National League Roundup : Smiley’s 1-Hitter Snaps Pirates’ Losing Streak

Pirate pitcher John Smiley had a one-hitter going into the last of the eighth inning against the Montreal Expos at Pittsburgh Friday night. The only problem was that he was losing, 1-0.

“I said to myself, ‘Man, I can’t have this. It can’t end that way,’ ” the left-hander said.

Then Jose Lind, the weakest hitter in the lineup, hit the first home run of his career, tying the score.

Still, Smiley never had a lead until the game was won with one out in the ninth. Mike LaValliere doubled to center off John Dopson, and Mike Diaz singled home John Cangelosi, who had run for LaValliere. The 2-1 win snapped the Pirates’ three-game losing streak.

Tim Wallach had broken up Smiley’s no-hitter with a two-out, fourth-inning triple, and scored when home plate umpire Dave Pallone called a balk on the left-hander.

Smiley, 5-4 in his second full season and his first as a starter, struck out a career-high eight and walked two. The one-hitter was the first by a Pirate since Jose DeLeon lost to Cincinnati, 2-0, Aug. 24, 1984.

The Expos hit only seven balls out of the infield, including Wallach’s triple.

Houston 8, San Francisco 4--Pinch-hitter Craig Reynolds doubled home a run in the ninth inning, and Glenn Davis and Rafael Ramirez added run-scoring singles at San Francisco as the Astros remained 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the West.

Gerald Young walked to open the ninth, stole his league-leading 31st base and moved to third on a sacrifice by Billy Hatcher. Reynolds, batting for Chuck Jackson, doubled down the right-field line off Scott Garrelts (1-4), and Davis singled to center. Ramirez had a two-run single.

Dave Smith (2-2), the third of four Houston pitchers, got the victory despite allowing the Giants to tie the game in the eighth.

Pinch-hitter Joel Youngblood got the run-scoring single off Smith. Bob Brenly led off with a single against Juan Agosto, took second on a sacrifice and scored when Youngblood got his eighth hit in 18 at-bats as a pinch-hitter this season.

Chicago 5, New York 0--Jamie Moyer pitched a three-hitter against the Eastern Division leaders at New York, and got more than enough help from Ryne Sandberg, who hit a three-run homer, and Vance Law, who had four hits, to come away a winner.

“Those three runs must have felt like fifteen to Jamie,” Cub Manager Don Zimmer said. “We haven’t gotten him very many in his last six starts. Moyer is not pitching any differently. Runs were the only things he needed.”

Earlier, Zimmer had said of the Cubs’ batting slump, “I know what my players are going through. I was in a 12-year slump.”

Sandberg, dropped from first to fourth in the order eight games ago, has hit four home runs in his last five games.

The Cub second baseman said: “I’m not swinging any differently. I’m not going for the fences. As cleanup hitter, I’m getting better opportunities to drive in runs.”

St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 4--Tom Brunansky cracked a solo homer in the 10th inning at Philadelphia to lift the Cardinals to their fourth straight victory.

With one out, Brunansky hit a 2-0 pitch from Greg Harris (1-2) over the left-field fence for his eighth home run of the season. Todd Worrell (3-2) went 1 innings for the win.

Vince Coleman rejoined the Cardinals after his wife, Lynette, gave birth to their first child Wednesday and provided a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he tripled to left-center and scored on Ozzie Smith’s grounder to short. Coleman also walked to start a two-run rally in the eighth.

Brunansky extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a first-inning single.

San Diego 7, Atlanta 5--Marvell Wynne capped a four-run fourth inning with his seventh home run of the year, pacing the Padres at home.

Eric Show (4-5) struck out 6 and allowed 8 hits over 7 innings.

The Braves’ Dale Murphy hit two homers, giving him seven this season. It was the 28th time in his career he has had a multiple home run game.