National League Roundup : Bases-Loaded Walk Helps Cardinals Win in 17

When Floyd Youmans walked four Chicago batters in three innings Thursday, the Montreal Expos took him out of the starting rotation and sent him to the bullpen.

After what happened Saturday in the 17th inning at Montreal, the high school teammate of Dwight Gooden may never get out of the bullpen.

Youmans, a hard-throwing right-hander, walked Tim Conroy, a pitcher who had not batted in a game since high school, with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run, and the St. Louis Cardinals went on to gain a 9-6 victory.

In a game that had already lasted more than five hours, Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog was running out of players and decided to let Conroy, his pitcher, bat with the bases loaded and two out. The walk, on a 3-and-2 count, was the fourth issued by Youmans, who had been sharp in 2 innings before walking three batters in a row--the first, Ozzie Smith, on purpose.

Willie McGee followed Conroy’s walk with a single to left to score two more runs and assure Conroy his first victory since 1984. The left-hander, who came to the Cardinals as part of the Joaquin Andujar trade with Oakland, pitched three perfect innings.

“The last time I hit in a game was eight years ago in high school,” Conroy said. “I didn’t feel safe until Willie (McGee) came through with his hit.”

The Cardinals, who are 7-1, best in the majors, are already reaping dividends on the Andujar trade. Catcher Mike Heath, the key man for the Cardinals, was the hitting star in a 4-2 victory Friday, when he had three hits, including a home run.

“I’m happy with Conroy, too,” Herzog said. “He’s a pretty good hitter. He showed us that in spring training. He pitched well out there today. I would have no hesitation using him as a starter if I find a spot for him.”

Conroy, bothered by a sore shoulder during the spring, was taken off the injured list Friday. The way he threw against the Expos, he didn’t appear to have any problem.

The Cardinals, who sent the game into extra innings when Vince Coleman singled home Smith in the ninth, missed two earlier chances to win.

In the 13th, Coleman doubled in a run, only to have the Expos tie it on Vance Law’s run-scoring double. In the 14th, Jack Clark homered. But in the home half, former Cardinal Tom Nieto singled home Andre Dawson to tie it again.

The longest game of the season deprived television fans of the chance to see the Angels. The Angel-Minnesota game was to have been the second half of the NBC doubleheader. It was over before the Cardinal-Expo game.

Pittsburgh 14, Chicago 8--R.J. Reynolds was in tears late last season when he learned the Dodgers had traded him to the Pirates. The switch-hitting outfielder is laughing now.

While the Dodgers are losing, the Pirates, with Reynolds playing a key role, are off to a surprisingly good start.

In this game at Chicago, Reynolds celebrated his 26th birthday by hitting his first major league grand slam to help the Pirates improve their record to 5-2.

Reynolds also had two singles and drove in another run in the four-run seventh inning. Another former Dodger, Sid Bream, also hit a home run.

Rick Reuschel gave up nine hits but only two earned runs in seven innings against his old mates to improve his record to 2-1.

New York 3, Philadelphia 2--Dwight Gooden didn’t talk about his non-baseball problems, but obviously they aren’t affecting his pitching. In this game at New York, he pitched a six-hitter and struck out 10 to improve his record to 2-0.

When asked about an airport incident earlier in the week involving his sister and his fiancee, Gooden said he wanted to talk only about baseball.

That’s what loser Shane Rawley wanted to talk about, too. After falling behind on Gary Carter’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning, Rawley was critical of Philadelphia Manager John Felske.

“First, he had the first and third basemen guarding the lines, and I was throwing low stuff trying to make them hit ground balls up the middle,” he said. “Then, I couldn’t believe he would take me out after Carter’s hit.”

Houston 4, Cincinnati 3--Phil Garner continued his hot hitting with a two-run double in a four-run first inning at Cincinnati that enabled Bob Knepper (3-0) to win his 100th major league game.

Garner has gone 11 for 18 in his last five games and driven in 11 runs. He is a big reason why the Astros, usually slow starting, lead the West with a 7-3 record.

San Francisco 6, San Diego 5--The Giants, the surprise team of the West, spotted the Padres a 5-0 lead at San Francisco, then battled back for their third consecutive victory.

Chris Brown hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to bring the Giants from behind. It was a 400-foot drive on the first pitch delivered by Lance McCullers, who had just relieved Eric Show.