading into the All-Star break after the Giants scored five runs in the eighth, and moved eight games in front of second-place Cincinnati. The Cardinals dropped their three previous games, losing a game off their lead each time.

The Giants’ charge has them in second place in the NL West heading into the break.

Fernando Tatis hit a two-run homer and Ray Lankford and Craig Paquette also connected for the Cardinals.

Tatis’ eighth homer, and second since coming off the disabled list June 30, came off Livan Hernandez (7-7) with one out in the fifth. The previous batter, Jim Edmonds, was hit in the knee by a pitch. Lankford and Paquette added homers in the seventh off Joe Nathan, who’ll open the second half for the Giants on Thursday.

“One pitch, a slider up,” Hernandez said of Tatis’ homer. “I just made one mistake and he hit a home run off it.”

Edmonds was the only one of the four big stars on the two teams who started. Mark McGwire sat out the entire series with a sore right knee and will miss the All-Star game, while Barry Bonds missed his eighth start with a thumb injury and Jeff Kent sat due to illness for the Giants.

Bonds was announced as a pinch-hitter in the Giants’ five-run eighth, but was pulled for Ellis Burks when the Cardinals brought in left-hander Mike Matthews. Kent had a three-run, pinch-hit double off Dave Veres that hiked his NL-leading RBI total to 85, and Calvin Murray had a run-scoring infield hit to cut the gap to 8-7.

Veres, who entered with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth, finished for his 18th save in 22 chances.

Hernandez, who won his previous three decisions, lasted six innings. He gave up five runs--four earned--and eight hits.

St. Louis’ Andy Benes made his fifth career relief appearance and first since Oct. 3, 1999. He gave up five runs--three earned--on three hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings.