NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Clark Has the Answer for Rijo

With Will Clark’s career average above .300, there aren’t many pitchers--especially right-handers--he has trouble hitting.

Jose Rijo, the hard-throwing veteran of the Cincinnati Reds, has been an exception. Going into Wednesday’s game at San Francisco, the Giants’ left-handed hitting first baseman was batting only .214 against Rijo.

Clark, who has been on a roll since June began, took care of that in a hurry. He had a perfect day, four for four, with a home run and two runs batted in, leading the Giants to a 6-2 victory.

Clark raised his average to .330 and moved the Giants to within 1 1/2 games of the Reds in the National League West.

Only three of the hits, a single, double and his sixth home run, were off Rijo (2-5). He also doubled off Rob Dibble in the eighth.

Bud Black, who had nothing but trouble against the Reds last year--an 0-3 record and an earned-run average of 7.47--took a two-hitter into the ninth, but an error cost him a shutout.

“You got to like it the day I had,” Clark said. “I got the pitches I needed to hit and I hit them. We needed this game so we wouldn’t be swept.”

Rijo, who is 2-5 this season after a 15-6 record last year, never has had much success against the other Giants. He gave up four runs and six hits in six innings and fell to 3-8 lifetime against San Francisco.

“The way I threw and the way I feel, I should have done better,” Rijo said. “Two mistakes and I paid for both. The most I should have given up today was two runs.”

Robby Thompson homered to lead off the second (breaking an 0-for-21 slump) and Clark homered in the third. Thompson singled in the last two runs in the eighth.

San Diego 5, Houston 1--Fred McGriff has hammered his way out of a slump. After going 12 games without a home run, the Padres’ first baseman has hit home runs in successive games at San Diego.

McGriff hit his 14th home run and drove in another run with a double and the Padres completed a three-game sweep over the Astros, who have lost five in a row.

Craig Lefferts gave up six hits in eight innings and improved his record to 7-4.

“You have to keep making adjustments,” McGriff said. “I was working on my balance and seem to have solved the problem.”

Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 1--It is often a wise move in a tight game to walk Barry Bonds. In the 12th inning at Philadelphia, though, it set up an unearned winning run.

Bonds was walked, then reached second on an infield out. Jose Lind singled to center, and Bonds was set to stop at third, but center fielder Lenny Dykstra bobbled the ball and Bonds raced home with the go-ahead run.

Zane Smith gave up two hits in seven innings and clung to a 1-0 lead, thanks to Andy Van Slyke’s run-scoring double in the first inning.

Darren Daulton, who had six home runs and 12 RBIs in the previous six games, came off the bench for a two-out pinch single to tie the game in the eighth.

Bob Patterson (3-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning to beat the Phillies for the third time. The Pirates’ second victory in a row stretched their lead in the NL East to four games. They are the only team over .500.

Montreal 8, New York 2--The Mets made six errors at Montreal to tie a club record. It was so bad, even Mark Gardner beat them.

Gardner, who had never defeated the Mets in eight starts, held them hitless until two were out in the fourth and gave up only two hits in five innings.

The Mets, in losing two out of three to the Expos, committed 10 errors.

David Cone (5-4) lasted four innings. He walked in a run, gave up six hits and four runs and committed an error.

Chicago 4, St. Louis 2--Greg Maddux pitched a three-hitter and Sammy Sosa hit two home runs at St. Louis to beat the slumping Cardinals.

The Cardinals, who have lost 11 of their last 14 games, did not get a hit until Ray Lankford doubled with one out in the sixth.

The last 10 Cardinal starters, since May 30, have failed to win.

Geronimo Pena’s two-run homer in the seventh spoiled Maddux’s shutout.