Andre Dawson is a quiet man, so he isn`t jumping up and down at the thought of the San Francisco Giants coming to town. But he should.
Dawson destroys the Giants.
In nine games against the Giants this season, he is 16 for 31 (.516) with three home runs and 13 runs batted in.
The home runs came at Candlestick Park, giving him 19 for his career there. Only four other players in history have hit more home runs against the Giants at Candlestick-Willie Stargell and Dale Murphy (25), Ron Cey (24) and Tony Perez (21). Former White Sox Dick Allen is tied with Dawson at 19.
Rumor central: Trade rumors are flying everywhere and the deal that sent pitcher David Cone from the Mets to Toronto only livened things up more. The Cubs are looking for hitting help, but General Manager Larry Himes says he doesn`t expect anything to break his way right away. ”I have spoken with a couple of people,” Himes said Thursday night. ”But it doesn`t look like anything is going to get done.” He paused, then said: ” . . . at least not quickly.” Monday is the deadline for players to be traded and still be eligible to compete for their new teams in postseason play. Trades still can be made after then, and the player is eligible to compete for his new team through the regular season. But he would have to sit out the playoffs.
Maddux masher: Cubs ace Greg Maddux can be thankful he doesn`t face Tony Gwynn too often. The four-time batting champion was 2 for 3 with two RBI against Maddux Wednesday night. The brought Gwynn`s lifetime average against him to .512 (21 for 41).
Big winners: Despite losing Wednesday night, Maddux remains the winningest pitcher in the National League the last five seasons with 82. Three American League pitchers have won more: Boston`s Roger Clemens (89), Oakland`s Dave Stewart (84) and his teammate, Bob Welch (83).