Girardi’s 11th-Inning Single Tops Cardinals
National League
Sure, Dante Bichette, Larry Walker, Vinny Castilla and Andres Galarraga deserve all the attention they get.
But don’t overlook the rest of the Rockies, manager Don Baylor said.
“When we’ve won this year, its been the whole team doing the job, not just the middle of the lineup,” he said.
On Sunday, it was Joe Girardi’s two-out single in the 11th that gave visiting Colorado a 5-4 win over St. Louis, keeping the Rockies atop the N.L. West. The winning rally started with a leadoff single by Galarraga off reliever Jeff Parrett (4-4).
With runners on first and second, Girardi lined a single to left to score Galarraga.
“I was thinking I might get a slider in that situation and there it was,” said Girardi, who entered the game as part of a double switch. “I was telling myself while I was on the bench that I had to be ready if I got a chance to hit.”
Darren Holmes (6-1) pitched a scoreless 10th for the victory, and Bruce Ruffin retired the Cardinals in their 11th to earn his ninth save.
Marlins 8, Astros 7 (11)
Houston
Pitcher Craig McMurtry, forced to bat when Houston ran out of hitters, struck out with the tying run on third base in the 11th inning, as the Astros lost to Florida.
The loss dropped Houston one-half game behind Los Angeles in the N.L. wild card race.
Mets 11, Giants 6
San Francisco
Carl Everett drove in three runs and Chris Jones two as New York stopped a three-game losing streak with the victory over San Francisco.
With the victory, the Mets avoided their first series sweep by the Giants since Aug. 23-25, 1991.
Pirates 7, Reds 3
Cincinnati
Orlando Merced’s three-run homer highlighted a five-run fourth inning that led Pittsburgh to the victory over Cincinnati.
The Pirates batted around for the second time in two games to take three out of four in the series from the N.L. Central-leading Reds. Phillies 3, Padres 2 San Diego Paul Quantrill recorded his first win in more than a month and Gregg Jefferies drove in two runs to lead Philadelphia to the victory over San Diego.
Quantrill (10-9) allowed two runs on nine hits in seven-plus innings to pick up his first win since July 26.
Dodgers 6, Expos 3
Los Angeles
Ramon Martinez retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced for his seventh victory in eight decisions as Los Angeles beat Montreal.
Martinez (14-7) allowed three runs and four hits over seven innings with six strikeouts and two walks.
Braves 2, Cubs 0
Atlanta
Rookie Jason Schmidt pitched eight shutout innings in his first major league start as Atlanta defeated Chicago.
Schmidt, pressed into duty because Kent Mercker had a sore back muscle, allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked five.
Clearing the bases
Dan Galbreath, a former president of the Pittsburgh Pirates and prominent horse owner, died of cancer at the family’s Darby Dan Farm in Galloway, Ohio. He was 67. … Cincinnati cleanup hitter Ron Gant, out since Aug. 24 with a strained rib cage, is expected back in the lineup during a road trip this week. … Atlanta manager Bobby Cox needs one more win to reach 1,100 in his career… . Montreal’s last eight games have been decided by one run, with the Expos winning five of them.