National League Roundup : Sutter Has Trouble but Stops Cubs

Rick Mahler had done enough, so he turned it over to Bruce Sutter.

Sutter, roughed up by the Chicago Cubs Friday night, struggled again but closed the door on them Saturday to give the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 victory at Atlanta.

Mahler (8-2) helped himself become the major leagues’ first eight-game winner with a three-run double in the second inning.

Bruce Benedict’s run-scoring single in the sixth gave the Braves a 4-0 lead, and Mahler pitched 7 innings before Gary Matthews got the Cubs back into the game with a two-run homer.

“You don’t like to come out of games like that, but it’s tough to argue when you have Sutter,” Mahler said. “He’s done the job.”

Sutter was appearing in his fourth straight game. On Friday night he gave up three runs in the ninth to blow a 5-4 lead.

Keith Moreland and Ron Cey opened the ninth with singles off Sutter. One out later, pinch-hitter Davey Lopes doubled a run home. But with runners at second and third, Sutter struck out Chris Speier and retired Bob Dernier on a grounder back to the mound to end the game.

“It was exciting,” Sutter said. “I felt a lot more comfortable today. I did give up a run, but we won the game, and that’s the bottom line.”

Mahler, who gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out two, got his second game-winning hit of the season off Dennis Eckersley (4-3).

San Diego 8, Montreal 2--Dave Dravecky got help from Rich Gossage on a four-hitter at Montreal as the Padres handed the Expos their fifth defeat in six games.

Dravecky (3-2) worked 7 innings, walking five and striking out two. Gossage earned his 10th save by going the final 1 innings.

Leading, 3-2, the Padres wrapped it up with five runs in the ninth on run-scoring singles by Graig Nettles and Bruce Bochy, a two-run triple by Tim Flannery and Tony Gwynn’s run-scoring double.

Houston 6, St. Louis 5--Nolan Ryan pitched a six-hitter over 8 innings and hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to notch his first victory since April 14 as the Astros held off the Cardinals at Houston.

Ryan (3-2) walked one and struck out six before being knocked out of the box when the Cardinals made it close with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth.

The Astros built a 4-2 lead with three runs in the third when St. Louis starter Kurt Kepshire (2-4) let in one run with a wild pitch and served up a run-scoring triple to Jose Cruz and an RBI single to Jerry Mumphrey.

San Francisco 8, New York 2--The Giants, worst hitting team in the majors, erupted for six runs on six hits in the 10th inning to beat the Mets in New York.

The Mets had won seven straight extra-inning games and were 23-1 in extra innings dating back to July, 1983, before the loss.

Gary Rajsich, batting .147 and 0 for 11 as a pinch hitter, bounced a two-run single through New York’s drawn-in infield and Chris Brown blasted a two-run homer in the uprising against reliever Wes Gardner (0-1).

Reliever Mark Davis (2-1) pitched 1 hitless innings for the victory. Bill Laskey gave up four hits over 7 innings, and Greg Minton pitched a hitless 10th.

George Foster’s two-run homer put the Mets ahead, 2-1, in the fourth, and the Giants tied the score on Chili Davis’ leadoff homer in the seventh.

Cincinnati 8, Pittsburgh 0--Tom Browning pitched a five-hitter at Pittsburgh for his first major league shutout and Dave Parker homered for the third consecutive game as the Reds handed the Pirates their ninth defeat in 12 games.

The Reds are unbeaten in four games on their road trip and have won eight of their last 11 games.

Browning (4-2) struck out five and walked two.

Parker, who has a 10-game hitting streak, enjoyed his second three-hit game in as many nights against his former teammates.

Pete Rose hit a two-run double off Gary Bielki (1-3) in a three-run fourth inning that gave the Reds a 4-0 lead. Rose also singled and has 4,128 career hits, 63 behind Ty Cobb.