National League Roundup : Matthews Homers Again as Cubs Win

The Chicago Cubs are crippled, some of their healthy players are slumping, and they are in fourth place, but all is not lost. The Sarge is back.

The Sarge is Gary Matthews, the 35-year-old outfielder who was the key hitter late last season when the Cubs won their first division title and first title of any kind in four decades.

Although the task would seem to be a difficult one, especially since pitchers Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Trout and Scott Sanderson are ailing, Matthews is making another title at least a possibility.

Matthews, who has missed more than half the Cub games this season because of an assortment of injuries, hit a home run in the fifth inning Friday at Chicago to give the Cubs a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets.

The Cubs remain 7 1/2 games back of St. Louis in the East, but they have won three in a row from the top two clubs, the Cardinals and the Mets. In two of them Matthews delivered the big hit. He had a three-run homer in a 5-2 win over St. Louis Wednesday night.

Since his most recent return from injury, Matthews has played in nine games and hit home runs in four of them. He is 10 for 30 and has driven in eight runs.

“I’m getting healthy,” Matthews told the Associated Press. “I don’t like to use injuries as an excuse, but we’ve had an awful lot of them this year, and it’s difficult to come from behind.

“Last year we were on top and when we had men on base, we got them across. This year we’re not on top, and there is more pressure.

“I wasn’t looking for a home run into the 12-mile-per-hour wind. I hit the ball low and on a line, and it barely cleared the fence.”

Matthews’ eighth home run made a winner out of Dennis Eckersley (8-5). Eckersley, who had not pitched since July 24 when a sore shoulder forced him out, gave up six hits in six innings, and Warren Brusstar retired all nine men he faced to earn his fourth save.

Once again, Sid Fernandez pitched rather well without anything to show for it. With the score 1-1, the Mets batted for him in the fifth. The loser was Terry Leach, who served up Matthews’ home run.

Houston 12, San Diego 9--The Padres’ luck is mostly bad these days. They lost their bullpen ace, Rich Gossage, for at least three weeks after knee surgery, and now their best pitcher can’t get hitters out.

LaMarr Hoyt, who hasn’t won since July 20, when he picked up his 11th straight victory, was hammered out in the third inning at Houston. He gave up nine hits and seven runs to lose his second in a row.

The Padres had 15-hits, and most of their outs were line drives, but the big Astro lead was too much to overcome.

Joe Niekro drove in three Astro runs with a pair of singles, and Bill Doran hit a three-run home run, but it took a shaky bullpen to finally shut down the Padres and drop them into third place in the West.

The Astros built a 10-1 lead before Niekro (9-8) lost it.

St. Louis 3, Philadelphia 2--John Tudor just keeps on winning. The sizzling left-hander struck out nine and pitched a seven-hitter at St. Louis to win for the 12th time in his last 13 starts and enable the Cardinals to increase their lead in the East to 2 1/2 games.

Tudor, who opened the season 1-7, has pitched complete games in five of his last seven starts. In one of the others he needed help only to get the last two outs. And in the other incomplete game, he lasted five innings against the Dodgers in his only loss since May 29.

Charles Hudson held the Cardinals to two hits in six innings, but they rallied for three runs after two were out in the seventh.

Ozzie Smith singled in one run and the go-ahead run came in when right fielder Glenn Wilson made a wild throw to third on the hit. Another error let Smith score what proved to be the winning run.

Mike Schmidt hit his 16th home run, a drive to right, in the fourth.

Montreal 3, Pittsburgh 2--The Expos remain in the race in the East, largely because of the work of relief pitcher Jeff Reardon.

Reardon pitched 2 perfect innings at Montreal to pick up his league-leading 26th save, tying his career high. Joe Hesketh went 6 innings to win his fourth in a row since the All-Star break.

Rick Reuschel turned in another strong performance for the Pirates but gave up three runs in seventh and lost his fourth against eight wins.

Atlanta 12, San Francisco 7--In a wild eighth inning that broke open a close game at Atlanta, the first two runs were walked across, and Ken Oberkfell singled in the last two in a five-run rally. Okerkfell drove in four runs.

The Giants, who trailed, 4-0, after two innings, fought back to take a 7-4 lead, scoring four in the top of the seventh.