National League Roundup : Soto Stops Giants on Four Hits as Reds Win Sixth Straight, 2-1

Mario Soto has more trouble with waiters than he does with National League hitters.

The sometimes tempestuous right-hander struck out 11 and pitched a four-hitter Saturday at Cincinnati as the soaring Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-1, for their sixth consecutive victory.

It was the third win in four starts for Soto. After his second, Tuesday night at Atlanta, Soto was arrested when he became involved in an altercation with a waiter at a discotheque.

The only game he lost was a 1-0 decision at New York when he gave up six hits in seven innings.

The Reds, who need every win they can get out of Soto to have a chance to be in the race in the West, have been pitching last season’s 18-game winner every fourth day. He seems to thrive on it.

He has pitched 32 innings, has given up 21 hits, struck out 26 batters and has given up just one run in each game. He has had to be that good to win. In four games, the Red have scored just eight runs for him.

His catcher, former USC player Dave Van Gorder, said he was awed by Soto’s performance in his seventh win in a row over the hapless Giants.

“I was thinking, after Mario fanned the side in the first and third, ‘You guys (the Giants) have got to be concerned here,’ ” Van Gorder said. “Early in the game, when the batters could see, he struck out nine in five innings mostly with a smoking fastball.

“But when the shadows covered the field, he slowed up. He just wanted to win. He had a good change-up and threw some good sliders, too. He is a pleasure to catch.”

The only run Soto gave up came in the second without the benefit of a hit. Chili Davis walked, stole second and completed the circuit on a fly ball and a ground out.

The Reds didn’t give him the victory until the ninth inning and Soto had a hand in it. Pinch-hitter Eddie Milner opened with a double and Soto, trying to move Milner to third, bunted back to pitcher Frank Williams. Williams tried to get Milner at third, made a low throw and Milner raced home with the winning run. The Reds, expected to battle the Giants for last place in the West, are leading the division.

Pete Rose continued his hurry-up drive to catch Ty Cobb in hits, had a single and two walks. He needs 83 more hits to set the record. Philadelphia 7, New York 6--The Mets may want to fine Keith Hernandez for fraternization. Before this game at New York, the Phillies’ Jeff Stone asked the Mets’ first baseman how to get out of an early season slump.

Hernandez advised the young outfielder to move away from the plate.

Stone found it good advice. He hit two home runs and drove in five runs to enable the Phillies to end a five-game losing streak.

John Denny, although he gave up six runs before coming out in the ninth, gained his first win of the season.

Although his error in the ninth allowed the final Met run to score, Phillie second baseman Juan Samuel tied a major league record with 12 assists.

Mike Schmidt, 1 for 26 going in, had a double and a single and drove in a run for the Phillies.

Montreal 4, Chicago 0--Bill Gullickson held the Cubs to one hit in seven innings at Montreal and Andre Dawson hit a home run as the Expos won their fourth in a row.

Gullickson gave up a single to Steve Lake in the third and, when Ron Cey opened the eighth with a single, Jeff Reardon came to the rescue, retiring the last six batters.

It was the second loss in a row for the Cubs, who have not been hitting this season.

“There’s been only two of the 10 games that we’ve hit the ball,” Manager Jim Frey said. “Nobody said anything when we were winning, 2-1, but the hitting problems were there.”

St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 3--From the time Bruce Sutter signed with Atlanta as a free agent, the pressure was on Neil Allen. The new head of the Cardinal bullpen served up game-winning hits in the first two games of the season at New York.

Friday night when he made his first appearance at St. Louis, he was roundly booed. Now that he has saved two games in a row, the fickle fans are cheering the veteran right-hander.

Allen pitched two hitless innings in this one to save the first win of the season for Danny Cox. He also survived a scare when Sixto Lezcano, striking out to end the eighth inning, lost control of his bat and it flew out to the mound, glancing off Allen’s head. Allen was not hurt.

“I didn’t hear the boos last night,” Allen said. “I was too intent on getting the first save. Once that hurdle was cleared I knew I’d be fine.”

Houston 8, Atlanta 1--Joe Niekro gave up only two hits before he needed help with the bases loaded and none out in the seventh inning at Atlanta. Frank DiPino came out of the bullpen to retire nine batters in a row and the knuckleball specialist won his first game of the season.

“Dad’s coffee will taste pretty good tomorrow,” Niekro said, “because both Phil (his brother, a winner for the New York Yankees) and I came through today.”

Jose Cruz drove in four runs and Terry Puhl knocked in two as the Astros beat Pascual Perez (0-2).