National League Roundup : Reds’ Rookie Browning Wins 20th

Tom Browning became the first rookie in 31 years to win 20 games when he pitched the Reds to a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros Saturday at Cincinnati.

Browning, who needed help from Ted Power with one out in the eighth inning, improved his record to 20-9, becoming the fourth pitcher in the league to win 20 games this season.

The last rookie 20-game winner was Bob Grim of the New York Yankees in 1954. In the National League, Harvey Haddix did it for St. Louis in 1953.

Despite their third win in a row, made possible by Buddy Bell’s three-run homer in the third, the Reds’ chances of winning the West became a little slimmer. The Dodgers also won and lead by 5 1/2 games with only eight to play.

“To me, winning the pennant is really what it’s all about,” Browning, 25, told United Press International. “I’m glad I got 20 wins, but I’d rather be in first place and have a chance to go to the World Series.

Browning figures that it is more difficult for a pitcher to win 20 now, even though there are eight more games per season, because most teams have a five-man rotation.

“If you’re in a five-man rotation you don’t get that many starts,” he said. “But most of the year we were in a four-man rotation, and that helped.

“Maybe I’m part of baseball history. I don’t know, yet. I do know it’s great to be a major leaguer and to be playing alongside Pete Rose, Dave Parker and Dave Concepcion.”

Montreal 2-2, St. Louis 0-4--After Andre Dawson’s home run and the four-hit pitching of Bill Gullickson gave the Expos the victory in the opener of a doubleheader, Manager Whitey Herzog of the Cardinals said his team had to win the nightcap.

It took them 11 innings to win for only the second time in eight games at Montreal this season, but the split left the Cardinals four games in front of the Mets in the East with seven games to play.

Darrell Porter singled home Terry Pendleton with the tiebreaking run in the 11th, and rookie Curt Ford doubled home the fourth run.

Cardinal rookie Vince Coleman stole four bases in the second game and now has 109.

In the 11th, Pendleton walked, stole second and went on to third base on catcher Ned Yost’s wild throw. Porter singled, and so did Ozzie Smith before Ford doubled.

Jeff Reardon, who pitched a scoreless ninth in the opener to save the game for Gullickson and end the Cardinals’ seven-game winning streak, was the loser in the nightcap.

Rookie Todd Worrell, who has pitched well for the Cardinals since coming up this month, pitched two scoreless innings to improve his record to 3-0.

Coleman and Willie McGee, who has 53 stolen bases, set a major league record for the most stolen bases for any two players on the same team. The Cardinals have stolen 302 bases.

New York 3, Pittsburgh 1--The Mets finally found a way to beat the Pirates and gain ground in the East, but it wasn’t easy.

Bullpen ace Jesse Orosco had to come in with the bases loaded and only one out in the bottom of the ninth at Pittsburgh. Orosco, beaten by the Cubs in the ninth inning Wednesday at Chicago, struck out Sixto Lezcano and R.J. Reynolds to save the victory for Rick Aguilera (10-6).

All three Met runs came on home runs--by George Foster, Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter.

Aguilera had a shutout until former Dodgers Reynolds and Sid Bream hit a double and a single, respectively, to provide a run in the eighth.

The Pirates had won three out of four from the Mets.

Chicago 11, Philadelphia 10--As it has most of this week, the wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field. Ron Cey and Keith Moreland of the Cubs each hit two home runs, as did Mike Schmidt of the Phillies.

San Diego 6, Atlanta 5--Rookie shortstop Andres Thomas made a wild throw with two out in the 13th inning at Atlanta, allowing two runs to score for the Padres.