National League Roundup : All-Star Starter Scott Hammered by Mets, 7-3

Before Friday night’s game at Houston, Manager Davey Johnson of the New York Mets, named Mike Scott of the Astros to start the All-Star Game Tuesday and called him the best pitcher in the National League.

Scott, for the night at least, wasn’t even the best pitcher in the game.

Although he struck out seven batters in five innings, Scott (10-5) was knocked out of the box and trounced by the Mets, 7-3. Scott threw two home run balls to Kevin McReynolds and was thoroughly outpitched by Dwight Gooden, ace of the Mets.

Gooden, still not the pitcher he was a couple of years ago, faltered after holding the Astros to two hits in five innings. He came within on out of going the distance, but settled for his sixth win in eight decisions.

Scott failed to make it through the sixth inning. A two-run shot by McReynolds, followed by Howard Johnson’s solo shot led to the demise of Scott in a five-run rally.

The pitching, for a battle between the two most recent winners of the Cy Young Award, wasn’t of All-Star caliber. Scott was hammered hard, giving up 11 hits in 5 innings.

Much of Gooden’s problems were caused by the Mets porous defense, which made three errors. But, with a chance to put the Astros away, he loaded the bases in the ninth and Jesse Orosco had to come in and strike out Bill Doran to end the game.

Doran’s homer with two out in the bottom of the ninth beat the Mets Thursday night.

The last time Scott and Gooden hooked up was in the Championship Series last fall and the pitchers prevailed that day, Scott winning, 1-0.

Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 2--Steve Bedrosian of the Phillies had a different result on the night he learned he had been picked as a pitcher in the All-Star Game.

The hard-throwwing bullpen ace pitched two scoreless innings at Atlanta against his former team to earn his 24th save, tops in the league.

“It’s satisfying to pitch well against my former team,” Bedrosian said, “but it’s an honor to make the All-Star game. I know I’m pumped up right now.”

Bedrosian was traded from the Braves to the Phillies with outfielder Milt Thompson for catcher Ozzie Virgil. Thompson also enjoyed the game, getting three hits, including a home run.

Shane Rawley became a 10-game winner with the help of Bedrosian. Doyle Alexander lost his fourth in a row for the Braves.

Montreal 5, Cincinnati 1--For all but one pitch in this game at Cincinnati, Expos’ right-hander Bryn Smith was taking something off his fastball.

“But,” he said, “I threw one in the sixth inning as hard as I could throw it and Eric Davis hit hit 430 feet.”

It was the 27th home run for the Reds slugger and was the only run off Smith (6-3), who put an end to the Reds’ eight-game winning streak over the Expos.

Andres Galarraga hit a triple, double and single and drove in two runs to lead the Expos attack.

Pittsburgh 6, San Diego 5--With two out, nobody on in the ninth at Pittsburgh and the Pirates’ leading, 5-4, Manager Jim Leyland brought bullpen ace Don Robinson in to pitch to John Kruk. Kruk hammered his 10th home run.

But Robinson hung in there and became the winner when Johnny Ray doubled in the winning run in the 11th.

Andy Van Slyke hit his 13th home run, had three other hits and drove in four of the Pirate runs.

St. Louis 7, San Francisco 5--Jack Clark hammered his 26th home run with a man on base in the 13th inning at St. Louis to give the sizzling Cardinals their ninth victory in a row.

It was the sixth consecutive extra-inning victory for the Cardinals and marked the fourth extra-inning game in a row played by the Giants.

Craig Lefferts, who worked out of a jam with two on and nobody out in the 12th, walked Tom Herr with two out in the 13th before Clark hit a 3-and-2 pitch for the game-winner.

Clark has now driven in 85 runs. Willie McGee drove in three runs for the Eastern Division leaders and now has 67.