Cub Streak Hits 13 on 3-2 Defeat

Gary Carter and Howard Johnson belted homers to support the nine-hit pitching of Dwight Gooden Tuesday, helping the New York Mets defeat Chicago, 3-2, and hand the Cubs a club record-tying 13th consecutive defeat.

Carter homered in a two-run first inning and Johnson hit a solo home run in the fourth off Scott Sanderson, 3-3, who permitted only four hits in seven innings.

Gooden, 11-3, winner of five straight, struck out six and walked three in hurling his seventh complete game.

The Cubs, who have scored only 31 runs during their losing streak, equaled the club record for futility set by the 1944 team.

The Mets took advantage of some poor fielding to take a 2-0 lead in the first. Len Dykstra lifted a fly ball to right that Keith Moreland lost in the sun for a triple and Keith Hernandez followed with a sacrifice fly.

Carter followed with his 10th homer of the year.

Chicago came back with one run in the first. Bill Hatcher led off with a single, went to third on Ryne Sandberg’s single and scored on Gary Matthews’ sacrifice fly. But Leon Durham bounced back to Gooden, who caught Sandberg in a rundown between second and third and the Mets completed the double play by catching Durham off first.

Johnson hit his second homer of the season with two-out in the fourth by belting a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence.

The Cubs closed to 3-2 in the seventh. Ron Cey led off with a double, went to third on Steve Lake’s sacrifice and scored on pinch-hitter Richie Hebner’s infield out.