National League Roundup : This Time, It’s Giants’ Clark Who Is Smiling After 8-3 Win

In most years, nearly every team has at least one .300 hitter. But this year, at least in the National League, he is an endangered species.

Although the season hasn’t reached the 100-game mark, there are only three regulars at .300 or better.

The three--perennial batting champion Tony Gwynn of San Diego, Barry Larkin of Cincinnati and Will Clark of San Francisco--don’t appear to be in danger of dropping out of the select group. They are all well over .300. However, Larkin is injured and may be sidelined for two months.

Clark, a left-handed batter and the only one of the trio who hits with power, jumped on an old nemesis Saturday in San Francisco and led the Giants to an 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, raising his average to .339.

Going into the game, Clark was only two for 24 against left-hander John Smiley, but he delivered three hits, drove in four runs and scored another.

Smiley, who was 4-1 with an earned-run average of 1.99 against the Giants, blamed windy Candlestick Park for his problems. “I had good stuff, but how can you pitch in this hell hole?” he asked. “This was football weather. It makes no sense at all.”

Smiley (7-5) is one of the pitchers who has fattened up on the lack of .300 hitters.

The four runs batted in raised Clark’s total to 69. The leader is teammate Kevin Mitchell with 83. Mitchell didn’t get much chance to add to that total or to his major leagues-leading home run figure of 32. He was walked twice intentionally, making 21 times that has happened this season.

Cincinnati 5, Montreal 3--The Reds’ chances of ending their five-game losing streak didn’t look good before this game at Cincinnati.

Four players who would be in the minors except for injuries to regulars had to face left-hander Mark Langston, whose road record is 5-0 since coming over to the National League. In addition, Rick Mahler, the Reds’ starter had not won in more than five weeks.

But a couple of old hands, Eric Davis and Todd Benzinger, took charge of the offense, and Mahler pitched a strong game.

Davis drove in three runs, two of them in the first inning with his 17th home run. Benzinger had four hits and scored twice.

Mahler gave up six hits and one earned run in eight innings to improve his record to 9-8.

Catcher Joe Oliver, second baseman Luis Quinones, shortstop Jeff Richardson and third baseman Marty Brown were in the minors until injuries crippled the Reds. Richardson and Brown each made errors that contributed to Montreal runs.

Houston 9, Philadelphia 6--Another rookie, third baseman Charlie Hayes of the Phillies, had a game at Philadelphia he would just as soon forget.

In the first four innings, Hayes made three errors, all on throws. He settled down and missed the record for third basemen by one.

The errors helped the Astros’ Mark Portugal post his first win as a starter in nearly three seasons. Portugal, called up from the minors Friday, went 6 2/3 innings.

The Phillies made six errors, and four Houston runs were unearned.

New York 6, Atlanta 4--Darryl Strawberry hit his 19th home run, after rain delayed the game at Atlanta for more than an hour, and the Mets went on to win.

Rick Aguilera won in relief, although he gave up a single to Jeff Treadway in the sixth inning that tied the score, 4-4. Tim Teufel’s sacrifice fly untied it in the seventh.

San Diego 3, Chicago 2--Chris James hit a two-out bloop single in the eighth inning at San Diego to break a 2-2 tie.

With one out and Luis Salazar on second base in the eighth, Gwynn, the league’s leading hitter, was walked intentionally. Jack Clark popped up. But James, who had homered earlier, delivered the gamep-winner.

Walt Terrell (5-12) went the distance for his first victory since May 27.