Giants Win 6-5, Prevent Sweep

National League

The Giants regained badly needed momentum Wednesday night on a play that, fittingly, bordered on the bizarre.

Robby Thompson laid down a rare suicide squeeze with one out in the ninth inning to score Tom Lampkin with the goahead run and beat Pittsburgh 6-5 at humid Three Rivers Stadium.

“Like I said before,” Giants Manager Dusty Baker said, “I ain’t no squeeze-type dude. Every once in a while, it presents itself.”

That play, a staple of the Roger Craig regime, didn’t stop there. Thompson pushed his bunt past pitcher Jeff McCurry and a scrambled infield.

The ball rolled all the way to shallow right field, and Thompson reached second with an RBI double.

“Maybe that’s a sign of good things to come for me and the team,” Thompson said.

Thompson scored on a fielder’s choice, which proved to be the difference after Jacob Brumfield hit a solo home run off reliever Rod Beck in the bottom of the ninth.

Mark Carreon hit his third homer in two games and doubled ahead of Glenallen Hill’s tying RBI single in the eighth as the Giants won for the only time in the three-game series.

Dave Burba (3-1) pitched the eighth inning for the victory and Beck escaped with his 12th save.

Dodgers 10, St. Louis 1

St. Louis

Delino DeShields hit a grand slam, and Tom Candiotti allowed three hits in seven innings for Los Angeles.

DeShields homered in a seven-run second that also included a two-run homer by Mike Piazza. Dave Hansen added a two-run shot in the third.

Padres 1, Cubs 0

San Diego

Steve Finley scored all the way from second base during a sixth-inning rundown and preserved the lead for San Diego with a leaping catch in the ninth.

Rockies 6, Marlins 3

Denver

Jason Bates drove in two runs with a double and bases-loaded walk and Colorado snapped a fivegame losing streak.

Reds 3, Braves 1

Cincinnati

John Smiley and two relievers combined on a three-hitter as Cincinnati snapped Atlanta’s sevengame winning streak.

Astros 5, Expos 3

Montreal

Greg Swindell won for the first time in a month and Tony Eusebio drove in three runs as Houston completed a three-game sweep.

Phillies 6, Mets 2

New York

Tom Marsh, taking Lenny Dykstra’s spot on the roster and filling Gregg Jefferies’ place in left field, hit two home runs as Philadelphia won its fifth straight.

Third-string center fielder Dave Gallagher had three hits.

Clearing the bases

Just two weeks after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow, Terry Mulholland of the Giants has been cleared to make a rehabilitation start Friday at Class AAA Phoenix….

Third baseman Charlie Hayes has played every inning of every game for Philadelphia this season.