Caminiti Gets Record, Padres Get 3-2 Victory

Ken Caminiti set a National League record by hitting home runs from both sides of the plate for the seventh time in his career, and the San Diego Padres beat the New York Mets, 3-2, in 12 innings Wednesday night at New York.

Caminiti hit his 31st home run in the ninth inning, a solo shot off John Franco that tied the game, 2-2. He had homered from the left side in the seventh against starter Mark Clark.

“I’m just showing up with my uniform on,” said Caminiti, 17 for 40 (.425) with eight homers and 23 runs batted in in his last 11 games.

Caminiti was tied with Bobby Bonilla with six switch-hit-homer games in the NL. Mickey Mantle leads the American League with 10. Eddie Murray has done it a combined 11 times in both leagues.

Archi Cianfrocco’s pinch-hit single in the 12th sent the NL West-leading Padres to their fourth consecutive victory.

Colorado 10, Cincinnati 9--Andres Galarraga tied a team record with his 40th homer, a two-run shot in the eighth inning that broke a tie and lifted the Rockies at Denver.

Vinny Castilla hit a three-run homer for Colorado, which won for the eighth time in 10 games.

Castilla’s homer in the fourth gives him 102 RBIs and makes him the fourth Colorado player to surpass 100 RBIs.

Houston 5, Chicago 4--Brian Hunter doubled home the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning at Houston.

Kirt Manwaring singled with one out in the ninth and scored from first base when Hunter drove a double to the gap in left-center field.

Florida 3, St. Louis 2--St. Louis reliever Cory Bailey walked the bases loaded in the 10th inning for Devon White, who hit a sacrifice fly to give the Marlins a victory at St. Louis.

The loss dropped second-place St. Louis 2 1/2 games behind Houston in the NL Central. The Cardinals have lost seven of their last nine.

Atlanta 9, Pittsburgh 4--The Braves traded for Pittsburgh’s best starter and then roughed up their least-effective one, quickly scoring six runs against Esteban Loaiza to beat the Pirates at Pittsburgh.

Ryan Klesko homered twice and Terry Pendleton chased Loaiza (0-1, 10.80 earned-run average) with a three-run double that made it 6-1 in the second inning as Atlanta improved to 8-3 against Pittsburgh this season.

Minutes before the game began, the Braves strengthened their rotation for the playoffs by trading three prospects for 14-game winner Denny Neagle, who beat them, 3-2, Tuesday.

San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 6--Glenallen Hill had the last of four consecutive RBI singles as the Giants used a five-run seventh to rally at San Francisco.

With one out in the seventh, the Giants used six consecutive singles off three Phillie pitchers to overcome a 5-2 deficit.