National League Roundup : Strawberry Sits Again; Mets Win Anyway, 9-6

With or without Darryl Strawberry, the New York Mets intend to make a run at the St. Louis Cardinals.

Len Dykstra hit a two-run pinch single to cap a three-run sixth inning, and Gary Carter belted a pair of home runs Wednesday night to power the Mets to a 9-6 victory over the Cardinals at New York.

Strawberry angered teammates by sitting out his second straight game--both Met victories--with the flu as the Mets climbed within 5 1/2 games of the Cardinals in the NL East. Despite his illness, Strawberry worked in a recording studio on a rock video Tuesday.

“I’m a little upset, and the rest of the team is, too,” said Lee Mazzilli, who played right field for Strawberry in both games, in an interview Wednesday night. “Tuesday’s game was probably the most important game of the season for the Mets, and there’s times when you’re not feeling well, but there’s times when you’ve got to go out there and fight through them.

“It’s easy to play at 100%, but not everybody plays at 100%. Keith Hernandez spent hours (Tuesday) giving depositions for his divorce case. He wasn’t 100% mentally, and he went out and played. Wally Backman’s not 100%. He’s got a hamstring pull, but he went out and played. That kid Keith Miller had a dislocated finger, and he played.

“I happen to care about Darryl, and I do like him. But this is a team, and he let down the manager and the coaches, and most of all, his teammates.”

Strawberry, who was in uniform Wednesday night, declined to be interviewed. He is hitting .268 with 20 home runs and 48 runs batted in.

Trailing, 5-3, in the sixth inning, the Mets took control with three runs. Carter greeted reliever Bill Dawley (4-6) with his 10th home run of the season on the first pitch.

With one out, Mazzilli bunted for a single, and Howard Johnson singled him to second. Pinch-hitter Dave Magadan walked to load the bases. Rick Horton replaced Dawley, and Dykstra singled to left for two runs.

Randy Myers (1-3) worked two-thirds of an inning for his first major league victory. The left-hander struck out the two batters he faced to end a sixth-inning rally. Roger McDowell pitched three innings for his 10th save.

Carter’s two-run homer, his second home run of the game and 11th of the season, gave the Mets an 8-5 lead in the seventh. New York added a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Hernandez.

Cincinnati 6, Houston 4--Ron Oester’s two-run single capped a four-run sixth inning, and the Reds beat the Astros at Cincinnati to increase their lead in the West to 2 1/2 games.

The game was halted by rain delays of 28 minutes in the fifth inning and 2 hours 21 minutes in the seventh.

The Reds swept the two-game set and are 9-3 against the Astros this season.

The Astros scored twice in the second off Cincinnati’s Ted Power, who was forced from the game after the inning because of muscle spasms in his neck and upper back. Kevin Bass and Jose Cruz hit consecutive doubles for one run, and Cruz scored on Craig Reynolds’ sacrifice fly for the other. Alan Ashby’s homer in the fourth made it 3-0.

Danny Darwin (4-5), who allowed the Reds just one hit and retired 13 consecutive batters before the fifth-inning rain delay, didn’t retire a batter in the sixth.

Terry Francona and Bo Diaz each had RBI singles for the Reds in the sixth, and Oester’s hit put Cincinnati ahead to stay.

Philadelphia 11, Pittsburgh 4--Juan Samuel hit a pair of two-run homers, and pitcher Shane Rawley had a two-run triple at Philadelphia as the Phillies won their fifth straight game.

Rawley (9-5), who hit his triple in the sixth, allowed 10 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings, striking out 2 and walking 1.

Pirate starter Dorn Taylor (2-3) gave up four runs before leaving the game in the fifth inning with a muscle strain in his right side.

Atlanta 8, San Francisco 3--Ozzie Virgil and Andres Thomas each drove in two runs as the Braves beat the Giants at San Francisco.

Rick Mahler (5-8) scattered 9 hits and struck out 4 while handing the Giants their 10th defeat in their last 13 home games.

Mike LaCoss (6-5), who has not won since June 2, was hit for five runs in the fourth inning. Thomas singled home two runs, Graig Nettles hit a run-scoring double and Virgil and Gerald Perry had RBI singles.

Chicago 1, Montreal 0--Jerry Mumphrey hit a one-out homer in the ninth inning, and Greg Maddux threw a four-hitter as the Cubs beat the Expos at Montreal.

Mumphrey’s sixth home run of the season spoiled a 14-strikeout, 3-hit performance by Bob Sebra (4-9). Maddux (5-7) walked one and struck out two.