National League Roundup : Cardinals Stop Hoyt’s Win Streak at 11 as Tudor Defeats Padres, 4-2

In the meeting of the two hottest pitchers in the National League Sunday at San Diego, it was John Tudor of the St. Louis Cardinals who won out over LaMarr Hoyt.

Darrell Porter drove in three runs with a double and home run to lead the Cardinals to a 4-2 victory, ending Hoyt’s winning streak at 11 and earning Tudor his 11th win in his last 12 starts.

The victory gave the Cardinals three out of four over the slumping Padres and enabled them to stretch their lead in the East to 3 1/2 games. The Padres, who remained 4 1/2 behind the Dodgers in the West, have won only five of their last 17 games. In the last three games of the series with the Cardinals, they scored only five runs.

Hoyt had not lost since May 15 when the Cardinals pounded him for eight hits and eight runs in a little more than an inning, also at San Diego. His inability to handle Porter, a .157 hitter going into the game, led to his downfall.

With one out in the first inning, Willie McGee, the league’s leading hitter (.338) who had three hits, beat out a bunt and stole second. Tommy Herr walked, but Hoyt got the dangerous Jack Clark to foul out. Porter drilled a double down the right-field line to score two. He led off the fourth with a home run into the right-field seats.

It was only his fourth home run in 29 games and the 11th run batted in for the veteran catcher who has been hampered by injuries most of the season. However, it was the second time in less than a week that he made a big contribution. Tuesday at San Francisco, his two-run home run won the game.

Although he has lost the No. 1 catching spot to Tom Nieto, Porter, 33, is a longtime favorite of Manager Whitey Herzog. Porter starred for Herzog at Kansas City, then was the World Series MVP for the Cardinals in 1982.

“I’m counting on Darrell to help us in the stretch run,” Herzog said. “He has played well in big games. If he swings the bat well, he’ll get to play. I’ll probably continue to platoon.

“I tell you, though, he’s helped on this trip. I just hope he continues. I know he’s still capable and I know he can play.”

Tudor is now 12-8 but on June 3 he was 1-7. Since then he has pitched well every time out. His only loss in his last 12 starts was on July 20 when he gave the Dodgers three runs in five innings in a game in which the Cardinals didn’t score.

The Padres had nine hits off the left-hander, three of them by Steve Garvey, but they managed to score only twice. When Terry Kennedy singled with one out in the ninth, Jeff Lahti replaced Tudor. Kevin McReynolds singled, but Garry Templeton popped to short and Bobby Brown struck out and Lahti had his 12th save.

Hoyt, who walked two batters and has now walked just 17 in 161 innings, shrugged off the end of his winning streak.

“If I can wait until the next time they come here to lose again, I’ll be happy,” he said. Hoyt (13-5) will not face the Cardinals again in the regular season.

Houston 12, New York 4--It was the Mets’ turn to play giveaway at New York. Saturday night the Astros gave the Mets 16 unearned runs in the first game of the doubleheader, then helped the Mets gain a sweep by walking seven batters in the second game.

In this game, 4 Mets’ errors and 6 walks by Ron Darling combined with 16 singles and 3 doubles to give the Astros only their second win in the last 14 games.

Although rocked by a pair of two-run home runs by Darryl Strawberry, Joe Niekro coasted to the victory that evened his record at 8-8.

Nine different Astros drove in runs, including catcher Mark Bailey, who entered the game in the third inning after Alan Ashby was struck on the right index finger by a foul tip.

Montreal 6, Cincinnati 0--Rookie Joe Hesketh walked four batters in the first two innings at Montreal, then settled down to pitch a four-hitter and his first shutout.

Andre Dawson hit his first home run in six weeks with U. L. Washington on base in the third and the Expos wrapped it up with three in the fourth.

San Francisco 3, Pittsburgh 2--The pitiful Pirates wasted another outstanding performance by Rick Reuschel in this game at San Francisco. Reuschel went eight innings, gave up seven hits and two runs. Only one run was earned, but he departed with the game tied.

David Green’s two-out single in the 10th scored Chris Brown, who had doubled for his third hit, with the winning run. Green has driven in only eight runs this season, but six of them have won games.

Since being brought up from the minors in late May, Reuschel, 36, has made 14 starts. In all but one he has pitched well for at least six innings, but has only an 8-3 record. In two of his losses, the Pirates did not score a run. In five no-decision games he has given up just six earned runs in 34 innings.

Philadelphia 7, Atlanta 3--Jerry Koosman, 42, the oldest pitcher in the National League, pitched a five-hitter at Philadelphia to improve his record to 6-2. Koosman struck out eight and walked four.

Von Hayes hit a two-run triple to highlight a three-run third inning that gave Koosman a lead he never relinquished.