Pittsburgh Stops Skid as Giant Stars Scuffle

The Pirates got three hits from Kevin Young and an effective start by rookie Jose Silva to defeat San Francisco, 5-2, Wednesday night at Pittsburgh and stop a seven-game losing streak.

But the Giant dugout still got more postgame attention.

According to eyewitnesses, Giant pitcher Danny Darwin and left fielder Barry Bonds scuffled briefly in a runway leading to their clubhouse.

Neither player talked afterward about the incident, which apparently occurred after Bonds kicked Kevin Young’s line-drive single into center field during the Pirates’ two-run sixth inning.

No error was charged, but the misplay allowed Jason Kendall to reach third, and he subsequently scored on Jermaine Allensworth’s single.

Darwin was lifted from the game at that point, and, according to witnesses seated near the Giants’ dugout, confronted Bonds between innings.

Darwin apparently was upset that Bonds played the ball nonchalantly at a critical time of the game.

Bonds was dressed and out of the Giants’ clubhouse so quickly after the Giants’ fifth loss in six games that he nearly collided with reporters who were entering for post-game interviews.

The slumping Giants have scored only 13 runs in those six games.

Told that somebody stationed near his bench had seen the two fighting, Giants manager Dusty Baker said, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If he knows so much, go ask him.”

However, one Giants player, who did not want to be named, confirmed there was a fight but declined to discuss it further.

Young, in a five for 32 slump beforehand, had a solo homer, an RBI double and a single off Giants starter Danny Darwin (1-2), who is 0-3 against Pittsburgh over the last two seasons. Young has been bothered by an eye and ear infection that left him dehydrated and dizzy for several days.

Silva (2-2) became the first Pirates starter to pitch into the seventh inning since Jon Lieber on April 14, throwing six shutout innings before tiring in the seventh. Pirates starters were 0-5 with a 9.38 ERA during the losing streak.

Philadelphia 5, Cincinnati 4--Tyler Green survived a rocky first inning and Doug Glanville homered at Philadelphia as the Phillies ended a six-game losing streak.

Glanville’s homer off Gabe White (0-3) ended a 4-4 tie in the fourth inning.

Green (2-1) gave up four runs and five hits in the first inning before holding the Reds scoreless on four hits over the next six innings. After walking 12 in his previous eight innings, Green walked just one in his last seven.

New York 10, Houston 7--Pinch-hitter Jim Tatum hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning giving the Mets the victory at New York.

Doug Henry (1-1) walked two in the ninth, and Tatum delivered his first pinch-hit in seven tries this season. Tatum’s first homer came while batting for Dennis Cook (2-0).

Rich Becker hit a solo homer with two outs in the Mets eighth off Doug Henry that tied it at seventh inning.

Florida 3, Colorado 2--Despite getting a rare well-pitched game, the Rockies lost to the Marlins when Derrek Lee hit a two-out, two-run double in the eighth at Miami.

Colorado, which has lost five of six and 13 of 16, held an opponent to fewer than four runs for just the fifth time this season and just the third time since April 1.

With the Rockies ahead, 2-1, in the eighth, reliever Curt Leskanic (1-2) gave up a one-out double to Mark Kotsay, his third hit of the game. One out later, Bobby Bonilla walked and Lee doubled into the left-field corner, with Bonilla sliding under Kirt Manwaring’s tag for the go-ahead-run.

Montreal 3, St. Louis 2--Rondell White singled with the bases loaded in the ninth inning giving the Expos the victory at Montreal.

Mark McGwire had one hit for St. Louis, narrowly missing his 10th homer of the season when his fifth-inning drive hit the top of the left-field wall and dropped for a double.

Atlanta 5, Arizona 2--John Smoltz had another strong outing in his second start of the season, defeating Andy Benes and the Diamondbacks as Michael Tucker and Javy Lopez homered at Atlanta.

Smoltz (2-0) gave up a controversial run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings and led Atlanta to its seventh victory in eight games. The right-hander, who underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in December, struck out four and walked two.

“It’s ironic that the run they got came on probably one of Andruw [Jones’] best catches,” Smoltz said of the controversial play.

It came when Arizona’s Andy Fox led off the sixth with a drive to the fence in center. Andruw Jones stumbled as he made the catch, but second base umpire Paul Schrieber ruled that the ball was not caught and Fox raced to third base. Braves manager Bobby Cox argued, and replays clearly showed Jones caught the ball.

Smoltz was limited to 90 pitches. In his first start last Thursday, Smoltz pitched five scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh, making 75 pitches.