National League Roundup : Horner’s Sacrifice Fly Is Just What Cardinals Needed

Bob Horner may not have the credentials of Jack Clark, but he is beginning to look pretty good to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Horner, a poor April hitter, is already making big contributions to the Cardinals.

The former Atlanta Braves slugger, signed as a free agent by the Cardinals after spending a year in Japan, hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning Wednesday at St. Louis to drive in the winning run in a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Although Horner had reached base nine consecutive times, Manager Don Zimmer of the Cubs elected to walk Tommy Herr to load the bases with one out in a tie game in the seventh inning after a balk was called on reliever Les Lancaster.

Horner foiled the double-play strategy with a long flyball to left that broke the tie.

The game ended with Herr throwing out pinch-runner Rolando Roomes at the plate trying to score on a delayed double steal.

Horner, whose April average with the Braves was .190, is 5 for 5 in the last two games and has raised his average to .407.

St. Louis signed Horner after Clark, a fan favorite who had been the Cardinals’ RBI man, signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees. Clark has been hurt and has not played for the Yankees.

A Busch Stadium crowd of 37,206 gave Horner a standing ovation after he drove in the go-ahead run.

“I’m beginning to feel comfortable here,” Horner said. “Give Jack Clark credit. He led them to two World Series. The fans here are fair. I just want to show them Bob Horner is capable. I want to have many good years here in St. Louis.

“Here, we have 30,000 or more every game. I see where Atlanta had 1,900 the other night.”

Houston 4, Atlanta 0--Jim Deshaies pitched a two-hitter at Atlanta, and the hapless Braves set a club record for losses at the start of the season with their eighth consecutive defeat.

Except for the season opener, when they blew an 8-4 lead and lost in 10 innings, the Braves have not scored more than three runs in a game and have been shut out twice.

The Braves, who lost all eight at home, can tie a modern league record held by four other teams if they lose their next game, Friday night at Los Angeles.

Denny Walling tripled in two runs in the first inning for the Astros, who lead the West with a 6-1 record.

San Francisco 5, Cincinnati 4--Will Clark hit his second home run of the season with two out in the 11th inning at San Francisco to end the Giants’ three-game losing streak.

A single by Mike Aldrete and a double by Ron Thompson tied the game for the Giants in the eighth and sent it into extra innings.

Don Robinson struck out four batters in two innings of relief and gained the victory.

Pittsburgh 7, Philadelphia 0--Brian Fisher held the Phillies to five hits in 7 innings at Pittsburgh to win his second game and put the Pirates in first place in the East.

The Pirates, who won 27 of their last 38 games in 1987, are 5-2.

The Pirates turned four Phillies errors into four runs in the first three innings.

Mike Gott bailed Fisher out of a jam in the eighth when he struck out Mike Schmidt with the bases loaded.