NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Phillips Pulls Switch and Giants Win, 2-1

With the game on the line and his .126 batting average in giant letters on the scoreboard, J.R. Phillips crossed up everybody.

The Colorado Rockies played Phillips as a pull-hitter and the slumping San Francisco first baseman--who entered the game in the 10th inning--couldn’t help but notice. He slapped the ball down the third base line to score Robby Thompson from second and give the Giants 2-1, 11-inning victory Wednesday at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

“That ball went right where I wanted it to,” Phillips said. “I’m trying to hit more balls to left and left center.”

Losing pitcher Mike Munoz (1-2) could only watch as the ball bounded past third baseman Vinny Castilla, about a foot inside the line.

“Basically, he squibbed it past third base,” Munoz said. “It’s not one of those circumstances where you have to tip your cap off to him. He didn’t smoke it.”

San Francisco Manager Dusty Baker won the 3-hour 42-minute game by not making a move in the end.

“I knew he was due,” Baker said of Phillips. “I thought about pinch-hitting for him, then I decided to let him go ahead and do it. It worked out big time.”

The Giants had a chance to win it in the ninth when they loaded the bases off reliever Roger Bailey, but reliever Darren Holmes got Glenallen Hill to ground to second to end the inning.

Atlanta 4, Montreal 3--Despite suffering from a sore right shoulder, David Justice hit a two-run homer with none out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Braves at Atlanta.

Fred McGriff walked to open the inning before Justice hit his seventh home run of the season, this one off Mel Rojas (1-2). Rojas, who relieved Pedro Martinez in the eighth, wasted his fourth save in 16 chances.

Brad Clontz (1-1), who came on in the eighth, earned his first major league victory.

“We were fortunate to get two out of three against Montreal,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “Our pitching hung tough.”

Houston 9, St. Louis 0--Mike Hampton gave up five hits in eight innings and continued his mastery of the Cardinals as the Astros got their fourth consecutive victory in a game in Houston.

Hampton (2-3), who struck out seven and walked two, improved his career record to 4-1 against St. Louis and lowered his ERA to 0.42. He is 1-6 against the rest of the National League.

The Cardinals lost their fifth in a row and ninth of their last 11.

Tony Eusebio capped the scoring with a grand slam in the eighth, his second homer of the season and second grand slam.

Houston took a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning when Dave Magadan doubled to right, and Eusebio and Orlando Miller singled to score Magadan.

After Hampton sacrificed Eusebio to third and Miller to second, Brian Hunter extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a slow roller down the third-base line that Cardinal third baseman Scott Cooper overran, allowing Eusebio and Miller to score.

Chicago 10, Pittsburgh 3--Brian McRae’s grand slam highlighted a six-run fourth inning as the Cubs defeated the Pirates to end a three-game losing streak in a game in Chicago delayed twice by rain. Carlos Garcia’s 21-game hitting streak also ended as he went 0-for-4.

The Cubs trailed, 2-1, in the fourth, but scored all six runs after two were out. Singles by Ozzie Timmons and Rey Sanchez and a walk to Bryan Hickerson loaded the bases before McRae hit his second career grand slam and fifth homer of the year.

Cincinnati 1, Philadelphia 0--Rookie left-hander C.J. Nitkowski held the Phillies to three hits in seven innings and earned his first major league victory when the Reds scored an unearned run at Philadelphia.

Thomas Howard singled in the fourth and scored when a pickoff attempt by Curt Schilling got by first baseman Dave Hollins, who threw wildly to third. Hollins was charged with two errors on the play.

Nitkowski (1-1), making his fourth start, struck out four and did not walk a batter, although he hit two. No Phillie runner advanced past second. Jeff Brantley came on in the eighth and finished for his 12th save.

Schilling (5-3) took the loss despite giving up only four hits in eight innings, striking out nine and walking none.

New York 8, Florida 3--Todd Hundley hit a two-out, two-run single that broke an eighth-inning tie leading the Mets in Miami. Chris Jones followed Hundley’s hit with a three-run home run, capping a five-run rally.

Bret Saberhagen (5-2) won for his fourth consecutive start. He gave up eight hits in the first 4 1/3 innings, but allowed only two more hits in his third complete game. Saberhagen retired the final 12 batters. He walked none, struck out four and allowed only one earned run.