National League Roundup : Horner, Murphy Hit Homers to Defeat Padres

Dale Murphy proved last season that despite his greatness he can’t carry the Atlanta Braves.

Murphy hit 36 home runs and drove in 100 runs in 1984, but without injured Bob Horner the Braves finished 12 games behind San Diego in the NL West.

With both big guns firing again, and Bruce Sutter in the bullpen, the Braves will have to be reckoned with in 1985.

Horner hit a two-run home run as the Braves rallied for three runs in the ninth inning Saturday at Atlanta, and Murphy hit a two-run homer in the 10th to give Atlanta a 7-5 victory over the Padres.

Murphy is batting .533 with three home runs and eight RBIs.

“It’s just one of those things,” he said of his fast start. “I don’t know. I consider myself a streak hitter and I guess I’m in one now, so I just keep swinging.

“I don’t know what to say except that I don’t remember getting off to a better start--but it doesn’t do anything for tomorrow.”

Murphy said the two-run homer by Horner was a “big boost for the team and for Bob.”

“He’s (Horner) been swinging good, but not getting many hits--but he finally hit one of his patented line drives,” Murphy said. Horner had only a single in 14 at-bats.

Horner’s homer was his first since last May 23. He was sidelined the rest of the season with a broken bone in his right wrist.

“Coming off of last year, it’s just good to be hitting the ball as hard as I’m hitting it right now,” Horner said. “There is a lot of satisfaction with that home run, though.”

Sutter picked up his first victory as a Brave by blanking the Padres in the 10th.

Homers by Terry Kennedy and Kevin McReynolds in a three-run eighth gave the Padres a 5-2 lead.

After Horner’s homer, Rick Cerone greeted San Diego relief ace Rich Gossage with a pinch-hit single, and Bruce Benedict sacrificed pinch-runner Paul Runge to second. After Glenn Hubbard popped out, Craig Lefferts relieved Gossage and Gerald Perry singled to tie the score.

Chicago 8, Montreal 3--Gary Matthews drove in three runs with a single and a two-run homer and Jody Davis also hit a two-run homer as the Cubs pounded the Expos at Chicago.

Davis also hit a second-chance double in a two-run second inning after his pop foul dropped between catcher Mike Fitzgerald and first baseman Dan Driessen. Ron Cey, who had singled, went to third on Davis’ double and rookie Shawon Dunston drove in the tying and lead runs with a single.

Montreal took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on Driessen’s home run.

The Cubs added two runs in the third off Steve Rogers (0-2). Ryne Sandberg snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a double and scored on a single by Matthews, who took second on the throw home. Matthews eventually scored on Keith Moreland’s sacrifice fly.

Matthews and Davis hit their two-run homers in the sixth.

New York 2, Cincinnati 1--Darryl Strawberry hit a leadoff homer in the ninth inning at New York to beat the Reds as the Mets equaled the best start in their history with a fourth straight victory.

The last time the Mets opened the season with four straight victories was in 1973, when they eventually went to the World Series before losing to the Oakland A’s.

Reds Manager Pete Rose went 1 for 4, singling in the ninth. Rose has 4,103 career hits and needs 89 to break the all-time record of Ty Cobb. Rose has hit safely in all four Reds games this season.

Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 3--Tony Pena’s eighth-inning sacrifice fly gave John Candelaria the victory in relief at Pittsburgh as the Pirates handed the Cardinals their third one-run loss in four games.

Candelaria, a longtime starter who went unhappily to the bullpen, pitched the final 1 innings for the victory, giving the veteran left-hander a win and a save in two appearances as a reliever.

Philadelphia 4, Houston 2--Jeff Stone had three hits and scored twice as the Phillies broke a 12-game losing streak dating back to last season by beating the Astros at Houston.

Rookie right-hander Ron Mathis was the loser in his first major league appearance despite picking off Stone and Juan Samuel on successive plays in the first inning.