Mariners Win, Break Giants' Streak

Though their 11-game winning streak had just ended, the San Francisco Giants were relieved and relaxed. They knew things could have been a lot worse.

David Segui drove in three runs as Seattle won 4-1 over the Giants, breaking the Mariners' four-game losing streak and ending San Francisco's winning streak the longest in the majors this season.

The Giants feared they had lost much more than a game. Right-hander Orel Hershiser left the game after being hit on the right wrist by a line drive, and Barry Bonds left with tightness in his left calf.

But X-rays on Hershiser were negative and Bonds, who was hit in the calf by a pitch earlier in the game, apparently was fine.

"We dodged a bullet. We'd certainly hate to lose Orel the way he's pitching," Giants manager Dusty Baker said. "We would have been snakebit if Orel's X-rays had come back positive."

Hershiser (6-4), who had a six-game winning streak snapped, left the game in the fifth when he was hit on the wrist by a line drive off the bat of Alex Rodriguez.

"When it hit me, it felt like somebody cut my hand off," Hershiser said after the game, his wrist wrapped in tape. "The feeling came back when we put the ice on, it hurt a lot. I was in a lot of pain."

Hershiser, who said he saw the liner coming at him and threw up his hand to protect himself, will find out in the next couple of days whether he'll have to miss a start.

"It didn't get my face, it got the second-worst place, my pitching hand," he said. "It gives me a built-in excuse for my next two starts."

Bonds was not available after the game, but Baker said the calf problem did not appear to be significant. Bonds left the game in the sixth, five innings after being hit by the pitch.

"It stiffened up to the point where he couldn't run and could barely move," Baker said. "He's OK, we got him out of there before something else happened."

The two injuries came hours after the Giants placed second baseman Jeff Kent on the disabled list with a sprained right knee. He was hurt in Tuesday night's game against the Mariners.

Segui, who went 1-for-4 and had his average drop one point to .341, had a two-run single in the first and an RBI groundout in the third. Russ Davis added an RBI single in the fifth for Seattle.

Rey Sanchez had an RBI single in the fifth for the Giants.

Bill Swift (6-3) allowed one run on five hits in seven innings for Seattle. Swift, who pitched for the Giants in 1992-94, struck out seven as he won his fourth straight start.

"I like pitching out there," Swift said. "It's a good place to pitch and a tough place to hit."

Seattle manager Lou Piniella finally got a solid performance from his bullpe. Paul Spoljaric pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Heathcliff Slocumb pitched the ninth for his first save, stranding two baserunners.

"Our bullpen came in and stopped them," Piniella said. "I hope Slocumb gets at least 19 more (saves)."

Kent was hurt Tuesday night when Rodriguez slid into him while trying to break up a double play. Kent and Baker said Wednesday that Rodriguez's slide was improper, a charge denied by Rodriguez.

The bad feelings carried over to Wednesday's game. Rodriguez was hit in the shoulder by the first pitch he faced from Hershiser. In the bottom of the first, Swift hit Bonds with a pitch.

In the second inning, Hershiser brushed back Swift with a pitch and was warned by home plate umpire Harry Wendlestedt. As Piniella and Wendlestedt discussed the warning, Swift and Hershiser met in front of home plate and the brushback pitches ended.

Hershiser and Baker both said there was no intention of hitting Rodriguez, pointing to Hershiser's wildness he walked the first two batters of the game and five overall. But Piniella said he had his doubts about their sincerity.

"I was surprised. Why should (Rodriguez) be hit?" Piniella asked. "I'm just glad Hershiser didn't come up before the warning."

Notes: