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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Right now, the San Francisco Giants aren't
missing Barry Bonds one bit.
Bonds missed his sixth straight game with a hairline fracture in
the tip of his right thumb, and the Giants have won all six.
Rich Aurilia's RBI single snapped an eighth-inning tie in a 4-2
victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night as the Giants
won their seventh in a row overall.
"Even last year when Barry went out, we played pretty well,"
Aurilia said. "Anybody who watches this team day in and day out
knows this isn't a one- or two-person team. Evidence of that was
tonight."
J.T. Snow homered and Ellis Burks had three hits for the Giants,
who have won 17 of 24 overall. The NL Central-leading Cardinals
were without Mark McGwire, who has tendinitis in his right knee and
have lost two straight for the first time since June 9-10.
Manager Tony La Russa wasn't using injuries as an excuse.
"Everybody has them," La Russa said. "There ain't a team
playing today that hasn't got ouches all over the place. You just
make do with what you got and we've got plenty."
Burks doubled with one out in the eighth off Matt Morris (0-2)
and Felipe Crespo was hit by a pitch before Aurilia's hit. He's
10-for-23 in July with two homers and seven RBI to raise his
average to .264.
"I've been feeling better at the plate since the beginning of
May," Aurilia said. "I just had a bad, bad start to the year and
that's the kind of thing you just put behind you and fix it."
Alan Embree (1-2) entered with one out and the bases loaded in
the seventh and got Fernando Vina to ground into a double play on
his first pitch, then followed with a scoreless eighth. Robb Nen
worked the ninth for his 16th save in 21 chances.
"I've had other good outings this season," Embree said after
lowering his ERA to 5.86. "But this was probably the biggest
situation I've been in."
Jim Edmonds, who missed the previous two games with the flu, hit
a two-run homer for the Cardinals. Eight of his 25 homers have come
against left-handers.
Cardinals starter Darryl Kile lasted seven innings, allowing two
runs on six hits. The 11-game winner and All-Star has won only one
of his last five starts, although one outing was limited to two
innings by a rain delay.
Kile has allowed a staff-high 22 homers and Snow hit his ninth
with two outs in the third on a 1-0 hanging breaking ball for the
game's first run. Consecutive doubles by Burks and Crespo to open
the fourth made it 2-0.
Vina singled to open the fourth, advanced on a sacrifice and
scored on Edmonds' 25th homer to tie it at 2.
Giants starter Kirk Rueter, from nearby Hoyleton, Ill., got a
no-decision and remained 5-0 against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium
after going 6 1/3 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits.
"I made Edmonds hit it the other way," Rueter said. "Other
than that, I wouldn't change too much about my outing."
Burks had two doubles and a single and is a career .381 hitter
against St. Louis pitching.
The Giants added a run in the ninth on pinch-hitter Armando
Rios' sacrifice fly.
Game notes
The Cardinals lead the majors with 146 homers and need five
the next two games to tie Seattle's 1999 record of 151 before the
All-Star break. They've homered in the last 11 games (21 total).
... A crowd of 46,938 was the Cardinals' 17th sellout this season,
and ninth in 10 games. ... Snow is 9-for-22 against the Cardinals
this season with two homers and five RBIs. ... J.D. Drew sprained
his left ankle sliding back into second in the seventh and was
removed for pinch-runner Heathcliff Slocumb.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
Sore-kneed McGwire sits; All-Star Game in jeopardy
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 4
Chicago Cubs 2
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