National League Roundup : Ontiveros Pitches Phillies Past the Expos, 6-2

Because of weak pitching, the Philadelphia Phillies were expected to have difficulties this season.

Last season, the staff had an earned-run average of 4.14, and two of the best from that group, Shane Rawley and Kevin Gross, are no longer on the team.

The new season is only a week old, but there are signs the pitching may be better than anticipated.

So far, Steve Ontiveros has been a big surprise. Ontiveros pitched seven shutout innings and drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double Tuesday night at Philadelphia to lead the Phillies to a 6-2 victory over the Montreal Expos.

The Phillies are 5-2 and tied with the equally surprising Chicago Cubs for first place in the Eastern Division of the National League. Ontiveros, 28, who missed most of last season with elbow problems, is 2-0.

Ontiveros, a right-hander who was 3-4 with Oakland last season, had elbow surgery and asked for his free agency. He was signed by the Phillies.

In two starts, he has pitched 15 innings and allowed 10 hits and only one earned run. Even more surprising, though, is his hitting.

Until he faced the Cubs last Thursday, Ontiveros had not batted since high school. He went hitless in four at-bats against the Cubs.

With the Phillies leading, 2-0, in the top of the fourth, Montreal starter Pascual Perez walked light-hitting Steve Jeltz to load the bases and pitch to Ontiveros.

Ontiveros ripped a double to right to clear the bases, then breezed to the victory.

Pittsburgh 4, New York 3--It was a cold night for a season opener at Pittsburgh, but the Pirates finally warmed to their task in the late innings to end a four-game losing streak.

Manager Dave Johnson of the Mets has claimed that in left-hander Randy Myers, he has the best closer in the majors. With a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, Johnson summoned Myers.

But Myers gave up the tying run. He walked Jose Lind to open the inning, then gave up a single to Bobby Bonilla, which sent Lind to third. Lind scored after Glenn Wilson flied to left.

In the 11th, Lind, 0 for 8 lifetime against Myers, hit a one-out single, stole second and went to third on a ground out. Last season, with runners in scoring position, opposing hitters batted only .160 against Myers. On this occasion, though, Bonilla hit a slow roller that third baseman Dave Magadan flagged down, but didn’t come close to getting Bonilla at first.

Most of the chilly crowd of 42,910 was still there.

San Diego 3, Atlanta 2--Ed Whitson gave up five hits in 7 2/3 innings at San Diego and had a run-scoring single.

The Padres won their third in a row and fifth in six games after losing their first two games. The Braves lost their third in a row.

Tony Gwynn, off to a much better start than last season when he had to rally to win another batting title, hit his second home run in the fifth inning. He has hit safely in all eight games the Padres have played.

Whitson, in improving his record to 2-0, struck out eight Braves. Bruce Hurst struck out 13 Braves Monday night.

Chicago 5, St. Louis 4--The Cubs were planning to send Jerome Walton, a young, speedy outfielder to their triple-A team at Iowa for more seasoning. He had never been higher than double A.

As spring training progressed, Manager Don Zimmer began to think about giving the 23-year-old Georgian a shot at the center-field job.

When the season opened the rookie was in center. It may be a long time before anybody replaces him.

Walton hit his second home run in seven games and scored three runs, including the winning run in the eighth inning.

Walton has hit safely in every game, is batting .345, has either scored or driven in a run in every game and has proved to be a good center fielder.

“The guy’s got talent,” Zimmer said. “There are times when experience isn’t that important. I haven’t seen any situation in which he’s overmatched. He’s played seven games as good as you can play.”

Mark Grace drove in the winning run on a force, but the young first baseman was also elated over hitting his first Wrigley Field home run in his second season.

Grace, a left-handed hitter, forced Manager Whitey Herzog to pull an interesting switch. With the bases loaded, the score tied and one out in the eighth, Herzog brought in left-hander Ken Dayley to replace Todd Worrell, who went to right field. When the Cardinals couldn’t complete the double play on Grace’s grounder, the strategy didn’t work.

Pedro Guerrero continued his hot hitting for the Cardinals. He hit a 400-foot home run in the third inning after Vince Coleman doubled, to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Guerrero has three home runs and 12 runs batted in in five games.

Houston 5, Cincinnati 3--Ken Caminiti is erasing the question mark the Astros had at third base.

Caminiti hit a two-run single to drive in the winning runs at Houston, then started a rally-killing double play that ended the Reds’ hopes of a comeback.

“A year ago I was tense and was back in the minors,” Caminiti said. “Now, I know I belong and I’m relaxed. I just want to contribute.”

The Astros scored four runs in the first against Rick Mahler. They have beaten him nine consecutive times.