National League Roundup : Knepper Peppers Reds, Raises Record to 4-0

Bob Knepper was a quiet winner of 15 games for the Houston Astros each of the last two seasons. On a team that finished in the middle of the pack, Knepper practically went unnoticed.

Also, on a team with the fireball king Nolan Ryan, a pitcher such as Knepper, who relies on control and cunning, isn’t going to get the headlines.

The 31-year-old left-hander is beginning to be noticed, because he is a key reason why the Astros are the surprise of the early season in the National League.

Knepper pitched a four-hitter Sunday at Houston as the Astros beat the struggling Cincinnati Reds, 6-0, and stretched their lead in the West to two games. It was the second shutout of the season for Knepper and gave him a 4-0 start.

It was the third consecutive complete-game victory for Astro pitchers over the Reds, who scored only one run and had 13 hits in the three games. Their only run was off Ryan Friday night and they have run up a string of 20 scoreless innings.

While ailing Manager Pete Rose could only sit and watch, the Reds collapsed in the field, too, in this one. Errors by rookie shortstop Kurt Stillwell and right fielder Dave Parker helped the Astros to three unearned runs in the first two innings.

It was the seventh loss in the last eight games for the Reds.

In his four starts, Knepper has been scored on in only one inning. He gave up three runs in the fifth inning of an 8-3 win over the San Francisco Giants April 15. He has pitched 27 scoreless innings.

“It feels good to win early, but your wins in July and August is what matters, and we have a long way to go,” Knepper told the Associated Press.

The Astros have won 10 of their last 12 games, but rookie manager Hal Lanier is not ready to claim the pennant.

“It’s so early, it’s hard to get too high because we have played so well,” he said. “But we have to be pleased with the way the team is playing.

“Bob is the winningest pitcher in the league and had complete command of the game today. It makes a manager look good.”

New York 5, St. Louis 3--Nothing could be going better for the Mets after a sweep of the four games in St. Louis increased their lead in the East to 4 1/2 games.

Rookie Kevin Mitchell and Tim Teufel hit home runs to hand John Tudor his first loss of the season and end his 18-game Busch Stadium winning streak. The Mets have won nine in a row, the Cardinals have lost seven in a row.

Tudor, who had won 14 straight in the regular season, three of them this season, retired the first nine batters before Mitchell hit a drive deep into the left-field seats for his first home run. An error by shortstop Ozzie Smith contributed to two more runs in the fourth inning.

Bob Ojeda improved his record to 3-0 with his first complete game.

“That kid Mitchell looks like he knows what that bat’s all about,” Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog said. “He really hit that change-up.”

San Diego 6, San Francisco 4--Tony Gwynn hit two home runs in a game for the first time in his career and drove in three runs at San Diego.

Dave Dravecky had a shutout going through seven innings, but the Giants scored three times in the eighth and had the bases loaded with nobody out when Rich Gossage came to the rescue. Gossage retired six consecutive batters, with the Giants’ fourth run coming home on a ground out.

Gwynn’s seventh-inning home run gave the Padres a 6-0 lead against Mike Krukow (3-1).

Pittsburgh 13, Philadelphia 5--The Phillies’ defense collapsed on Steve Carlton in a seven-run second inning at Pittsburgh that enabled the Pirates to end a five-game losing streak.

First baseman Von Hayes let Sid Bream’s grounder go through his legs with the bases loaded to trigger the big inning, and there were two more errors before the side was retired.

Bill Almon, who hit a two-run double in the second, hit his second home run in two days in the fourth inning off Carlton. In five innings, Carlton gave up eight runs, only three of which were earned.

Eight of the Pirates’ 15 hits were doubles. Almon hit the only home run.

Chicago 12, Montreal 10--The Cubs gave Jody Davis the day off Saturday, hoping it might wake up his sleeping bat. It worked better than expected.

On Sunday, Davis hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in this slugfest at Chicago. With a 19-m.p.h. wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, there were six home runs in the game.

Davis’ second home run triggered a five-run rally that made a loser out of bullpen ace Jeff Reardon. Pinch-hitter Steve Christmas had a two-run double that put the Cubs in front, 10-9.

There were 26 hits in the game. There were nine doubles in addition to the six homers.