National League Roundup : Astros Add to Cardinals’ Troubles, Hand Them 4-3 Defeat

Last season, when the St. Louis Cardinals had the best record in the majors, they excelled in pitching, hitting and defense.

Only the Dodgers had a better earned-run average. The Cardinals had the best batting average and scored the most runs in the National League, and almost everyone agreed that they had one of the best defensive teams ever to come along.

This season, the Cardinals are nearly the worst team in the league.

Although 21-game winner Joaquin Andujar is gone, the pitching has held up rather well. Only three teams have a lower ERA than the Cardinals.

The hitting has been atrocious. In the latest slump, the defense is falling apart.

Pinch-hitter Craig Reynolds hit a two-out triple on an 0-2 pitch in the 11th inning Wednesday at St. Louis to drive in Glenn Davis and give the Houston Astros a 4-3 victory.

It was the fourth win in a row for the leaders of the West and the fourth straight loss for the Cardinals.

When an error by second baseman Tommy Herr in the first inning helped the Astros score an unearned run, it marked the 10th consecutive game in which the Cardinals have made an error. Tuesday night, they lost when shortstop Ozzie Smith, as reliable a defender as there is in the game, made a throwing error in the ninth to allow the winning run to score.

Manager Whitey Herzog, who has seen his club lose 11 of the last 14, is inclined to blame the lack of hitting. In this game, the Cardinals had seven hits in the first five innings, then didn’t have another.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Herzog told UPI. “We just can’t get a hit with a man on base. When you’re bad, you’re bad; there’s no use denying it. We’re in last place, aren’t we?

“In the seventh, we have runners on second and third, nobody out, Jack Clark up and we don’t score. That’s just one of our problems. Nothing’s going right.”

A flawless defense might have enabled John Tudor to win. He pitched eight innings, giving up just five hits and two earned runs.

The loss dropped the Cardinals into the cellar in the East, 14 games behind the New York Mets.

Chicago 5, Cincinnati 0--The pitching of Rick Sutcliffe is giving the Cubs new hope. In this game at Chicago the big right-hander became the first Cub pitcher in more than a year to throw consecutive complete games.

Last Friday, Sutcliffe (3-6) pitched a five-hitter to beat Houston, 4-1, and he bettered that with his four-hit shutout. After starting the season 1-6, he appears to have regained his form. His 13th career shutout gave him a 7-1 record against the Reds.

Davey Lopes drove in two runs, and Jody Davis hit his ninth home run as the Cubs jumped on Bill Gullickson for all of their runs and eight hits in four innings.

“I’m just happy because we’re playing better,” Sutcliffe said. “I know the Mets have a big lead, but we’re moving.”

Pittsburgh 4, Atlanta 3--It figured that if the Pirates were going to beat the Braves, Larry McWilliams would have to do it.

McWilliams, a former Brave who has never lost to them, improved to 6-0 against them with the help of Jose DeLeon and ended the Pirates’ six-game losing streak at Pittsburgh.

McWilliams gave up five hits, including home runs by Terry Harper and Andres Thomas, in seven innings, and DeLeon retired the last six Braves for his first save.

The winning run was scored in the sixth when relief pitcher Craig McMurtry uncorked a wild pitch with Johnny Ray on third base.

San Diego 10, Montreal 1--Terry Kennedy hit a three-run home run, and Steve Garvey and Carmelo Martinez each had three hits to lead the Padres to an easy victory at Montreal.

LaMarr Hoyt (2-1) had an eight-hit shutout with two out in the ninth. But Herm Winningham hit a home run, and Tim Wallach followed with a triple, so Hoyt didn’t even get a complete game.

Garvey had another big night, driving in three runs and scoring two others. Jerry Royster hit a two-run home run for the Padres.

Philadelphia 4, San Francisco 0--Shane Rawley pitched a four-hitter and struck out six at Philadelphia to improve his record to 6-4. A four-run first inning gave the left-hander a cushion, and he handled the Giants rather easily.