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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. had already homered twice when
he came to bat in the eighth inning, pants legs turned up for good
luck, with the game on the line.
|  | | Edgar Renteria is congratulated by third base coach Jose Oquendo after his three-run homer. |
One pitch later, he headed back to the dugout with his pants
legs still high but the Cincinnati Reds headed for yet another low.
Griffey drove in all of Cincinnati's runs with a pair of homers,
but the St. Louis Cardinals got two of their own and got Junior to
hit into a double play in the eighth to preserve a 4-3 victory
Tuesday night.
Jim Edmonds hit a solo homer and Edgar Renteria had a three-run
shot to overcome Griffey's big night and put the Cardinals ahead.
Dave Veres held the lead by getting Griffey to ground into a
short-to-first double play with runners on first and third in the
eighth inning.
"Luckily, I think he swung at a ball. He might have reached for
it," Veres said. "Thank goodness."
The win evened the series between the NL Central's top teams at
a game apiece and put the Reds even farther out of reach, 8{ games
behind. It matches the Cardinals' biggest lead of the season.
"We needed it as a team and we came up big," said Darryl Kile
(11-4), who became the majors' third 11-game winner.
Cincinnati has failed to win consecutive games since it
completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota on June 4 and moved into
first by a half-game. Since then, the Reds have lost 15 of 20,
leaving them desperate to make up ground during the four-game
series.
Griffey, Barry Larkin and Pokey Reese wore their pants legs just
below the knee for good luck on Monday, and Griffey hit a two-run
homer in the first inning of a 3-2 win.
Third baseman Aaron Boone joined the other three in sporting the
lucky look Tuesday, and Griffey hit another two-run homer in the
first as the Reds got a good start on repeating.
Griffey also hit a solo shot off Kile in the sixth, his third
hit of the game and his 25th homer of the season. He's 5-for-8
career off the right-hander with three homers.
"I made a mistake and he didn't miss it," Kile said. "I made
three, in fact, and he hit 'em all."
All of the 12 runs in the series have scored on homers -- three
by St. Louis, four by Cincinnati.
Edmonds hit a solo homer, his 22nd, with one out in the third
off Steve Parris (3-11), who has lost seven of his last eight
decisions.
Parris walked Kile, a .111 hitter, with two outs in the fourth
and gave up a single to Placido Polanco. Renteria's ninth homer to
right-center on a slider away put the Cardinals ahead 4-2.
"I try to hit the ball to right field all the time," Renteria
said. "I'm not trying to hit a home run. I'm trying to hit the
ball to the gap in right field."
Kile gave up eight hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out
four in 7 1-3 innings, throwing 88 pitches.
Veres gave up a single to Dmitri Young that left runners on
first and third for Griffey, who had homered off him in their only
previous matchup.
Veres' first pitch was a sinker away and Griffey hit it directly
to Renteria for the easy double play. Veres induced another double
play in the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances.
His pitch to Griffey rescued the Cardinals from a situation that
made their hearts race.
"It wasn't thumping, it just stopped," manager Tony La Russa
said. "I was comatose. You can't like that situation -- men on
first and third with Griffey up. But Veres is a tough character. He
does not scare."
Griffey's third multihomer game of the season extended his
hitting streak to a season-high 11 games. He's 15-for-42 during the
streak with seven homers.
While Griffey stayed hot, Mark McGwire went 0-for-4, ending a
10-game hitting streak that included five homers. He struck out
twice, popped out, walked and grounded into a double play.
Edmonds has been the Cardinals' hottest hitter against the Reds
this season. He's 6-for-9 in this series and 13-for-22 with two
homers in five games.
Game notes
The Cardinals made their first error since June 19, a span
of 77 innings. St. Louis has the most homers in the NL (128) and
the fewest errors (41). ... The Reds decided that reliever Elmer
Dessens will start Wednesday against St. Louis. He hasn't started
since September 1998. ... Pete Harnisch will be activated off the
disabled list and start Friday at Arizona. ... Griffey has 423
homers, ranking 27th on the career list. Billy Williams is 26th
with 426. McGwire is seventh with 550. ... Parris' 11 losses are
the most by a Reds pitcher since Mike Remlinger lost 15 games in
1998. ... Dante Bichette grounded into his 14th double play, most
in the NL.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 6
Boston 3
Detroit 7
NY Yankees 6
Tampa Bay 11
Toronto 1
Minnesota 7
Chi. White Sox 4
Cleveland 12
Kansas City 1
Oakland 7
Texas 6
Seattle 5
Anaheim 3
Montreal 6
Atlanta 4
Pittsburgh 6
Chicago Cubs 0
NY Mets 5
Florida 2
St. Louis 4
Cincinnati 3
Philadelphia 7
Milwaukee 0
San Francisco 12
Colorado 7
Houston 12
Arizona 4
Los Angeles 5
San Diego 4
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