National League Roundup : Carter Is Hurt, Hurdle Is Beaned by Gooden as Cardinals Beat Mets

Long ago, the New York Mets made a runaway of the National League East. And the way the ball is bouncing lately, it’s a good thing they have built a big lead.

Early in the season, while the defending league champion St. Louis Cardinals were playing atrociously, the Mets, avoiding injury, were piling up victories. They were wondering out loud if they weren’t a super team.

Lately, though, the Cardinals are playing the best ball in the majors, and the injury bug has finally struck the Mets.

Saturday, rookie John Morris, for the second game in a row, had the key hit at New York, this time in the 11th inning to give the hot Cardinals a 3-1 victory. The Mets not only lost the game, they also lost catcher Gary Carter for at least 15 days with a partial tear of a ligament in his left thumb.

After stroking a two-run single in the 10th Friday night, Morris, brought up when Willie McGee was hurt, came right back to get a run-scoring triple in this one.

He made a winner out of Greg Mathews (9-3), whose bid for his first major league shutout disappeared when the Mets’ Lee Mazzilli hit a one-out homer in the ninth.

The Cardinals also had an injury to worry about. Clint Hurdle was knocked briefly unconscious by a Dwight Gooden fastball that hit him in the helmet. X-rays were negative, and Hurdle was released from the hospital.

Mazzilli’s homer saved Gooden from another defeat. Gooden pitched well, giving up four hits and a run in eight innings but departed trailing, 1-0.

On occasion, the Mets play Carter, their team leader in home runs (19) and the league leader in runs batted in (87), at first base, figuring he will avoid injury there. That’s what they did Saturday, but in diving for a Mike Lavalliere grounder in the third inning, Carter jammed his thumb.

The thumb was put in a cast, and the Mets expect Carter back in 15 days. Carter isn’t so sure. “I’m sure it will take some time,” he said. “It may be cutting it close to playoff time.”

The Cardinals’ Terry Pendleton opened the 11th with a single off Roger McDowell (12-7), and Morris ripped a triple down the right-field line. Morris scored on an infield out.

After Cardinal reliever Pat Perry gave up a hit and a walk to start the bottom of the inning, Todd Worrell came on to get three outs and his 27th save.

The Cardinals, reaching the .500 mark for the first time since early in the season, have won 20 of their last 26 games.

Houston 7, Atlanta 4--Things are going so well for the Astros that even Matt Keough won’t be denied. In this game at Atlanta, which was delayed at the start by rain, Keough won his first game as a starting pitcher in almost three years as the Astros increased their lead in the West to six games.

Keough had a one-hitter and a 5-0 lead with two out in the sixth. But the Braves’ Ken Oberkfell singled and Dale Murphy hit his 22nd home run. The bullpen took over to get Keough his first win as a starter since Sept. 27, 1983.

Kevin Bass had a triple, his 17th home run and drove in three runs to pace the Astro offense.

Pittsburgh 6-0, Philadelphia 1-6--Tom Hume, making his first start in more than two years, yielded only one hit in six innings in the second game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia to give the Phillies a split.

Hume lost his no-hitter with one out in the sixth, and reliever Kent Tekulve finished with three hitless innings. Mike Schmidt hit his 26th home run.

In the opener, Sid Bream drove in four Pirate runs with a home run and three singles and Rick Rhoden (13-7) pitched a five-hitter.

Chicago 5, Montreal 0--Jim Wohlford’s bloop single with one out in the seventh inning at Montreal ended Jamie Moyer’s bid for a no-hitter, but the Cub rookie pitched a two-hitter to improve his record to 4-3. Wohlford got the other hit, too, singling in the ninth.

Moyer, who entered the game with a 6.09 earned-run average, faced only 30 batters, striking out four and walking nobody.

Cincinnati 4, San Diego 1--Buddy Bell hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning at Cincinnati to give Bill Gullickson (9-8) the victory. Bell, who hit two home runs Friday in the first game of a doubleheader, has hit safely in 14 games in a row..

Bell’s 12th home run made a loser of Ed Whitson, who is 1-5 since returning to the Padres.