Baseball Roundup : Reds Knock Giants Out of the Race

Jack Armstrong was insulted by the contract that the San Francisco Giants offered him in 1986. He gained a measure of satisfaction Thursday as he helped the Cincinnati Reds eliminate San Francisco from the National League West race, allowing the Giants just 2 hits in 6 innings while winning, 3-1, at Cincinnati.

“I could have been pitching against the Reds today,” he said. “Frankly I think I’d rather pitch against the Giants, with the bats we’ve got here.”

John Franco got the save by giving up 1 hit in the final 2 innings, mathematically eliminating the defending NL West champions.

Drafted by the Giants in the third round in 1986 out of New Jersey’s Rider College, Armstrong (4-6), said that he didn’t sign because he wasn’t offered enough money.

“I wasn’t about to sign for third-round money,” he said. The Reds made Armstrong their No. 1 draft pick out of Oklahoma in June 1987.

Armstrong struck out 4 and walked 5. He yielded a single and then a homer to Will Clark before giving way to Rob Murphy, who made his 72nd appearance of the season without a victory, tying Toronto’s Tom Henke, who set the major league record last year when he also went winless in 72 appearances, going 0-6 with 34 saves.

Franco, who leads the National League in saves, has 35 in 37 chances.

Houston 3, Atlanta 2--Craig Biggio homered, and Billy Hatcher hit a run-scoring single in a 2-run seventh inning as the Astros beat the Braves at Houston.

With Atlanta leading, 2-1, Biggio opened the Houston seventh with his third home run, off Tom Glavine (7-17). One out later, Gerald Young doubled and Jose Alvarez relieved. Hatcher’s 2-out single scored the winning run.

Tigers 7, Orioles 4--Tom Brookens’ 2-run double highlighted a 4-run fourth inning as the Tigers pulled within 4 1/2 games of first place in the American League East by beating the Orioles at Baltimore.

The Tigers, winners of three straight, moved into a virtual tie for third place with the New York Yankees and gained a half-game on the first-place Boston Red Sox, who were idle. The Milwaukee Brewers are in second place, 4 games back.

Detroit has 9 games left, Boston 10.