Astros' title delayed
Back spasms force Mac out of Cards' 3-2 victory
Posted: Monday September 14, 1998 12:20 AM
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McGwire is 1-for-14 since connecting off Steve Trachsel to break Roger Maris' mark AP |
HOUSTON (AP) -- Mark McGwire
didn't get a home run, and the Houston Astros didn't
get a title.
McGwire went 0-for-2 and left with minor back spasms after four innings
Sunday night in the Cardinals' 3-2 come-from-behind win over Houston, which
stopped the Astros' winning streak at eight and kept their magic number at
one.
"I'm not very happy with that result," Astros manager Larry Dierker said.
"I was really looking forward to clinching it. It was one of those games
where we got close and almost cracked it but we didn't get it done."
The Astros could have clinched the title if the Chicago Cubs had lost to
the Milwaukee
Brewers earlier Sunday. Now, the Astros will try to clinch against the
New York Mets in a
four-game series beginning Monday.
McGwire, who hasn't homered in five games since getting No. 62 on Tuesday
night, is 1-for-14 since connecting off Steve
Trachsel to break Roger Maris' mark. Chicago's Sammy Sosa
homered twice Sunday against Milwaukee to tie McGwire for the record.
"He got hot this weekend and hit a bunch out," McGwire said. "He's got 62
and it's awesome."
McGwire hurt his back in the first inning.
"He was running to first base after his first at-bat and it felt stiff,"
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We'll just have to check and see if
he can play tomorrow. The last time it was three days. It's my opinion that
it's not as bad as in San Diego."
McGwire had an earlier back problem June 1 in San Diego and he sat out
the next three days in Los Angeles.
"He's going to be stiff," La Russa said. "He's got a chance [to play
tomorrow]. We got him out of there quick tonight."
McGwire grounded to shortstop in the first and fourth innings. St. Louis
said he left as a precautionary measure.
Fernando Tatis, batting in McGwire's No. 3 spot, hit a two-run double off
Doug Henry in
the eighth inning as St. Louis rallied from a 2-1 deficit.
"It was a little bit up," Tatis said. "But the way the umpire was
calling, I was swinging at everything close to home plate. I'm a hacker
anyway. I like to swing. I wasn't going to let it go by."
Jeff
Bagwell went 4-for-4 for the Astros.
"It's unusual when Bagwell gets four hits in a low scoring game and they
don't win," La Russa said.
A crowd of 52,338, the second-largest regular-season crowd in franchise
history, came to see McGwire and the possible clincher.
"It definitely would have been nice to clinch today," Craig Biggio
said. "But they are a really good team over there and it's tough to sweep
any team, especially a team like them.
Sean
Bergman (12-8) took a 2-1 lead in the eighth, but walked Eli Marrero
and J.D. Drew. Henry then gave up Tatis' liner to left.
"It was a slider that didn't drop," Henry said. "I just made a bad pitch
and I feel real bad. Bergman pitched his tail off and he should have got
the victory."
Kent
Mercker (11-11) allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings. Juan Acevedo
pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances, getting the final out
on pinch-hitter Dave Clark's
flyout to the warning track in center.
Bergman gave up all three runs and five hits in 7 2-3 innings, striking
out seven.
Jose Lima
will get the start for Houston Monday.
"I really wanted us to get it today, but it's going to be really exciting
for me tomorrow," Lima said. "The fans have been coming out all season and
I hope they come back tomorrow because it's going to be exciting."
La Russa was ejected in the seventh for arguing with plate umpire Sam
Holbrook after a pitch to John Mabry.
Holbrook ejected McGwire and La Russa from a game on Aug. 29 over a
ball-strike call.
Brad Ausmus
put Houston ahead with an RBI single in the second, and Bagwell made it 2-0
with an RBI double in the third.
Bergman retired is first nine batters before Delino
DeShields homered leading off the fourth.
Notes: Three of the Cardinals' four losses to the Astros have been
by one run. ... The Cardinals need two homers to reach 200 for the year.
... The Astros had won 13 straight against the NL Central. ... In the ninth
inning, DeShields played first base for the first time in his career. ...
Biggio's first-inning double tied the Astros' record of 46, set by Bagwell
in 1996.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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