National League Roundup : Murphy Is Back as Braves Blast Cubs, 9-5

Davey Johnson hasn’t had much success straightening out his New York Mets this season, but he has been a positive influence on the Atlanta Braves.

The Met manager ruffled the Braves recently with a remark after a Braves win over his team. “When a mediocre team beats you, that’s awful,” he said.

Atlanta Manager Chuck Tanner credits the solid play of the Braves, at least in part, to Johnson’s remark. The Braves have also been helped by Dale Murphy’s fast start.

Murphy, who had what for him was a poor season in 1986, hit two home runs Friday at Chicago to lead the Braves to a 9-5 victory over the Cubs.

Dion James, also doing well early, hit a three-run home run as the Braves took full advantage of the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field.

Murphy had only 29 home runs last season, his lowest total in five years, hit only .265 and drove in only 83 runs, the first time since the 1981 strike-shortened season that he failed to drive in at least 100 runs.

Murphy hit a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run drive in the fifth, raising his season total to 13 home runs. Although he is hitting .318 and has driven in 26 runs, Murphy, 31, is not happy with his season to date.

“I’ve had a lot of chances with guys on base this year, but I’m only batting about .200 (in that position),” Murphy told UPI. “I’m still striking out too many times. It seems like a million times.

“It’s hard not to think home run in this park. You try not to because you tend to lift the ball up too much. With all the home runs hit here, though, you can’t avoid it.”

Gerald Perry also homered for the Braves, who hit four out to one for the Cubs, Leon Durham’s 11th of the year. Overall, the Cubs have hit 25 homers at Wrigley, the opposition 15 in 19 games.

James, obtained in a deal with Milwaukee last winter, was playing his first game in Wrigley Field.

“You see on TV all the guys banging them out of here,” James said. “I’m glad I was able to knock one out. We’re scoring a lot of runs and getting on base for the really big guys like Murphy to knock them out.”

David Palmer (4-4) had a shutout until the sixth when Perry’s error opened the door for three Chicago runs and sent Palmer to the showers. Jim Acker went the last 3 innings.

San Francisco 2, Philadelphia 1--Atlee Hammaker is having success in his bid to become the first pitcher to make a successful comeback from rotator cuff surgery.

Hammaker, in just his second start since October, 1985, gave up three hits in six innings to improve his record to 2-1.

The 29-year-old left-hander was a promising pitcher in 1982 and 1983 before injuries began to plague him. He appeared in only six games in 1984 and was 5-12 in 1985 before undergoing surgery and sitting out last season.

After two impressive relief appearances, he made his first start last Sunday, going only 4 innings in a losing effort.

Friday night he was almost flawless through six innings, then put the first two runners on in the seventh before Scott Garrelts took over.

Pittsburgh 4, Cincinnati 1--In his third start for the Reds, former Dodger Jerry Reuss pitched brilliantly but had nothing to show for seven strong innings at Cincinnati.

Reuss was not around when Pirate pitcher Rick Reuschel broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth career home run in the eighth inning. Reuschel hit his home run off Ron Robinson with two out.

Reuschel didn’t come out for the bottom of the eighth, giving way to John Smiley, who pitched two shutout innings. The Reds’ loss was their fourth in the last six games.

The only run for the Reds was Kal Daniels’ 10th home run leading off the bottom of the first inning.

St. Louis 7, Houston 5--Nolan Ryan struck out 11 batters in 6 innings at Houston, only to lose because an old problem, wildness, came back to haunt him.

Ryan walked Jack Clark with the bases loaded in the seventh to enable the Cardinals to break a 1-1 tie.

Tim Conroy, doing a remarkable job subbing for injured John Tudor, won his third in a row for the Cardinals. He went 6 innings before Rick Horton took over. Todd Worrell, whose ERA is around 8.00, got the last out for his ninth save.

San Diego 5, Montreal 3--Marvell Wynne’s pinch-hit double drove in two runs and snapped a seventh-inning tie at San Diego to give Andy Hawkins (2-5) his second straight victory, his first home win since last Aug. 19.

Carmelo Martinez, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games, pulled the Padres even at 3-3 in the sixth inning when he hit his fourth home run of the season.