National League Roundup : Tony Pena Has a Big Night in His Old Ballpark, 9-3

It took him more than a year, but Tony Pena finally gained a measure of revenge against the Pittsburgh Pirates for trading him away.

Pena hit his first two home runs of the season, scored three runs and went 3 for 4 as the St. Louis Cardinals ended a five-game losing streak by cooling off the Pirates, 9-3, Thursday night at Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals, who had been held to seven runs in their last five games, won for the first time in eight road games this season. That left the winless Baltimore Orioles as the only team in the majors without a road victory.

“It was nice to be back in my old ballpark,” said Pena, who collected his first two runs batted in of the season. “I’ve tried to put the trade behind me, and I just want to forget about that and do my job.”

Pena helped the Cardinals win the National League pennant, but the trade has been an unpopular one in St. Louis because Pena hit only .218 and the Cardinals dealt away the nucleus of the rebuilt Pirates--Mike Dunne, Andy Van Slyke and Mike LaValliere--to get him.

“He’s been pressing ever since he got over here,” said Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog. “He wants to be so good sometimes he tries too hard. He makes it difficult on himself because he wants to do so much. This game was good for him, but I’d like to see him do it for four or five days in a row, then he can feel a whole lot better about himself.”

The loss was the second in 10 games for the East-leading Pirates and their first in six home games.

Cincinnati 7, San Francisco 6--Jeff Treadway tripled home Nick Esasky from first base in the 12th inning to lift the Reds to a win over the Giants at Cincinnati.

Esasky led off the 12th with a single, and Treadway tripled to deep right field off loser Joe Price (0-1), the fifth San Francisco pitcher.

Houston 8, Atlanta 0--Bob Knepper and Ernie Camacho combined on a six-hitter, and Denny Walling had three hits and drove in two runs as the Astros beat the Braves at Houston.

The Braves, shut out by Houston’s Mike Scott on Wednesday night, have not scored in 19 innings. Atlanta has been shut out four times this season.

Chicago 6, Montreal 2--Greg Maddux scattered eight hits, and Vance Law hit a two-run homer to extend his hitting streak to 14 games as the Cubs ended a four-game losing streak with a win over the Expos at Chicago.