National League Roundup : Backman Strikes Again as Mets Get Past Expos, 5-2

Ever since Manager Davey Johnson showed his confidence by making Wally Backman the New York Mets’ regular second baseman, Backman has been showing his appreciation.

Backman drove in two runs Wednesday at New York with a double and a ground out to lead the Mets to a 5-2 victory over Montreal, move them within two games of first place in the East and complete a sweep of the three-game series with the Expos.

The 26-year-old infielder has been with the Mets since 1980 and shown flashes of potential, but it was not until they sent his chief competition, Kelvin Chapman, back to the minors last month that Backman blossomed.

In the last 23 games, Backman has batted .344 and has scored 23 runs while batting first or second in the order.

“I’m a better player when I’m in the lineup on a regular basis,” he told the Associated Press. “I don’t think I could call myself a pro unless I was a regular.

“No question, I felt sorry for Chapman because we are very close friends and because he was such a big asset to the club last season. However, I am the last one to argue about success, and the numbers prove that I belong in the lineup.”

Ed Lynch (8-5), making his first start since July 13, earned the victory, yielding six hits in five innings before Roger McDowell took over and picked up his eighth save.

Gary Carter, who helped the Met cause with his 13th home run, took extra satisfaction with the sweep of his former team.

“This was not for revenge,” he said, “but it’s a sweet feeling. They swept us in Montreal, so this is a good feeling for us. We’re playing well, and I hope it continues.”

Terry Francona hit his first home run of the season in the fourth to draw the Expos within a run before Backman doubled home what proved to be the winning run in the fifth.

Chicago 5, St. Louis 2--Gary Matthews made big contributions often to the Cub cause last season, but like so many of his teammates, the Sarge has been hurt much of this season.

Matthews drove a three-run home run into the wind at Chicago to highlight a four-run first inning off Joaquin Andujar (17-5) that sent the Cubs on the way to their first win over the Cardinals this season after seven defeats.

“There’s been some pressure on the offense lately,” Matthews said after the Cubs had pulled to within 8 1/2 games of the division-leading Cardinals. “We’ve not been producing as we did last year. The key for us is to keep it going and beat St. Louis and New York and get back in it.”

The quick lead helped Ray Fontenot improve his record to 4-5. He gave up five hits in seven innings, and Lee Smith finished for his 23rd save.

Andujar never recovered from the poor start. Of his five defeats this season, four of them have come after he has had four or more days of rest. Manager Whitey Herzog said his ace did seem to pitch better with just three days rest.

Atlanta 5, San Diego 4--With bullpen ace Rich Gossage out with a swollen knee, the Padres had to call on three other relievers at Atlanta and finally lost in the 10th.

Terry Harper and pinch-hitter Gerald Perry greeted Tim Stoddard with doubles in the extra inning to give Bruce Sutter the victory. Perry broke an 0-for-24 slump with the hit, which was his fourth in 24 pinch-hitting attempts this season.

After Dale Murphy hit his 27th homer to give the Braves a 4-3 lead in the eighth, Sutter, booed lustily, failed for the seventh time in his last 15 chances to save a game. The first three Padres that Sutter faced hit safely, but the first one, Bruce Bochy, was out trying for a double on a hit off the left-field wall.

Houston 9, Cincinnati 2--Glenn Davis hit a three-run home run at Cincinnati, and John Mizerock hit a three-run double to prevent the Reds from moving into second place in the West.

Mike Scott improved to 6-0 against the Reds since joining the Astros in 1983. Scott also hit his first major league home run.

The only bright news for the Reds was that Pete Rose had two hits to move to within 27 of breaking Ty Cobb’s career hit record.

Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 3--After Derrel Thomas homered in the top of the 10th inning at Pittsburgh, the Pirates bounced back to score twice in their half of the inning to end a seven-game losing streak.

Pinch-hitter Steve Kemp drilled a two-out single to drive in the winning run. The Pirates beat former teammate Kent Tekulve in relief.