National League Roundup : The Amazing Mets Aren’t--Again

Apparently, Manager Davey Johnson is going to have to hold more meetings. He held one after the New York Mets, favored to win everything this season, lost their second in a row to the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday.

They responded Monday with a power display that featured three consecutive homers and trounced the Philadelphia Phillies.

But then, with no meeting Tuesday, the Mets reverted to the poor play that has characterized their early season Tuesday night at New York.

Mike Schmidt hit a three-run home run and Larry McWilliams, in his first start for the Phillies, pitched a strong five innings and the Phillies romped to a 7-1 victory.

Only the Dodgers have scored fewer runs than the Mets, who are 4-8. In their four victories, they have scored a total of 24 runs, but in their eight defeats, they have scored only 17.

McWilliams has been a losing pitcher most of his career. The 35-year-old left-hander was 6-9 last season with St. Louis. But, fortified with a seven-run lead in the third inning, he gave up two hits and walked four before the bullpen took over.

Schmidt hit his fourth home run of the season and 546th of his career. It came off Ron Darling (0-3), who didn’t make it through the third inning.

Darling, a 17-game winner last season, has pitched 11 2/3 innings, given up 19 hits and 15 earned runs.

The Mets were without first baseman Keith Hernandez, who has a groin injury. The Phillies lost right fielder Ron Jones, when he hit his knee on the fence making a dazzling catch in the eighth.

Met shortstop Kevin Elster tied a major league record set by Detroit’s Eddie Brinkman in 1972 when he played 72 games in a row at short without an error.

Montreal 11, Chicago 2--The Expos have brought the Cubs back to earth with two victories in a row at Montreal.

The Cubs, who won eight of their first 10 games, lost a tough 2-1 game Monday night, but Tuesday night’s was over in the first inning, when the Expos scored six runs to make it a breeze for Bryn Smith.

Tim Wallach and Nelson Santovenia doubled in runs in the inning. Cub starter Paul Kilgus, who managed to retire only one batter, was the loser.

Hubie Brooks, who singled in the first run, went four for five and drove in two runs.

“This is the first time I think I really hit the ball the way I can,” said Brooks, batting cleanup and hitting .320. “Ever since we started the season, it’s been a case of some guys hitting and some guys not. Tonight, we all did it together.”

Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 3--Ozzie Smith continued his hot hitting at St. Louis, but the usually flawless shortstop flubbed a ground ball in the ninth inning that cost the Cardinals the game.

Smith singled in two more runs in the fourth inning to give Cris Carpenter a 3-0 lead. In the four games he has played since coming off the disabled list, Smith is 9 for 17 and has driven in five runs.

The Cardinals held a 3-1 lead with bullpen ace Todd Worrell on the mound. R.J. Reynolds and Jose Lind opened the ninth with singles, but Worrell retired the next two batters. Bobby Bonilla hit a grounder right at Smith. The ball bounced off Smith’s glove and two runs scored.

Carpenter, in a strong outing, gave up six hits and a run in six innings.

Smith’s error gave Morris Madden his first major league win. Jeff Robinson pitched the ninth to get his third save. The final out was made by Smith.

Atlanta 5, Houston 4--Tommy Gregg’s fifth hit of the game, a single with one out in the 11th at Atlanta, scored Lonnie Smith and gave the Braves a .500 record after 14 games.

Gregg had two doubles, three singles and a walk.

Tommy Glavine of the Braves went into the game the only pitcher with a perfect ERA in the league. But he gave up a run in the first.

Glavine lost his bid for a third consecutive complete game when Billy Hatcher hit a two-run home run with one out in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

San Diego 4, San Francisco 2--Walt Terrell held the Giants to six hits in eight innings at San Francisco to gain his first victory for the Padres.

Rick Reuschel, winner of his first three starts this season, gave up home runs to Jack Clark and Benito Santiago in the fourth inning to lose his first.