National League Roundup : Langston Solid in Debut for Expos

Mark Langston was one of the best pitchers in the American League when he worked for the Seattle Mariners, but he often expressed dissatisfaction with the way he was treated there, and had requested a trade.

Langston, who was acquired by the Montreal Expos Thursday for three pitching prospects, made his National League debut Sunday at San Diego, and both he and the Expos were pleased.

The hard-throwing left-hander, who led the American League in strikeouts three times, struck out 12 in eight innings and pitched the Expos to a 10-2 victory.

Langston, who didn’t get a chance to hit at Seattle because of the designated hitter rule, also showed he knew how to handle a bat. He singled and drove in a run in the eighth. In his eight innings, he yielded only four hits and one earned run.

“It felt like my major league debut,” Langston said. “Having been around awhile helped block out things. I definitely feel a part of this team already. I was afraid I might go out there and get bombed.”

The Expos made Langston feel welcome with a fine display of hitting. Tim Raines hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning to give him a 6-0 lead. Tim Wallach had three doubles and drove in three runs.

Maybe the offensive explosion will make it a little easier to sign Langston, who is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season.

San Francisco 8, Philadelphia 5--Even a long hitting slump doesn’t prevent the Giants from scoring runs when Rick Reuschel pitches.

Reuschel, 40, became the first nine-game winner in the majors although he lasted only 5 1/3 innings and the Giants managed just four hits at San Francisco.

One of the hits was a grand slam by Will Clark in the fourth inning, and from then on it was downhill for the right-hander.

The Giants matched their hit total by committing four errors, making two of the four runs Reuschel (9-2) allowed unearned.

Houston 9, Pittsburgh 2--If today wasn’t Memorial Day, the Pirates would probably have declared it a holiday, anyway, because Glenn Davis finally left town.

The Astros’ first baseman just about destroyed the Pirates’ pitching staff over the weekend.

Davis hit a home run in each game to lead Houston to a three-game sweep. His three-run homer in the fifth inning in this one gave Mike Scott a 6-2 lead and it was a romp.

He hit a two-run homer in the third inning of Friday night’s 4-2 victory. Saturday, he hit a dramatic two-run home run with two out in the ninth to tie the game and the Astros won in the 12th, 5-4.

Davis, who has 12 home runs this season, has a lifetime average of .347 against the Pirates.

Scott (7-3) went a strong six innings to beat the Pirates for the fourth time in a row.

Chicago 6, Cincinnati 1--Mike Bielecki missed out on his shutout at Chicago, but he accomplished his primary goal--beating the Reds.

The Reds had a 5-0 record against the right-hander, but except for the hot-hitting Chris Sabo, Bielecki had everyone under control.

Bielecki went the distance, giving up seven hits to improve his record to 4-2.

Sabo, after a brilliant start in 1988 as a rookie, cooled off and didn’t hit a homer from early July to the end of the season.

He didn’t show much power at the start of this season. But, when he spoiled Bielecki’s shutout with a homer in the eighth, it gave him four in the last five games.

St. Louis 3, Atlanta 3 (tie)--It rained so hard at St. Louis in the bottom of the 10th that the field was unplayable and the game was called. It will be replayed in its entirety, but all the statistics count.

Pedro Guerrero, hitting .360 with men in scoring position, hit a two-run homer and a run-scoring single to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.