National League Roundup : Montreal Turns On the Speed, 9-3

Those who thought the Montreal Expos had lost their speed when Tim Raines went on the disabled list didn’t know what was down on the farm.

The Expos had a couple of speedsters, Otis Nixon and Rex Hudler, at Indianapolis of the American Assn. They brought the pair up 10 days ago, but Friday night at Montreal the two put on their first big show.

Between them, Nixon and Hudler scored seven runs in the Expos’ 9-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves. It was the sixth loss in a row for the Braves.

Nixon, a center fielder who stole 40 bases at Indianapolis in a little more than one-third of the season, had only one hit, but he scored four runs. Hudler, a second baseman, was 2 for 4 and scored three runs.

Andres Galarraga, batting third behind the two speedsters, had a most enjoyable night. He went 4 for 5 and drove in three runs. Hubie Brooks, the cleanup hitter, didn’t have a hit but got two sacrifice flies.

“It seemed every time I looked up, those fast guys were on base,” Brave Manager Russ Nixon said. “And then, Galarraga was driving them in.”

Pascual Perez (5-3) went 6 innings for Montreal, but his scoreless-inning streak ended at 22 when Ken Oberkfell homered in the fourth. Joe Hesketh pitched hitless ball for the last 2 innings.

“We played it tonight the way you’re supposed to,” Expo Manager Bob Rodgers said. “You get the guys at the top of the order on base and then wait for the big boys to bring them home.”

New York 3-5, Houston 2-6--In a doubleheader that began late Friday afternoon in New York and ended early Saturday morning, the Astros and the Mets battled to a stalemate.

In the opener, reserve catcher Mackey Sasser tripled home the winning run for the Mets in the seventh inning. Ron Darling (9-5) worked out of one jam after another before needing help in the eighth to get the victory. He gave up nine hits and walked two.

The second game went 13 innings. Kevin Bass singled home Billy Hatcher with the tie-breaking run with two out to get the Astros a split.

Hatcher opened the 13th with a single off Gene Walter (0-1). With one out, Walter had Hatcher picked off. But Gary Carter, playing first base, dropped the throw, and Hatcher wound up on second base.

One out later, Bass, who went 4 for 4 in the opener, singled for his first hit in six at-bats in the nightcap to score Hatcher.

Dave Meads, called up early Friday from Tucson, pitched two innings to gain the victory.

The Astros twice built two-run leads in the second game but couldn’t hold them.

The Mets finally pulled even in the seventh when Barry Lyons doubled, went to third on an infield out and scored on Howard Johnson’s sacrifice fly.

In the twin bill, the Astros had 27 hits and stranded 23 baserunners.

Cincinnati 5, Philadelphia 3--While most of his teammates and his manager, Pete Rose, have come upon hard times, Tom Browning has returned to the form of his rookie season, 1985, when he was a 20-game winner.

Browning (7-3) gave up 5 hits in 7 innings at Philadelphia to win his fifth in a row.

Browning’s string began with a one-hitter June 6 against San Diego. Except for the Browning victories, the Reds are 6-12 during that span.

Nick Esasky’s two-run home run in the fourth inning gave Browning a 4-0 lead. Despite home runs by Lance Parrish and Phil Bradley, the Reds prevailed over Shane Rawley (5-9) before a Fireworks Night crowd of 56,502.

San Diego 5, St. Louis 1--Any thoughts the defending National League champion Cardinals had of making a run at the Mets are rapidly fading away.

Andy Hawkins (8-6) held them to three hits at San Diego, the second game in a row in which the Cardinals had only three hits.

Ozzie Smith’s single drove in Luis Alicea in the top of the third for the only Cardinal run, but a run-scoring single by John Kruk in the bottom of the inning gave Hawkins the run he needed.

Wednesday night at home, the Cardinals had only three hits in a 10-inning loss to Montreal.

Pittsburgh 5, San Francisco 2--Andy Van Slyke tripled to open the 10th inning at San Francisco, triggering a three-run uprising that powered the Pirates to victory.

Darnell Coles singled in the tie-breaking run. R. J. Reynolds and Rafael Belliard also each singled in a run in the 10th.

Jeff Robinson (6-2) struck out 4 batters in pitching 1 scoreless innings to gain the victory.

A two-run home run by Robby Thompson, one of two San Francisco hits in the game, gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the second inning.

The Pirates tied it on Coles’ sacrifice fly in the fourth.