Saturday, September 11, 1999
Astros 6, Cubs 4
BY MICHAEL A. LUTZ
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON — Sidelined since Aug. 28 with a groin injury, Carl Everett returned and hit two home runs Friday night, including a two-run shot in the 13th inning that gave the Houston Astros their eighth straight win, 6-4 over the Chicago Cubs.
In his first at-bat since recovering from the injury, Everett hit his 22nd homer in the second inning. After the Astros rallied to tie it in the ninth, he hit the game-winning homer off Bobby Ayala (1-7).
“He threw a splitter on the 2-0 pitch and made me look bad,” Everett said. ” I figured he'd throw it again and when he did, I was ready.”
The win kept Houston three games ahead of Cincinnati, which beat Florida 4-2, in the NL Central.
After missing 11 games with a strained groin, Everett told manager Larry Dierker on Thursday that he was ready to play.
“Carl knows his body and when he says he's ready, he's ready,” said manager Larry Dierker.
Billy Wagner (4-1) pitched a perfect 13th inning, including a strikeout of Sammy Sosa on four straight fastballs. Sosa finished 0-for-6 with three strikeouts and remained at 59 homers for the season. Mark McGwire hit his 55th homer for St. Louis in an 11-5 win over Pittsburgh.
“Today was not my day,” Sosa said. “I've got to forget about it and get ready for tomorrow. I don't know what will happen but we'll be ready.”
“He (Wagner) challenged me, they all challenged me,” Sosa said. “He came at me with fastballs and he got me.”
Jeff Bagwell led off the 13th with a single off Ayala, Chicago's fifth pitcher, and Everett followed with his 23rd homer of the season, sending the Cubs to their fourth straight loss.
The Astros overcame a 4-1 lead with a run in the eighth and tied the score in the ninth when reliever Terry Adams threw a wild pitch, scoring Daryle Ward from third. Ricky Gutierrez, who went 4-for-5, drove in the tying run with a single to right, scoring Hernandez.
Cubs starter Jon Lieber, who has lost six straight decisions, allowed two runs and seven hits over eight innings and tied his season high with nine strikeouts. He allowed the second-inning homer to Everett and an eighth-inning RBI double to Craig Biggio which made the score 4-2.
“He had a great ball game, he did everything he could to give us a chance to win,” Cubs manager Jim Riggleman said.
Scott Elarton walked Jeff Reed with one out in the second, Cole Liniak followed with an RBI double and Jose Nieves hit an RBI single. After Lieber popped out, Roosevelt Brown got his first major league hit and RBI for a 3-0 Cubs lead.
A sacrifice fly by Mark Grace gave the Cubs a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning.
Elarton went five innings, allowing four earned runs, walking three and striking out three.
NOTES: Sosa is one of five players to hit at least 150 homers over a three-year span, joining Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx. ... Sosa has homered in nine straight Cubs series and 13 of the last 14. ... Everett's second-inning homer gave the Astros a club record of hitting at least one homer in 12 straight games. He has four multihomer games this season and nine for his career. ... Astros outfielder Stan Javier returned to San Francisco to be with his sick wife. The Astros said Javier would be gone for a few days.
Reds Stories
Reds page
