National League Roundup : Tudor Defeats Expos for His Third Win, 4-2

John Tudor, with last-out help from Todd Worrell, became the major leagues’ first three-game winner when he pitched the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 victory over the Expos Friday at Montreal.

Catcher Mike Heath, who entered the game batting .050 and without a run batted in, led the Cardinal attack with three hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs.

From early June until the finish of last season, Tudor, a 32-year-old left-hander, was the best pitcher in the majors. He won 20 of his last 21 decisions in the regular season, and now it’s 23 out of 24.

Tudor gave up five hits and a run through eight innings, then yielded two hits and an unearned run in the ninth before Worrell came in to get Mitch Webster on a fly to left.

In his three starts this season, he has pitched 24 innings, given up 17 hits and allowed 4 earned runs. This is in contrast to last season, when he was 1-7 going into June. It was June 8 before he won No. 3 and he was just getting sharp.

Tudor impressed his new catcher, Heath, one of the players the Cardinals obtained from Oakland in the Joaquin Andujar deal.

“I hit against Tudor in the American League,” Heath told UPI, “and now that I’m catching him, I think he’s different. He doesn’t use his curveball as much over here.” Andre Dawson homered in the first to get the Expos off in front, but in the fourth, Jack Clark tripled and Heath doubled. Tito Landrum singled to start the sixth, and Heath homered.

“I think the Heath deal is good for us,” Manager Whitey Herzog said. “If he hits 10 home runs, I’d be satisfied.”

Pittsburgh 4, Chicago 0--The Pirates used Rick Rhoden and three relievers to do it, but they managed to spoil the Cubs’ debut at home.

Jim Morrison provided the punch, hitting a home run as part of a 4-for-4 afternoon, and the Pirates have now held the Cubs scoreless for 23 innings.

Rhoden gave up 6 hits in 6 innings to win his second game without a loss. Cecilio Guante, Pat Clements and Jim Winn also shared in the shutout.

Rick Sutcliffe, gave up three runs in the third, then settled down, but he lost his third game in a row this season.

New York 5, Philadelphia 2--Although he still hasn’t won since last May, Steve Carlton seems to be getting closer. The veteran left-hander gave up a pair of opposite-field, two-run singles to Ray Knight and George Foster and lost for the second time this season.

“I’m encouraged,” Manager John Felske said of Carlton, who is coming back from a rotator cuff injury. “That’s the closest I’ve seen to his old slider. He struck out 10, and they only hit two balls hard all night.”

Ron Darling held the Phillies to four hits in seven innings to gain the victory.

Carlton, 41, was 1-8 last season. His only win was May 20 against San Francisco.

Houston 6, Cincinnati 4--The Astros continued to hit for distance in this game at Cincinnati. Phil Garner and Alan Ashby rocked Mario Soto for home runs to beat the Reds’ ace.

Mike Scott gained his first victory after two defeats. He gave up six hits and struck out a career-high nine batters. He needed last-out help from Dave Smith, who has saved four of the Astros’ six victories.

Garner, who hit six home runs last season, has nine hits in his last 14 at-bats, including three home runs.

Soto (1-1) gave up a league-high 30 home runs last season.

San Francisco 6, San Diego 1--Jeff Leonard hit a three-run home run in the first inning at San Francisco, and Scott Garrelts pitched a three-hitter.

Garrelts, the ace of the Giants’ bullpen last season, posted his second complete game. He lost his shutout when Terry Kennedy hit a home run with one out in the ninth. The other two hits off the right-hander were doubles.