National League Roundup : Martinez Wins His 15th, Helps Expos Close a Bad Trip on a Good Note

More than two months into last season, the Montreal Expos, desperately in need of pitching help, brought back Dennis Martinez for a last chance.

Once a mainstay of the Baltimore Orioles, Martinez, at 32, was believed to be washed up. He also had a drinking problem.

His last chance turned out to be a blessing for the Expos. With help from another retread, Pascual Perez, he almost pitched Montreal to a division title last season, finishing 11-4.

Martinez has not only conquered alcoholism, he has become the ace of the pitching staff. While the Expos have faded out of the race in the National League East, Martinez has a chance for 20 victories.

Although he gave up 10 hits in 7 innings and didn’t have solid support, Martinez became a 15-game winner Wednesday at San Francisco when the Expos beat the Giants, 7-5.

Martinez, a victim of poor defensive play almost all season, was 3-6 in mid-May but has won 12 of his last 15 games. He has pitched well in each of his last 13 starts. He lost one game, 4-2, when two runs were unearned, and another by a 2-0 score. He has won the other nine starts.

The Expos got 15 hits, 3 by Andres Galarraga, to finish a poor trip with a pair of victories.

“I wish we were closer to the Mets, it would make what I’ve accomplished mean even more,” Martinez said. “But I have control of my life and my game now.

“When I used to drink, I never used to focus on the weaknesses of hitters, I just tried to overpower them. In those days I was a thrower. Now I look at each hitter one at a time--the same way I deal with the situations in my life--and I deal with them the way I have to.”

It was a costly defeat for the Giants. Already short on pitching, they lost Kelly Downs. After giving up 6 hits in 4 innings, he complained of a shoulder injury, left the game and was put on the disabled list.

“We have to stay close until we get our injured pitchers back,” Giant Manager Roger Craig said. “When things seem the worst, we come back and play our best.”

Chicago 3, Houston 2--The Astros, with a chance to move ahead of the Giants in the West and put more pressure on the Dodgers, managed merely to upset their manager in this game at Chicago.

Vance Law singled home the winning run in the ninth, but the Cubs shouldn’t have been in position to pull it out.

“When you give away runs, there’s no excuse for that,” angry Houston Manager Hal Lanier said. “You can’t expect to win. You just can’t give up runs like that.”

The Cubs scored in the second inning because Astro catcher Alex Trevino caught a third strike on the bounce and forgot to throw the batter out. An error and a balk by Nolan Ryan enabled the Cubs to score again in the sixth.

It was another winless outing for Greg Maddux. At the All-Star break, he was 15-3. In nine starts since, he has won only once and has lost three times.

The Astros’ good-luck charm out of the bullpen, Juan Agosto, pitched to only two batters in the ninth, but he lost his first game after 10 victories.

Cincinnati 6, Pittsburgh 2--Tom Browning pitched a six-hitter at Pittsburgh for his 5th consecutive victory and his 11th win in the last 12 decisions.

Ron Oester went 4 for 4 to lead the Red attack on Mike Dunne (6-11). Dunne hasn’t won since July 9 and has lost four in a row.

Former Red Gary Redus had one of the hits off Browning (13-4), a home run in the eighth.

St. Louis 5, Atlanta 3--Pedro Guerrero doubled home the tying run in the eighth inning at St. Louis and scored the winning run on Curt Ford’s infield hit.

Guerrero also singled in a run in the third, after Ozzie Smith tripled in the first Cardinal run.

San Diego 5, Philadelphia 2--Carmelo Martinez and Tony Gwynn homered at San Diego as the Padres beat Philadelphia for their seventh win in eight games.

Martinez has driven in the winning run in San Diego’s last four victories. He is 11 for 25 in his last 7 games with 13 runs batted in and 4 home runs.

Gwynn raised his batting average to a league-leading .324, two points ahead of Atlanta’s Gerald Perry, as San Diego handed the Phillies their 10th loss in 11 games.