National League Roundup : Cardinals Rally Again, Stay 3 Games in Front

The St. Louis Cardinals came from behind to win for the fourth game in a row Monday night as they maintained a three-game lead in the National League East over the New York Mets, who also won.

Terry Pendleton hit a two-out, two-run triple in the eighth inning to give the Cardinals a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis. It was the Cardinals’ 11th win in their last 12 games. The Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1.

Both teams have 12 games remaining, including three with each other.

Willie McGee, the National League’s leading hitter, opened the Cardinal eighth with a single and stole second. Two outs later, Cecilio Guante came in to pitch for the Pirates, but Cesar Cedeno came off the bench to greet him with an infield single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Pendleton worked the count to 2-and-2 before lining the ball into right-center field.

Jeff Lahti (5-2), the fourth St. Louis pitcher, worked 1 innings to get the win. Todd Worrell earned his fourth save.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when R.J. Reynolds singled, stole second and scored on a single by Sid Bream. Tony Pena led off the Pirate second with a single and moved up when Sammy Khalifa walked. Pena scored when Joe Orsulak doubled off the right-field wall.

The Cardinals tied it, 2-2, in the second inning. Darrell Porter and Andy Van Slyke singled. A fielder’s choice by Pendleton sent Porter to third, from where he scored on a single by Mike Jorgensen. Pendleton scored on a fielder’s choice by Smith.

The Pirates moved ahead, 4-2, in the sixth when Jim Morrison hit a solo home run and Khalifa singled, was sacrificed by second and scored on Orsulak’s single.

St. Louis cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh when Pendleton doubled and Ozzie Smith singled him home.

A Busch Stadium crowd of 17,611 gave the Cardinals a single-season attendance record of 2,331,303. The previous St. Louis record was 2,317,914 in 1983.

New York 4, Philadelphia 1--Gary Carter hit his 30th home run of the season as the Mets kept pace with the division-leading Cardinals at Philadelphia.

Carter hit a 1-and-0 pitch over the left-center field fence with two out in the third inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead, which was enough for Rick Aguilera (9-6). Keith Hernandez tripled before Carter belted his 16th game-winning hit of the season.

Roger McDowell relieved Aguilera in the sixth inning and pitched four innings of two-hit, scoreless ball to earn his 16th save. Rookie Fred Tolliver (0-2), a reliever pressed into service as a starter for the Phillies when John Denny reported to the clubhouse with a 101-degree fever, was the loser.

The Phillies’ only run came when Mike Schmidt hit his 30th home run. It was the 11th season in which Schmidt has hit 30 or more home runs, a feat surpassed by only three others in baseball history, Hank Aaron (15), Babe Ruth (13) and Jimmie Foxx (12).

San Francisco 7, San Diego 2--All of the Giants’ runs were unearned as the Padres played themselves out of mathematical contention in the West.

The defending N.L. champion Padres are 13 games behind the Dodgers with 12 to play.

Atlee Hammaker (5-12) won for the first time in San Diego after six straight losses and beat the Padres for the first time since June, 1983. He went six innings and allowed six hits in addition to walking five. Greg Minton and Scott Garrelts finished up.

The Padres committed four errors and left 16 runners on the bases. Mark Thurmond (6-11) took the loss.

The Giants led, 3-2, going to the ninth and broke the game open on rookie Mike Woodard’s two-run double and a two-run single by Dan Gladden.

Montreal 10, Chicago 7--Five home runs helped the Expos snap a six-game losing streak at Chicago.