National League Roundup : Fernandez Wins, Is Halfway to 20

In recent years, 20-game winners have not been plentiful in the National League. There were four last season, but there have been only 12 since 1977. So far in the ‘80s, there have been two seasons without any 20-game winners in the league.

But the New York Mets, with a second half of the season like the first, could wind up with four of them this season. With the halfway mark still more than a week away, the Mets have four starters who have already won eight or more games.

Would you believe the pitcher with the most wins on the staff is Sid Fernandez? The former Dodger left-hander became the Mets’ first 10-game winner Tuesday night at St. Louis when he went seven strong innings in a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.

Fernandez is 10-2, Ron Darling is 8-2 and Bob Ojeda is 9-2. The one pitcher the Mets expected to easily win 20 is Dwight Gooden, who is 9-3.

Fernandez gave up nine hits in seven innings, walked only one and struck out five to win his fifth game in a row. Roger McDowell pitched two hitless innings for his seventh save. Back-to-back doubles by Mike Heath and Tito Landrum in the fifth inning accounted for the only St. Louis run.

Mookie Wilson homered for the first Met run, and Danny Heep singled in the other.

Already the Met starters are being compared with the Baltimore staff of 1971. That team produced four 20-game winners--Dave McNally (21-5), Jim Palmer (20-9), Pat Dobson (20-8) and Mike Cuellar (20-9). At the end of June that year, they had the following records: McNally, 12-4; Palmer, 10-4, Cuellar, 11-1, and Dobson only 6-4.

The Orioles used only four starters, but Met Manager Davey Johnson goes with a five-man rotation. It may deprive someone of a chance at 20.

“This is a good staff,” said Johnson, who played for the 1971 Orioles. “But it’s early. Last year, I think we were third in the league in pitching. This year, we’re leading. I don’t like to use 70 games to draw comparisons and say this is a great staff. I don’t want to compare it with the Baltimore staff until it does the job for the full year.”

The big surprise has been Fernandez. He is a husky left-hander who throws hard but is often betrayed by control problems. Last season he was 9-9.

The rap against Fernandez was that at the first sign of trouble he would come apart. It is no longer true.

“There’s a lot of bulldog in him you don’t see,” Johnson said. “Since we’ve acquired him, he’s made as much improvement as any pitcher on our staff.”

Catcher Cary Carter credits Fernandez’s success to his ability to get the changeup over the plate. “Many times out there,” Carter said, “he actually freezes the hitter. They don’t swing at his curve or his change because they’re geared for his fastball.”

Although he’s hitting only .256, the Cardinals’ fleet outfielder Vince Coleman stole his 50th base.

San Francisco 9, Atlanta 6--The Giants have felt all season that Candy Maldonado hits better as a reserve than as a starter, and Maldonado keeps making them look good.

In this game at Atlanta, Maldonado hit a pinch home run in the ninth inning to tie the score, then hit a two-run single in the top of the 10th to win the game and put the Giants back on top in the hot race in the West.

“We’ve got to keep that thought in his mind (that Maldonado hits better coming off the bench),” Giant Manager Roger Craig said.

It was the fifth time this season that the former Dodger has made the game-winning hit for the surprising Giants. The home-run was his sixth and his fourth as a pinch-hitter.

The game-tying home run came off Gene Garber, who had checked a rally in the eighth and has done so well coming out of the bullpen in place of ailing Bruce Sutter.

San Diego 7, Houston 4--Eric Show has arm trouble, but it isn’t preventing the pitcher from doing his part in the Padres drive toward the top in the West.

Show barely made it through five innings to improve his record to 7-4, but it was enough to knock the Astros out of first place at Houston.

“I had a bad arm when I was warming up,” Show said. “I couldn’t break a pane of glass, but I knew it and I planned for it.”

Show gave up only three hits but he walked four, and Manager Steve Boros went to his bullpen. Rich Gossage got the last two outs to get his 14th save and put the Padres just 2 1/2 games back.

Philadelphia 5, Pittsburgh 4--Mike Schmidt led off the 12th inning at Pittsburgh with his 15th home run to give the Phillies the win in a game that officially took 4 hours 20 minutes to play, not counting a rain delay of nearly an hour in the 12th.

The Phillies scored twice in the top of the 10th, but the Pirates tied it when Steve Bedrosian made two wild pitches with runners on third.

Chicago 0, Montreal 0 (suspended)--It was getting rainy and dark in Chicago, and umpire Doug Harvey was concerned with the safety of the players, so he ordered a halt after seven innings.

The game will be resumed in the eighth inning today. Scott Sanderson of the Cubs and Andy McGaffigan both pitched seven scoreless innings.