National League Roundup : Venable’s Home Run Gives Reds 4-1 Victory

Max Venable, a career reserve, has been fighting for a starting spot since coming to the majors. Now he’s fighting for his job.

Venable, struggling through an unproductive season, continued his late surge with a three-run homer Wednesday night at Atlanta to power the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

“I want to finish on a good note,” said Venable, who has driven in five runs in his last two games and raised his average to .206. “I don’t have a whole lot to show for this year. I want to try to redeem myself the rest of the year.”

Venable finished third in the league in pinch-hitting last season with a .371 average. He hit .289 overall to win the job as the Reds’ top left-handed pinch-hitter and occasional starter.

This season, Venable is hitting just .160 off the bench.

Venable’s third-inning homer off Rick Mahler (13-17) was his first in 264 at-bats, or since Aug. 16, 1984, when he was with Montreal.

Ted Power (8-6) scattered four hits in 7 innings for his fourth consecutive victory. Power is 4-1 in eight starts for the Reds this season after 229 consecutive relief appearances since 1983.

Chicago 8, New York 2--Drew Hall pitched a six-hitter for his first major league victory, and Ryne Sandberg drove in three runs with two singles as the Cubs turned back the Mets at Chicago.

Hall (1-1), recently called up from the Cubs’ Class AA Pittsfield farm club in the Eastern League where he had an 8-11 record, struck out eight and walked two as he outpitched Rick Aguilera (8-7).

Hall also got his first major league hit, an infield single, to load the bases in the seventh inning, and Chico Walker followed with a two-run single to give Chicago a 4-0 lead. Sandberg added another two-run single, and Jody Davis drove in a fifth run with the Cubs’ sixth single in the inning.

Gary Carter hit a two-run homer, his 22nd, with two out in the eighth for the Mets’ runs. Chicago’s Shawon Dunston led off the bottom of the eighth with his 17th homer.

Pittsburgh 2, Montreal 1--U.L. Washington’s run-scoring single with two out in the eighth gave the Pirates a victory over the Expos at Pittsburgh.

Don Robinson (3-4) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the inning and got the victory. Reliever Doug McClure (2-4) took the loss.

Andre Dawson doubled home a run for the Expos in the first, and Johnny Ray tied it for the Pirates with an RBI single in the third.

St. Louis 7, Philadelphia 1--John Morris hit his first major league home run, and Andy Van Slyke also homered as the Cardinals routed the Phillies at St. Louis.

The Cardinals’ Danny Cox (11-12) went the distance for the seventh time this season. Philadelphia’s Kevin Gross (11-12) was knocked out in the third inning after allowing five runs.