National League Roundup : Mets Beat Phillies, 7-3, in Return to Normalcy

The New York Mets bounced back on Wednesday.

After a humiliating 26-7 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday night, the Mets came back with a win 24 hours later.

“This picked up our spirits after the thrashing we took last night,” said catcher Gary Carter, who had four hits and singled home the winning run in the 11th inning of a 7-3 victory over the Phillies.

The Mets rounded out the four-run, extra-inning rally when George Foster singled Carter to third and Carter scored on Danny Heep’s sacrifice fly. John Christensen’s followed with second home run of the season to score Foster.

This time out, the Phillies managed just three hits--as opposed to 27 the night before--and three runs, while the Mets pounded out 18 hits.

“After taking such a beating last night we needed some self respect. We wanted to come out and get a win,” said Ron Darling, the Mets’ starting pitcher Wednesday night.

“If there are five games we have to win all year, this was one of them.”

Darling worked seven innings and gave up all three Philadelphia hits, including a three-run inside-the-park home run by Glenn Wilson.

“It was neck high and he got his bat on it,” Darling said.

Keith Hernandez, who tripled to start the 11th and scored the winning run on Carter’s single, said the Mets didn’t really deserve to win.

“Five times we had a runner at third base with less than two out, twice with nobody out and didn’t score,” he said. “But we’ll take it.”

Rick Aguilera, who pitched the final two scoreless innings in his first major league appearance, said he was nervous.

“I had a numb and awe feeling,” said the youngster who joined the club on Monday. “I didn’t exactly know where I was.”

“In the second inning I suddenly realized I was pitching in the big leagues right now.”

Phillies’ Manager John Felske said a game like Tuesday night took its toll on his bullpen. He noted that losing pitcher Dave Rucker pitched two innings in that game.

The Phillies’ bullpen ace, Kent Tekulve, was pitching Wednesday night when Danny Heep hit a two-run homer that tied the game, and Felske allowed that Tekulve “just didn’t do the job. But that happens sometimes.”

The big problem, Felske said, was: “We only got three hits. When that’s all the hits you get, you’re lucky to be in extra innings.”

The loss went to Rucker (1-1), who had allowed only one earned run in his last 10 innings.

Houston 3, San Diego 2--Phil Garner tripled to right field to drive in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and scored on Tim Flannery’s throwing error on the same play as Nolan Ryan and the Astros beat the Padres at the Astrodome.

Terry Puhl singled to center field and scored from first base on Garner’s hit off Padre starter Eric Show (4-4).

Ryan (6-2) scattered six hits as the Astros moved within 2 1/2 games of the Padres in the NL West. Ryan, the all-time major league strikeout leader, had five more strikeouts to raise his career total to 3,966.

Kevin McReynolds of the Padres extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games with a leadoff double in the second inning.

Montreal 2, Chicago 0--David Palmer pitched 6 shutout innings and Jeff Reardon notched his 18th save as the Expos snapped the Cubs’ six-game winning streak with the victory at Montreal.

The decision broke the Expos’ three-game losing streak.

Palmer (5-5) allowed four hits, walked five and struck out eight, and Tim Burke relieved. Reardon got the last three outs.

Montreal took a 1-0 lead off Rick Sutcliffe (6-5) in the opening inning. Tim Raines led off with a double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Vance Law’s sacrifice fly to left.

The Expos padded their lead to 2-0 in the fourth on a double by Tim Wallach and a single by Herm Winningham.

Atlanta 5, San Francisco 2--Dale Murphy, coming off one of his poorest performances ever, hit his 15th home run and a tiebreaking two-run double as the Braves stopped the Giants at Atlanta.

“It just felt good to make contact after struggling last night,” Murphy said, referring to his 0-for-8 effort in an 18-inning loss to the Giants on Tuesday night, a game in which he struck out four times against four different pitchers.

Murphy’s hitting helped Rick Mahler gain his 10th victory and his first complete game of the season.