National League Roundup : Stillwell’s First Homer Is a Grand Slam--Reds Edge Astros, 9-8

It was a night for milestone home runs Friday.

Mike Schmidt hit No. 499 at Philadelphia, and Dave Parker hit No. 250 at Cincinnati.

The one shortstop Kurt Stillwell hit at Cincinnati was only his first, but it was a grand slam and was the decisive blow in the Reds’ 9-8 victory over Houston. The Reds (7-2) lead the West.

Stillwell had batted more than 300 times in the majors and had been pressing when he came up in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and the Astros leading, 6-5.

Aurelio Lopez had just walked Bo Diaz to force in a run, and Cincinnati Manager Pete Rose yelled from the dugout for Stillwell to expect a fastball. Stillwell did, and Lopez made a prophet of the manager.

The fastball sailed over the fence and gave the Reds the lead for good.

“I’ve been too tight, and when I’m not having fun, I don’t play well,” Stillwell, a second-year player filling in for injured Barry Larkin, said. “I’m happy now. I’m not quite as tight. It’ll definitely loosen me up. It’s a lot of fun to hit a home run.

“Pete not only said Lopez would throw me a fastball, he said it would be right down the middle. I sat back and looked for it right there. It was right there.”

Stillwell’s homer capped a 12-hit attack that included Parker’s three-run home run. Parker hit his in the first inning, but it still left him a long way behind Schmidt.

The Astros, who made just three errors in their first nine games, made two in the first inning before Parker homered.

Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 2--It was only the second win in 10 games this season for the struggling Phillies and it wasn’t easy.

Schmidt led off the second inning at Pittsburgh with his fourth home run of the season and needs only one more to become the 14th slugger to hit 500 career home runs.

But the Pirates, on singles by Johnny Ray and Jim Morrison and a sacrifice fly by Mike Diaz, tied the score in the eighth.

In the 10th, singles by Chris James, Luis Aguayo and John Russell broke the 2-2 deadlock, and Milt Thompson tripled home two more to make it a big rally.

Steve Bedrosian (2-1) went 1 innings to win in relief. He has both Phillie victories.

“The 500th home run is not prominent in my mind,” Schmidt said. “Winning is what’s important. But, it will be nice to get it out of the way.”

St. Louis 4, New York 3--The Mets’ battery of Bob Ojeda and Gary Carter held two meetings at the mound to decide what to pitch to Tommy Herr in the fifth inning at St. Louis.

The meeting of the minds was not a success. Herr slapped a two-out single up the middle to drive in two runs and give the Cardinals the victory.

“It was a good pitch, a changeup down and away,” Herr said, “I thought that’s what he would throw me. I did about what I could with it and hit it the only place I could.”

One of the runners who scored was John Tudor, the winning pitcher. Tudor (2-1) gave up nine hits in six innings, and Rick Horton gave up three more in the last three.

The Mets, who had hit home runs in each of their first eight games, didn’t get one for the first time.

Chicago 7, Montreal 0--Since 1984, when he had a 16-1 record after joining the Cubs, Rick Sutcliffe has had trouble putting together two games in a row.

Due in part to his hitting, Sutcliffe won his second straight, giving up just four hits in this game at Chicago. In his previous start, he gave up a run and five hits in eight innings.

Sutcliffe (2-1) drove in three runs with a double and a single and stole a base. Jody Davis had four hits, including a two-run home run.

“I care about hitting and work at it,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s a big part of the game for me.”

Atlanta 2, San Francisco 0--Zane Smith pitched a four-hitter at San Francisco for his first victory as a starter since last July, when he also beat the Giants.

After that, he was 1-7, with the win in relief.

Mike Krukow struck out eight in eight innings, but Andres Thomas delivered a two-run single in the first, making Krukow the loser.