National League Roundup : Cardinals Win on Herr’s Hit, 4-3

It may be too late for New York and Montreal to catch the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League East. The Cardinals are winning games the way they did before they went into a skid in late July.

The slump began when Manager Roger Craig of the San Francisco Giants started pitching around the Cardinals’ one power hitter, Jack Clark. It worked for a four-game sweep, and other clubs started doing it with similar results.

It didn’t work Friday night at St. Louis. After Ken Griffey hit a home run in the top of the ninth inning off bullpen ace Todd Worrell (7-6) to get Atlanta even, 3-3, the Braves gave an intentional walk to Clark with Ozzie Smith on second and two out in the bottom of the ninth.

Tommy Herr, not in the starting lineup because of an infected foot, looped a pinch single into left field. Smith and left fielder Griffey’s throw reached the plate at the same time, but when catcher Ozzie Virgil didn’t hold onto the ball, the Cardinals had their third win in a row, 4-3, and sixth in their last seven games.

Herr injured the foot Tuesday when the Astros’ Gerald Young slid into him at second base.

“I can’t say I was comfortable up there,” Herr said, “but my foot wasn’t on my mind. In a situation like that you just do what you can to try to win the game.”

Manager Whitey Herzog of the Cardinals wasn’t all that thrilled with the game. “With a 3-1 lead and (Ken) Dayley and Worrell both up and fresh, you’d think we’d have the game won easily,” he said. “But there’s never a dull moment.”

Chicago 6, Cincinnati 5--Before the game at Cincinnati, Manager Pete Rose warned everyone not to count the Reds out of the race in the West. He said they were just about ready to break away.

However, Ryne Sandberg singled home Bob Dernier from second base with two out in the 10th inning, and the Cubs handed the slumping Reds their seventh consecutive defeat.

For the second game in a row, it was the Reds’ top relief pitcher, John Franco (7-5), who was the loser.

The Cubs trailed, 4-2, going into the ninth, but they scored three times to go ahead. Andre Dawson’s two-run single put the Cubs in front and gave him 112 runs batted in this season.

The Reds tied it in the bottom of the inning when the Cubs’ best relief pitcher, Lee Smith, walked Bo Diaz with the bases loaded. There was still only one out, but Nick Esasky grounded into a force-out at the plate, and Kurt Stillwell struck out.

Philadelphia 8, San Diego 1--Mike Schmidt capped a four-run fifth inning at San Diego with his 522nd home run to take over ninth place on the all-time homer list. Schmidt had been tied with Ted Williams and Willie McCovey.

Schmidt has hit 483 homers while playing third base. He needs four more to pass Eddie Mathews for the all-time major league record for third basemen.

Don Carman gave up three hits and a run in the first inning, then settled down to improve his record to 8-9 with a nine-hitter.

Schmidt’s 27th home run of 1987 was the 30th given up this season by Ed Whitson (10-9).

New York 4, San Francisco 0--Dwight Gooden pitched a four-hitter at San Francisco, and Howard Johnson hit his 32nd home run as the Mets opened a nine-game tour of the West.

The victory enabled the Mets to remain 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the East and kept the Giants from increasing their 2 1/2-game lead in the West.

Johnson’s home run off Mike LaCoss (11-8) in the sixth inning was the first run given up by Giant pitchers in 20 innings.

Pittsburgh 4, Houston 2--Mike Scott, who won the National League Cy Young Award last season, continues to struggle, and the Astros, trying to repeat as champions of the West, are suffering because of it.

With veteran Bob Walk turning in another solid performance at Pittsburgh, the Pirates won their fourth game in a row, pounding Scott (14-10) for 11 hits.

Walk (6-2) held the Astros to 7 hits and 1 run in 7 innings. He also bounced a single through the middle when the Astros were expecting a bunt that broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Since being moved into the starting rotation, Walk, 30, has won four of his five starts.

Walk’s hit came with runners on first and second. An infield hit, a double play and another single gave the Pirates a 4-1 lead.

“I wanted to win this one,” Walk said, “because it gave me a chance to help a buddy, Rick Reuschel. I would like to see the Giants win so he can get in a World Series.”

Scott has lost six of his last nine decisions.