National League Roundup : Cubs’ Sutcliffe Gets Home Run, Shutout

Since returning to the National League less than a year ago, Rick Sutcliffe has been hard to beat.

The Dodgers defeated him last June 29, and he proceeded to win his next 16 decisions, including his first two this season. Last Friday at Montreal, Sutcliffe lost again.

In his first start since that defeat, Sutcliffe indicated he may be ready to take off on another streak. Sutcliffe gave up eight hits Tuesday night at Pittsburgh, but pitched and batted the Chicago Cubs to a 5-0 victory.

Sutcliffe, a 6-6 right-hander, had a 22-21 record with the Dodgers before going to Cleveland in the American League. In less than a season with the Cubs he is 19-2.

Sutcliffe struck out seven and did not permit a runner past second base in a masterful performance.

Hitless in seven at-bats this season, Sutcliffe unloaded a long home run, the third of his career, to start a three-run third inning. Ryne Sandberg, who had not driven in a run all season, drilled a two-run smash into the seats in left-center a few minutes later.

Sutcliffe may have been happier about the home run than his sharp pitching performance. He had been hitless in his first seven-at bats this season.

“I just swing hard up there and sometimes I make contact,” Sutcliffe said with a smile. “I was really determined to pitch well. We have not played well lately, so I thought we needed something to pick us up.”

Sandberg, last season’s Most Valuable Player, was batting only .143 and had only two extra-base hits in 49 at-bats before he unloaded.

“I’m glad Ryne hit one,” Manager Jim Frey of the Cubs said. “He’s in one of those streaks right now where you just have to fight your way through it. The big thing is, it came at a point where we still needed runs.”

The loss was the Pirates sixth in the last seven games.

Montreal 5, Philadelphia 4--The Expos caught Steve Carlton before he was warmed up at Montreal and scored four times in the first inning. But they didn’t pull out the victory until Vance Law drew a walk off relief pitcher Charles Hudson with the bases loaded and one out in the 10th inning.

Consecutive run-scoring doubles by Dan Driessen and Tim Wallach and a run-scoring single by Law contributed to Carlton’s problems in the first inning.

In his fourth start of the season the 40-year-old left-hander failed again to get his first victory, but he recovered from his rocky start to pitch a strong seven innings. He also singled to start the three-run fifth inning that enabled the Phillies to tie the game.

Andre Dawson singled and stole second to begin the 10th. After Hubie Brooks struck out, Herman Winningham was walked intentionally. Tim Wallach walked to fill the bases. When Law came up, the Phillies brought right fielder Von Hayes in as a fifth infielder. The strategy was never tested, because, on a 3-and-2 pitch, Hudson walked Law.

“It gave me a chance to atone for the error that helped them to three runs in the fifth,” Law said. “Monday, I chased bad pitches by Hudson. Today, after watching him struggle against Tim, I decided to be patient.

“If we had lost after leading, 4-0, it would have been my fault.”

Atlanta 4, San Diego 2--Terry Harper delivered a two-out, bases-loaded double in the third inning at San Diego to drive in three runs and enable Rick Mahler to improve his record to 4-0.

Mahler started the winning rally with a single off loser Mark Thurmond. Thurmond appeared about to escape the inning when he got Dale Murphy for the second out on a short fly to right with the bases loaded and one out.

But Harper ripped the ball into left-center and the damage was done. Murphy doubled in the first Braves’ run in the first inning and has 22 runs batted in already this season.

Bruce Sutter pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Mahler to pick up his third save.

St. Louis 8, New York 3--In what most observers believe is a record, the major league baseball season is into its third week and there has not been a game postponed by rain.

The record barely survived this game in St. Louis when rain threatened to wash out the action in the third inning. But, after waiting more than an hour, play was resumed.

Kurt Kepshire, apparently unbothered by the lengthy delay, pitched into the eighth to win his first game of the season.

Lonnie Smith put on an offensive show for the Cardinals. He had two hits, stole three bases and scored two runs. The Cardinals only had eight hits, but they stole five bases and took advantage of a balk to run the Mets ragged.

Houston 6, Cincinnati 4--Kevin Bass is beginning to wonder what he will have to do to earn a regular job with the Astros.

In this game at Houston, Bass, filling in while outfielder Terry Puhl is on the disabled list, had his most productive night. He hit a two-run home run, his second in two games and drove in four runs.

The Astros built a 6-0 lead behind rookie Ron Mathis, but the Reds staged a four-run eighth inning to make things interesting and bring Frank DiPino to the rescue of Mathis.

Player-Manager Pete Rose sat out another game and played manager in this one. “Six-nothing is not that big a deficit,” he said. “We needed a hit from Nick Esasky and we might have pulled it out in the eighth, but we didn’t get it.”

Rose still needs 82 hits to break Ty Cobb’s record.