National League Roundup : Chili Gets Hot; Giants Defeat Reds, 7-3

Chili Davis is trying to warm up the San Francisco Giants all by himself.

Davis, breaking out of a slump that has infected all of the Giants, hit two home runs and drove in four runs Thursday to lead his team to a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at San Francisco.

“If we get one or two guys hitting well, I think it will catch on,” said Davis, whose four RBIs gave him six in two days and eight of the Giants’ last 10.

The Giants took a .198 team batting average into the game, but boosted it over the .200 mark with 10 hits. Bob Brenly also homered for the Giants, whose three homers matched their total in the first 14 games.

The Giants lost eight of nine games before Thursday.

Mark Davis (1-1) got the victory in relief of Jim Gott, who did not allow a hit until opposing pitcher Frank Pastore doubled to left-center field in the sixth.

The Giants broke a 3-3 tie when Pete Rose dropped a two-out pop fly, allowing Jose Uribe to score from second base in the seventh, making a loser of Tom Hume (0-1).

“This is the only place I’ve every dropped a popup in my life,” Rose said. “The ball was in the sun. I saw it and was going to catch it, but then it started fluttering.”

The Giants led, 3-0, after six innings on Davis’ sacrifice fly in the first and his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the sixth.

The Reds tied it in the seventh on Nick Esasky’s three-run homer.

Davis hit his second homer leading off the eighth, slamming a pitch from Carl Willis into the upper deck in right field. Jeff Leonard singled and, with one out, Brenly also homered.

“That second homer would have gone out of Yellowstone Park,” Rose said of Davis’ shot into the second deck at Candlestick Park.

Responded Davis: “I don’t know. I’ve never seen Yellowstone Park. How big is it?”

Montreal 4, St. Louis 2--Andre Dawson drove in two runs with a homer and a single as the Expos beat the Cardinals at Montreal.

The Expos trailed, 2-1, in the fourth when Dawson hit a one-out solo homer off Danny Cox (1-1). Dan Driessen followed with a double and scored one out later on Tim Wallach’s single for a 3-2 lead.

Dawson singled home a run in the eighth.

Bill Gullickson (3-1) went 6 innings, allowing six hits, to get the victory. Jeff Reardon finished up and got his fourth save.

Jack Clark’s solo homer put the Cardinals ahead, 2-1, in the fourth.

Atlanta 3, Houston 2--Terry Harper’s run-scoring single capped a two-run 10th inning to lift the Braves past the Astros at Houston.

Brad Komminsk scored from first base to break a 1-1 tie when Dickie Thon fielded Dale Murphy’s infield hit and threw it away. Harper singled home Murphy.

Phil Garner homered for the Astros in the bottom of the 10th.