Baseball Roundup : Maddux Gives Another All-Star Performance

A month ago St. Louis Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog penciled in Greg Maddux as the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star game July 12 in Cincinnati.

Nothing has happened since to change Herzog’s mind. The hard-throwing 22-year-old right-hander of the Chicago Cubs just keeps getting better.

Maddux allowed the powerful New York Mets just seven hits Thursday at Chicago, pitching the Cubs to a 4-1 victory and slowing the Mets’ runaway in the East.

In his second major league season Maddux, 6-14 as a rookie, is 13-3 and has an earned-run average of 2.14.

He has won his last seven starts. His only loss since May 1 came on May 17 when, after giving up only two hits in 10 innings to Herzog’s St. Louis Cardinals, he lost on a bases-loaded bad-hop single by Luis Alicea.

It was one of two defeats this season in which the Cubs didn’t score a run for the youngster.

The Mets beat him three times last season, but he dominated throughout in this one. A double by Shawon Dunston, a steal, an error and Andre Dawson’s home run in the first inning gave Maddux all the support he needed.

Maddux struggled early, giving up the seven hits in the first five innings, but retiring the last 12 batters.

“It’s nice to have the most victories,” Maddux said, “but it would be better to have the most in October. I’m confident I won’t have the finish I had last season.”

After beating the Dodgers July 24, he didn’t win another game, losing his last six decisions.

Although the Mets are holding a comfortable 6 1/2-game lead in the East, this was a costly defeat.

Keith Hernandez, who came off the disabled list Wednesday, probably will go back on it. Hernandez reinjured his right hamstring running out a hit in the first inning.

New York Yankees 4, Cleveland 3--Gary Ward, who didn’t play much under Manager Billy Martin and didn’t produce much when he did, made Lou Piniella’s return as Yankee manager a success.

Ward, batting only .199, tied the game with a two-run home run in the seventh inning at New York, then singled home Dave Winfield with two out in the ninth to win it.

Winfield, who doubled to drive in the first Yankee run and increased his RBI total to 60, set up the winning run with hustle. He beat out an infield hit and took second when Cleveland left fielder Mel Hall relaxed after catching Jack Clark’s fly ball.

The Yankees had lost four in a row and had fallen out of first place in the East. With the Detroit Tigers idle, the Yankees pulled to within two games of first.

St. Louis 2, Philadelphia 0--John Tudor pitched a two-hitter at St. Louis and Willie McGee and Ozzie Smith each drove in a run to end the Cardinals’ four-game losing streak.

Tudor (4-2) lowered his league-leading earned-run average to 1.08. Both hits were singles, one an infield hit.

Speedy Vince Coleman scored both runs and stole three bases, giving him 36 for the year.

Pittsburgh 6, Montreal 4--Former Dodger Sid Bream powered the Pirates to victory at Montreal, ending the Expos’ seven-game home winning streak.

Bream hit a two-run home run in the second inning and doubled in two runs in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.

Toronto 5, Baltimore 2--Jim Clancy gave up home runs to Ken Gearhart and Fred Lynn to open the game at Toronto, but survived to improve his record to 4-9.

Gearhart wound up the goat. With the Orioles leading, 2-1, he dropped Tony Fernandez’s routine fly in left and it led to two runs.

Fernandez also had a triple and a double.