In his final start before the All-Star break July 11, San Francisco’s Jason Schmidt won his 11th straight decision, the longest winning streak for a Giants pitcher since Vida Blue captured 10 straight in 1978. Schmidt allowed five hits and two runs in eighth innings during his 127-pitch game, a 9-2 win over Arizona. “He’s carried us,” second baseman Ray Durham said. “We definitely jumped on his back. He’s a No. 1 starter, definitely in the upper echelon of No. 1s in the league.” Schmidt took an 11-2 record with a 2.51 ERA into his start Saturday against Colorado and is making a strong case for the Cy Young Award, which he lost last year to Dodgers reliever Eric Gagne. Arizona’s Randy Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, said Schmidt has no equal in the league at this stage. “I think, right now, he’s the best pitcher in the NL,” Johnson said. “He’s the complete pitcher. His makeup is a lot like mine was three or four years ago, where I took the ball and went out and threw 130 pitches and was relentless about it. “There are not too many pitchers out there who can throw 130 pitches and be durable like that. It’s a quality I admire about a pitcher who can go out and do that. He’s definitely the workhorse on that team. I think he’s come into his own the last couple of years. I think he’s the best pitcher at the break right now in NL. If he has a second half like he had in the first half, I think he’ll finally be rewarded for it.” Heading into the break, Schmidt’s 11 wins tied Philadelphia’s Eric Milton for the NL lead, he led the league with a .160 opponents’ batting average, and his 2.51 ERA was second in the major leagues behind only Milwaukee’s Ben Sheets (2.26). Still the best Kansas City manager Tony Pena, in Houston this week as an All-Star coach, is still a hero to many players that were born in the Dominican Republic. Six of those players — Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Miguel Tejada, David Ortiz and Francisco Cordero — were American League All-Stars. “Just being around him like this, that’s what it’s all about,” said Ramirez, the Red Sox slugger. Pena, who was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic, played on five All-Star teams in 18 seasons. And although more talented players have come from the country, most notably Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, the former Pirates catcher remains one of the most important. “It’s everything he stood for,” said Ortiz, the Red Sox first baseman. “He just made things look easy. He had such a great attitude. He was such a great human being.” “And that personality,” said Tejada, the Home Run Derby winner. “He’s the guy everybody wanted to be.” Big chance Royals first baseman Ken Harvey, making his first All-Star appearance, had a chance to make some history Tuesday night in Houston. Harvey faced Johnson in the third inning with the bases loaded, giving him the chance to join Fred Lynn as the only players to hit grand slams in the All-Star Game. After getting ahead 2-0, Harvey fouled a ball off, took a 95-mph fastball for a strike and flailed and missed at an 87-mph slider. Although it wasn’t the perfect ending, simply being included among the game’s best players left Harvey satisfied, if not fully comfortable. “Guys tell me I belong,” said Harvey, 26 and his second full season. “A couple more years of this, and maybe, I’ll feel like it, too.” Sharing the work The Cardinals went into the All-Star break with a seven-game lead in the NL Central thanks in large part to a starting pitching staff which is on pace to set a couple of team marks. Their starting rotation of Matt Morris, Woody Williams, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis are all on pace to win at 12 games and pitch at least 200 innings, something that has never been done in team history. “It’s hard to get all five working,” Morris said, “but we knew each one of us had it in us. Usually, there’s one guy who has to lose a couple of games here and there whether he’s pitching well or not, just because he doesn’t get the luck other guys get. This year, we’re not needing much luck.” With the exception of a spot start by Danny Haren on June 10 in Chicago, the Cardinals’ rotation has remained intact the entire season. Happy birthday, Barry Willie Mays once said that when he approached his 40th birthday, he knew his days as a superstar were over. It’s safe to say his godson, Barry Bonds, won’t have such thoughts. Bonds turns 40 next Sunday, and his career isn’t showing any signs of old age. Entering the second of the half, he was hitting .365 with 23 home runs and an astounding 131 walks. The Giants will be in St. Louis for Bonds’ birthday, but to him, it’ll just be another day. “It just means I’m turning 40,” he said. “Why should it mean something• Women make a big deal out of their age. Men don’t make a big deal out of their age.” Worth noting

Heading into last season’s All-Star break, Carlos Delgado was hitting .313 with 28 homers and 97 RBI. This season, with seven fewer games played before the break and 33 lost to a rib-cage injury, Delgado’s numbers dropped to .223-10-36. Rockies third baseman Vinny Castilla became Mexico’s all-time hits leader July 7 with an eighth-inning single off San Francisco reliever Scott Eyre. He broke Jorge Orta’s record of 1,619 hits. Detroit’s Jason Johnson (2-0, 0.53 ERA) was named the AL Player of the Week last week, becoming the first Tigers pitcher to win the award since Walt Terrell in August, 1991. On tap Cardinals at Cubs; Monday-Tuesday, Wrigley Field, Chicago — The NL Central rivals, both in contention for playoff spots, meet for the final time this season. The teams have already played 17 times this year, with the Cardinals holding a 9-8 edge. The last word “I tell my wife, ‘Just leave a couple of things in the boxes,’ ” — Houston’s Carlos Beltran, a free-agent-to-be on the rumors he might be traded for a second time this season.

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