Giants Still Longing to Stay at Home

Matt Mieske broke a 1-1 tie with a lead-off homer in the eighth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks stopped the San Francisco Giants from clinching home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs by defeating the Giants, 5-1, Saturday night at Phoenix.

The Giants (96-65), who needed one more win or an Atlanta loss to clinch the NL’s best record and home-field advantage, came up short for the second consecutive week against Arizona’s Geraldo Guzman.

Before the game began, Cincinnati beat St. Louis 8-4, and the Giants went in knowing they would play the New York Mets in a first-round series beginning Wednesday at Pacific Bell Park.

But the issue of best record remained in question, because the Braves (95-66) defeated the Colorado Rockies.

Guzman (5-4) worked eight innings, giving up five hits, striking out five and walking two.

Atlanta 5, Colorado 2--Tom Glavine pitched five scoreless innings at Atlanta to earn his 21st victory in a final tuneup before next week’s postseason.

The Braves can clinch the home-field advantage for Tuesday’s opener of the best-of-five playoffs against Central Division champion St. Louis by winning Sunday--or if the Cardinals lose.

Glavine (21-9) gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three.

John Rocker pitched the ninth, earning his 24th save in 26 chances as the Braves ended a three-game losing streak.

Andruw Jones of the Braves had three hits, including his team-high 36th homer.

Cincinnati 8, St. Louis 4--Pat Hentgen became the latest Cardinal starter to get hit hard before the playoffs as Osvaldo Fernandez pitched the Reds to victory at St. Louis.

Fernandez (4-3) gave up four hits in seven scoreless innings.

Hentgen (15-12) gave up five runs and eight hits in four innings.

New York 4, Montreal 2--Jorge Toca hit a three-run double in the eighth inning to pace the Mets at New York.

Toca, a late-season call-up, drove a pitch from Javier Vazquez into the gap in left-center field to lead the Mets to their fourth consecutive victory.

The Expos’ losing streak is a season-long eight games.

Turk Wendell (8-6) pitched a scoreless eighth and Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his 41st save in 46 opportunities.

Florida 11, Philadelphia 5--Cliff Floyd had four hits and a career-high six RBIs, including his first grand slam, to lead the Marlins at Miami.

Reid Cornelius (4-10) won his first game in nearly three months.

Houston 7, Milwaukee 6--Keith Ginter hit his first major league homer and Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman hit consecutive home runs for the Astros at Houston.

Julio Lugo tripled, doubled, singled and walked for Houston.

Pittsburgh 4, Chicago 2--Kevin Young of the Pirates returned from a suspension and hit a two-run homer in the next-to-last baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium.

Young had been suspended two games by the commissioner’s office for making contact with an umpire during an argument in a game at Milwaukee on Sept. 21.