National League Roundup : Davis’ Home Run Helps Astros Win 5th in Row

The Houston Astros, preseason favorites to win the National League West race, were just slightly better than a .500 club in the first half of the season, and there were rumors that Manager Hal Lanier might not finish the season.

As the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants waged a battle for supremacy in the West, the Astros were almost the forgotten club.

But with the Giants slipping on the road and the Astros putting distance between themselves and the .500 mark, there is no more talk of Lanier being replaced.

Glenn Davis hit a three-run home run to cap a four-run third inning Friday night at Houston, and the Astros held on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3, for their fifth consecutive victory.

Bob Knepper lasted six innings, giving up six hits and three runs while striking out eight, to improve his record to 10-3.

Even with the problems Nolan Ryan has had and an injury to Mike Scott, the Astros’ pitching has held up. Now, the hitters are doing their part.

Houston has won 10 of 12 games, with at least one home run in each of the last 10 games.

“We went through a period when we weren’t producing extra-base hits,” Davis said, “and everything was going bad. Now it seems like everything is going our way.”

Knepper was coasting along with a 5-0 lead until the sixth. Then Mike Young doubled, John Russell singled and Ricky Jordan hit his third home run in just his 17th at-bat in the majors.

St. Louis 4, San Francisco 2--Last fall when the Giants thought they had the National League Championship Series sewed up after taking a 3-2 lead, it was Jose Oquendo and the Cardinal pitchers who knocked them off.

In that series, Oquendo’s sacrifice fly drove in the only run of the sixth game, and his three-run home run paced a 6-0 victory in the final game.

Friday night, with Mike Laga on first base and one out in the 11th inning at St. Louis, Oquendo beat the Giants again.

The versatile Oquendo hit his third home run of the season to give the struggling Cardinals their fourth consecutive victory and drop the Giants seven games behind the Dodgers in the West.

Reliever Dan Quisenberry, who retired the Giants in order in the top of the 11th, earned his first National League victory.

New York 6-5, Atlanta 1-1--Two days off because of rain and a chance to play the lowly Braves were all it took for the Mets to regain their confidence.

Dwight Gooden (12-5) and David Cone (10-2) turned in fine pitching performances at New York, and Dave Magadan provided the key hits in the sweep that increased the Mets’ lead in the East to two games.

Gooden gave up eight hits but did not walk a batter in the opener, while Magadan had two hits and drove in three runs.

Cone snapped out of a mild slump with a six-hitter in the nightcap, and Magadan drove in two more runs.

The last time the Mets had two complete games pitched in a doubleheader was Oct. 2, 1983. The Met pitchers were Walt Terrell and Terry Leach.

Cincinnati 4, Montreal 1--Most starting pitchers these days are getting four or five days’ rest between starts, but left-hander Danny Jackson is thriving on three days between assignments.

The Reds, trying desperately to stay within range of the league lead, have used their ace with just three days’ rest three of the last four times, and he has won them all.

Jackson, given a two-run cushion in the first inning at Cincinnati, went eight innings, giving up seven hits and an unearned run to improve his record 12-5.

He has won five of his last six starts, and the only defeat came when he had seven days’ rest because of the All-Star break. He lost that one, 1-0, in 10 innings. In his last six appearances, he has pitched 48 innings, giving up only nine earned runs.

Eric Davis singled in one run and scored the other in the first-inning rally.

Chicago 5, San Diego 4--The Cubs were surprised that veteran Manny Trillo could make it all the way home from second base on a wild pickoff throw in the 11th inning at Chicago.

Trillo opened the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second. While the Padres were giving Damon Berryhill an intentional walk, catcher Benito Santiago tried to pick off the 37-year-old Trillo and threw the ball into center field. Trillo trudged home.

“That was a long way to run for a man of 73,” said Frank DiPino, who pitched two shutout innings to get his first win of the season.

Tony Gwynn had two hits to extend his streak to 17 games.