National League Roundup : Cone’s Star Loses Luster as Mets Lose to Astros

It was not so long ago that playing in the All-Star game was a tremendous honor. The starting pitching assignment was highly coveted.

The game also was important because it provided much of the money for the pension plan. Only a player seriously injured would skip it.

With athletes earning lucrative salaries these days, the pension is practically meaningless. For that reason and others, players and managers no longer seem interested in it. They apparently regard the All-Star game as a brief interlude in the middle of the pennant races.

That probably explains why three National League pitchers selected to participate in Tuesday’s game, started Sunday. Orel Hershiser of the Dodgers, who pitched in last year’s All-Star game, took his regular turn Sunday.

But what about David Cone of the New York Mets and Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs? These two youngsters jumped from obscurity to stardom almost overnight. They may never get another opportunity. Yet, both were given an extra day of rest in order to pitch Sunday and miss a chance to start in the All-Star game.

A fourth selection, Bob Walk of the Pittsburgh Pirates, also pitched Sunday, but he wasn’t picked until Robby Thompson of the San Francisco Giants was declared out of the game because of an injury.

In the case of Cone, the 25-year-old right-hander may be tailing off after a brilliant start that helped the Mets take early command of the East. He is in a slump and so are the Mets.

Cone, in his third consecutive mediocre outing, gave up four runs before being chased in the eighth at Houston, but it was bullpen ace Roger McDowell who lost the 6-5 decision to the Astros.

Bill Doran and pinch-hitter Rafael Ramirez hit two-out, run-scoring singles off Randy Myers in the ninth to bring the Astros from behind and enabled them to sweep the three-game series and cut the Mets’ lead to just 3 1/2 games over Pittsburgh.

Since veteran first baseman Keith Hernandez went out with a severe hamstring injury, the Mets are 15-18. They went into Houston expecting to fatten up at the expense of a team that had lost six in a row at home.

Instead, Darryl Strawberry, who was carrying the club, went into a deep slump, failed to get a hit in the series and is now 0 for 15.

In his last three starts, Cone has yielded 16 runs in 19 innings and the Mets are no longer shoo-ins in the East.

Chicago 4, San Diego 2--Maddux, the surprising ace of the Cubs’ staff, probably blew his chance to pitch at Cincinnati. But he probably enjoyed this game at San Diego more.

Maddux, in becoming the first 15-game winner in the majors, did it with his bat as well as his arm. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was 6-14 last season, singled in Angel Salazar from second base with the run that broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh.

In his ninth consecutive victory, Maddux gave the Padres nine hits, but he was tough in the clutch and pitched his fourth complete game in his last five starts.

Cub Manager Don Zimmer had given Maddux an extra day of rest because he has pitched so many innings.

Zimmer gave All-Star shortstop Shawon Dunston some rest Sunday under less friendly circumstances. Zimmer exchanged heated words with Dunston in the dugout, then pulled him from the game in the fifth inning. Neither Zimmer nor Dunston would comment on the situation afterward.

San Francisco 2, St. Louis 1--With Danny Cox on the mound, the Cardinals’ pitching at San Francisco improved. However, the hitting didn’t and they lost their sixth in a row.

The Giants, who hammered the Cardinals, 21-2, Saturday, won their fifth win in a row as Candy Maldonado doubled and scored on Jose Uribe’s single in the sixth. The victory put the Giants just 2 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the West.

Terry Mulholland (2-0) pitched a five-hitter for the Giants. He lost his shutout in the fifth on Tom Pagnozzi’s run-scoring single. Mike Aldrete hit a homer for the Giants in the second.

Montreal 4, Atlanta 2--One team that definitely isn’t looking forward to three days off is the Expos. They are hot, and within 7 1/2 games of the Mets.

In a wild, 13-inning game at Atlanta, the Expos extended their winning streak to seven games when pitcher Pascual Perez, as a pinch-runner, scored the winning run from second base on Tom Foley’s single to right off Bruce Sutter (1-3). Another run scored when Luis Rivera’s hot smash hit Sutter in the face. Sutter recovered and got the out at first but the run scored.

Cincinnati 5, Philadelphia 4--Eric Davis, emerging from a long slump, drove in three runs with a home run and a single at Cincinnati to help Jack Armstrong gain his first victory.

Armstrong (1-3) gave up four hits in 5 innings in his fifth start. He departed after Phil Bradley’s two-run homer cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth.