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Good stuff Hentgen takes no-hitter into 7th
Posted: Sunday June 11, 2000 06:00 PM
DETROIT (AP) -- A new league but the same old results for Pat Hentgen, who moved from Toronto to St. Louis over the winter and continues to torment the Detroit Tigers. Hentgen, now with St. Louis, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Sunday and the Cardinals rode home runs by sluggers Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds to a 7-3 victory over the Tigers. "Mike Matheny did a good job behind the plate," said Hentgen, who improved to 11-4 lifetime against Detroit. "He recognized right away that I didn't have a good curveball. So, he kept calling for my slider and we went with that." Hentgen, who has twice thrown complete-game two-hitters, said he never thought seriously about tossing a no-hitter. "I made a few mistakes in those early innings, but when I did, they fouled them off," Hentgen said. "That helped a lot." The Cardinals, who lead the major leagues with 107 home runs, have homered in all but 12 of their 62 games, but they had failed to go deep in seven of their previous 13 before McGwire and Edmonds connected to give Hentgen (5-6) a big early lead. "Everybody has aches and pains. Everybody goes through slumps," McGwire said. "But, then you play through them. I'd be surprised if we're not right in it come September." McGwire's 22nd homer keyed a three-run St. Louis first, after two were out, and the Cardinals picked up four more in the second to chase Dave Mlicki (2-8), who has lost his last three decisions. McGwire, who had hit just one homer since May 24, fell behind in the count 1-2, then stroked a high fly that sailed into the right-field bullpen with Edmonds on board for a 2-0 St. Louis lead. It was McGwire's first homer against Detroit since he joined the Cardinals in 1997. "It was a good pitch," Mlicki said. "But, it just got up in the wind and it went out." Ray Lankford followed with a double and scored on Shawon Dunston's RBI single, making it 3-0. Edgar Renteria's RBI single and a three-run homer by Edmonds, his 18th, gave the Cardinals a 7-0 cushion in the second. Mlicki, who gave up nine hits with one strikeout, was relieved by Allen McDill after McGwire followed Edmonds' homer with a double up the gap in left-center. "Mlicki has pitched very well against us in the past," Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said. "The key is that we got to him early." Hentgen, the 1996 AL Cy Young Award winner, allowed just two base runners until Bobby Higginson's one-out single in the seventh started a three-run Detroit rally. Juan Gonzalez followed with a single to left. After striking out Dean Palmer, Hentgen gave up an RBI single to Brad Ausmus and a two-run double to Damion Easley. Robert Fick then ended the rally by flying deep to right field. "I thought it was out, for sure, but the wind had just changed and the wind knocked it down," Fick said. "But, we still would have been down a couple of runs." Matt Morris took over for Hentgen in the eighth and finished up. Notes: McGwire now has homered in 37 major league ballparks, moving ahead of Fred McGriff, who has connected in 36. McGwire also has homered in all three new parks opened this season. McGriff went homerless in a three-game series at Comerica Park in April. ... Mlicki's ERA rose from 5.40 to 6.22. ... Lankford, who had been out of the Cardinals' lineup since June 3 with a sore left hamstring, sprained his right hand while striking out in the second and was replaced as designated hitter by Eric Davis in the fifth. ... The Tigers, who started the season 5-17, are 18-18 in their last 36 games.
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