National League Roundup : When It Rains, Mets Pour It On

Davey Johnson is uncertain of his status as manager of the New York Mets, but General Manager Frank Cashen said he doesn’t know why.

“I’ve been told two or three times by Frank that if we don’t win, I’m gone,” Johnson told Marty Noble of Newsday. Cashen said he didn’t.

Something has shaken up the Mets. After losing three straight games to the two last-place teams in the National League--the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies--the Mets have turned on the Phillies twice in games that were delayed several times by rain.

Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds each drove in half the runs in a 10-2 romp by the Mets Wednesday night at Philadelphia.

Tuesday night, the teams hung around for more than six hours because of rain and the game ended at 2:12 a.m., EDT, with the Mets winning, 7-5.

There were more than two hours of delay Wednesday night at Veterans Stadium, but this time the game ended about 12:30 a.m., EDT.

Johnson said Cashen told him last winter and twice during spring training that it was a win-or-else situation.

“I wouldn’t make it up,” Johnson said.

Cashen, however, said: “I never have said that. I would never say something like that. It influences too many things.”

Friends of Johnson say he doesn’t expect to be invited back, no matter how the Mets fare.

Dwight Gooden (13-5) didn’t go the distance only because the rain fell with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and halted play for more than an hour.

The Mets clinched it long before that. In the third, Strawberry singled in two runs, and McReynolds hit a three-run home run to make it 5-0.

Pittsburgh 3, St. Louis 2--The Pirates are in a rut. Whatever the Mets do, they do the same. It is no way to cut a two-game deficit.

When the Mets were foundering, the Pirates were losing three to the Dodgers. Now both teams have won two in a row on the road.

Talented rookie Jose Lind doubled home speedy Barry Bonds from first base in the 10th inning at St. Louis to pull this one out.

The Cardinals scored in the sixth when Tom Brunansky, 0 for 14 going into the game, singled home a run for the second time.

Jeff Robinson (8-2) pitched three scoreless innings to get the victory. Ken Dayley (2-5) was the loser.

For the third game in a row, the Cardinals were without star shortstop Ozzie Smith, who hurt his shoulder in a brawl in Sunday’s game against the San FranciscoGiants.

The crowd of 31,618 pushed the St. Louis attendance above 2 million for the seventh year in a row.

Houston 4, San Diego 1--Kevin Bass accounted for all of the Astros’ runs with a pair of home runs, and Houston ended an 11-game losing streak to the Padres at San Diego.

Nolan Ryan, who had not beaten the Padres since the final game of 1985, gave up six hits in seven innings to improve his record to 8-7.

Ed Whitson (9-6) had won six in a row until he served up the two-run home runs to Bass.

Montreal 5, Chicago 4--Mike Fitzgerald is becoming something of a clutch hitter for the Expos. Fitzgerald, who hit a grand slam in the 11th inning at Montreal Tuesday night to give the Expos a victory, came through again.

His bases-loaded single with two out in the bottom of the ninth culminated a two-run rally.

Joe Hesketh walked in a run in the eighth but became the winner when the Expos rallied in their final at-bat.

Pinch-hitter Wallace Johnson singled with one out in the ninth to bring Pat Perry (4-3) to the rescue of Mike Bielecki. Also in the pinch, Nelson Santovenia hit a double off left fielder Rafael Palmeiro’s glove.

In came reliever Goose Gossage, who hit Andres Galarraga to load the bases. The tying run scored on Hubie Brooks’ force play. Tim Wallach was intentionally walked to get to Fitzgerald, who made the Cubs pay.

Cincinnati 3, Atlanta 2--Nick Esasky gets to feast on home cooking whenever the Reds are in Atlanta. The slugging first baseman went into this game with a lifetime .388 average at Fulton County Stadium and 12 home runs.

Esasky, who lives in an Atlanta suburb, hit No. 13 at his favorite park with two out in the top of the ninth to break a 2-2 tie.

“People think I can do it every game here,” Esasky said. “They may find out I can’t.”

Esasky hit an 0-2 pitch off Jose Alvarez.