National League Roundup : Streaking Cubs Lose 12th Straight

No matter how bad it gets--and it is beginning to get bad--Jim Frey is trying to stay calm.

“What can I say?” the Chicago Cubs’ manager asked Sunday after his team had lost its 12th straight game, this time a 7-0 setback at the hands of the Cardinals at St. Louis.

“Tudor pitched very well. We’re not going to panic.”

John Tudor, indeed, pitched well. So well, in fact, that he needed just 82 pitches to record a two-hit shutout for his fifth consecutive victory.

After losing seven of his first eight games, Tudor has allowed just six runs--five earned--in his last 39 innings. Sunday’s shutout was his second this month.

But Tudor (6-7) went to great lengths to point out that it was not as easy as it looked.

“I don’t care what their record is,” he said of the fourth-place Cubs, who are now just one loss short of tying their all-time record for consecutive defeats. “That’s a good baseball team. We know that when it gets to be August or September, they’ll be there.”

So will St. Louis. The Cardinals’ victory completed their second three-game sweep of Chicago in 10 days. St. Louis has won four straight, 9 of its last 10 and 13 of 16 in taking over first place in the NL East.

The Cardinals broke on top against Dick Ruthven (3-6) in the second inning. Ozzie Smith singled with one out, and one out later, Tudor slashed a double down the left-field line to score him. Vince Coleman’s single scored Tudor and made it 2-0.

Tudor led off the fourth with a single and scored on Coleman’s triple. Willie McGee’s sacrifice fly then scored Coleman as the Cardinals went up, 4-0.

A squeeze bunt by Randy Hunt scored Ivan DeJesus and made it 5-0 in the fifth, and DeJesus came back in the seventh with a bases-loaded double that closed out the scoring.

San Diego 6, San Francisco 1--Kurt Bevacqua belted his second grand slam of the season and the fourth of his career to lead the Padres to a sweep of their four-game series with the Giants at San Diego.

Dave Dravecky (7-4) gave up nine hits, struck out a career-high nine and walked one in going the distance for the third time. He extended his string of scoreless innings to 25 before yielding a run in the ninth.

Atlee Hammaker (3-7) was the loser.

San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the third when Tony Gwynn’s bases-loaded ground out scored Mario Ramirez.

In the fifth, Hammaker got Gwynn to hit into a double-play with the bases loaded. But, with runners at second and third, Steve Garvey was intentionally walked and Bevacqua then lined the first pitch into the left-field seats to make it 5-0.

The Padres added a run in the sixth on Bruce Bochy’s second home run, and the Giants made it 6-1 when Rick Adams homered with two out in the ninth.

Montreal 5, New York 1--Vance Law hit a two-run homer, Tim Raines drove in a pair of runs with a triple and Bryn Smith pitched a seven-hitter as the Expos defeated the Mets at New York.

Smith (8-3) pitched his second complete game of the season, striking out two and walking none.

Ed Lynch (4-4), who pitched five innings and allowed all five runs, was the loser. The Mets were guilty of three errors, all in the third inning when the Expos jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

Steve Nicosia walked and Lynch, attempting to start a double play on Smith’s ground ball, threw wide to shortstop Rafael Santana, who then fired the ball wildly past first base. Raines followed with a triple and scored on Law’s sacrifice fly.

Atlanta 2, Cincinnati 1--Steve Bedrosian and two relievers combined on a four-hitter to lead the Braves past the Reds at Riverfront Stadium.

Bedrosian (4-6) shut out the Reds on one hit over six innings, yielding to Rick Camp in the seventh after giving up a pair of one-out singles. Camp pitched out of that trouble, and Bruce Sutter came on to give up an unearned run in the eighth to earn his 11th save.

Bedrosian, who has never completed a major league game, walked six and struck out four in 6 innings.

Rafael Ramirez doubled off Frank Pastore (2-1) to start the third, advanced on a groundout and scored on Dale Murphy’s sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta made it 2-0 in the fourth when Glenn Hubbard walked and came home on Larry Owen’s double that eluded Gary Redus in the left-field corner.

Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 2--Rick Schu’s bunt single and a throwing error by third baseman Jim Morrison allowed Juan Samuel to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Phillies edged the Pirates at Philadelphia.

Don Carman (2-1) pitched the ninth to gain the victory. Jim Winn (2-3) took over in the ninth for Pittsburgh and suffered the loss.