National League Roundup : Krukow Beats Cubs for First Win

Mike Krukow won his first game of the season and Jeffrey Leonard hit a two-run homer at Chicago as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cubs, 6-2, Tuesday to win their third straight game.

The win, combined with Atlanta’s win over Cincinnati, put the Giants back into first place in the National League West, a half-game ahead of the Reds.

Krukow (1-3) gave up seven hits, walked one and had one strikeout while going the distance for the first time since last September.

“Just before the game (Giant coach) Don Zimmer rubbed the baseball, handed it to me and said the last time he’d done that, Luis Tiant won seven in a row,” Krukow said. “I said, ‘Don, why didn’t you just do that three games ago?”’

The loss snapped the Cubs’ three-game winning streak.

Both Chicago runs came in the seventh on consecutive home runs by Leon Durham and Jody Davis. The blast extended Durham’s consecutive-game home run streak to four and the club’s to seven.

They also came after home plate umpire Jim Quick warned Krukow about a high inside fastball to Durham.

“That’s between me and Durham,” Krukow said of the incident. “I really don’t want to comment on that.”

Atlanta 7, Cincinnati 3--Rafael Ramirez went 4 for 5 and drove in three runs, including a two-run single during a six-run rally in the fifth inning at Cincinnati, as the Braves ended the Reds’ four-game winning streak.

Ramirez was hitting just .220 at game time with nine hits for the season. His four singles Tuesday raised his average to .283.

The Braves sent 11 batters to the plate in the fifth to overcome a 2-1 deficit, with Ramirez’s two-run single putting them ahead to stay.

The Braves had lost eight of their previous nine games, including three of four against San Francisco in a series inwhich Atlanta batted .285 but grounded into 15 double plays.

“The difference was that we didn’t hit into double plays,” Brave Manager Chuck Tanner said. “In our previous series, we had men on base all over the joint, but we hit it at ‘em and they turned it over for double plays.”

Randy O’Neal (2-0) scattered 10 hits and gave up three runs over seven innings, struck out five and walked one. Jeff Dedmon pitched the final two innings.

Tom Browning (2-3) took the loss.

Cincinnati got a solo homer from Eric Davis, his sixth home run of the year, in the second and a solo shot from Tracy Jones, his second of the season, in the third.

Montreal 7, Philadelphia 1--Floyd Youmans hit a solo homer and combined with Andy McGaffigan on a four-hitter as the Expos beat the Phillies at Philadelphia in a game twice delayed by rain.

Youmans (1-2) allowed only three hits over six innings, struck out seven and walked none. McGaffigan gave up one hit in the final three innings, recording his third save and extending his streak of shutout innings to 13.

Joe Cowley (0-4) took the loss. In 11 innings this season, Cowley, acquired in a preseason trade with the Chicago White Sox, has allowed 17 hits, walked 15, and has a 13.91 earned-run average.

San Diego 5, St. Louis 2--Ed Whitson pitched six strong innings and Steve Garvey drove in three runs as the Padres beat the Cardinals at St. Louis.

The Padres, last in the National League in hitting and runs scored, reached Cardinal starter Tim Conroy (0-1) for seven hits and five runs in 4 innings.

Whitson (3-2) gave up five hits, struck out four and walked two before getting relief help from Dave Dravecky and Lance McCullers. It was Whitson’s first victory over the Cardinals since 1984 and his first in four career decisions at Busch Stadium.

Garvey, batting .182 with three runs batted in, had a run-scoring double in the first and a two-run single in the fifth.