National League Roundup : Johnson, Fernandez Carry the Mets Again, 9-0

The New York Mets spent the winter trying to trade Howard Johnson and Sid Fernandez. If they had succeeded, they might be battling to stay out of last place in the National League East instead of trying to win the division.

Johnson, a third baseman who can play shortstop, and Fernandez, a pitcher who before this season had not quite lived up to expectations, are the bright spots of a difficult season for the Mets.

The Mets have had their share of injuries, but the players who were expected to be prominent--rookie infielder Gregg Jefferies, right fielder Darryl Strawberry, left fielder Kevin McReynolds and pitchers David Cone and Ron Darling--haven’t had spectacular seasons.

Johnson and Fernandez, meanwhile, have carried the team.

Johnson and Fernandez again provided the lift Tuesday night when the Mets beat the Houston Astros, 9-0, ending a four-game losing streak.

Johnson hit his 25th home run of the season and singled and drove in two runs.

Fernandez, a 3-2 loser despite a 16-strikeout performance in his previous outing, held the Astros to three singles in seven innings and improved to 8-3.

In his last six starts, Fernandez, a hard-throwing left-hander who started in the Dodger organization, has an earned-run average of 1.43. He also has 22 strikeouts in his last 15 innings.

Johnson, who underwent surgery on his right shoulder during the off-season, didn’t swing a bat until February, but broke into the lineup opening day and has been there ever since. He is second to San Francisco’s Kevin Mitchell in home runs and third in runs batted in with 61.

When he was voted the league’s starting third baseman in the All-Star game last week, Johnson figured he deserved it.

“I’m the best third baseman in the league,” he said. Since then, the Mets have been forced to move him to short. At the time he was probably right.

“It’s been kind of a whirlwind year for me,” he said. “In the winter I was traded to four or five teams. Then in the spring, I had to prove I could throw.

“It’s been a banner year already. Recently, I signed a new contract and then I opened at third base in the All-Star game. I never would have believed it last winter.”

Keith Hernandez, who has missed much of the season because of a broken knee, left the game with a bruised knee. The injury was not believed to be serious.

San Francisco 7, St. Louis 3--Catcher Kirt Manwaring hit a two-out, bases-loaded triple in the first inning and the Giants went on to win for the 22nd time in their last 27 games at Candlestick Park.

The Giants’ fourth victory in a row increased their lead in the West to 3 1/2 games.

Pedro Guerrero homered for the Cardinals.

San Diego 17, Pittsburgh 4--Chris James hit his second grand slam of the season as the Padres tied a club record for runs in this game at San Diego.

James had four of the Padres’ season-high total of 22 hits and drove in five runs. James hit his grand slam and Jack Clark homered during the Padres’ eight-run eighth inning. It was Clark’s first homer since June 19.

James came to the Padres in mid-June in the deal that sent Randy Ready and John Kruk to the Phillies.

Clark, always a slow starter, has hit safely in 13 consecutive games. He had his first three-hit game of the season.

Atlanta 7, Montreal 6--Winds were so strong in Montreal that the Expos were unable to close the retractable roof of their stadium and the start of the game was delayed almost two hours.

And when the Expos built a 6-0 lead for Dennis Martinez, who had won nine in a row, it didn’t seem to matter.

The Braves’ Lonnie Smith singled in a run to get the Braves going in the sixth as they scored three. Then, in the seventh, Smith capped a four-run rally with a two-run single to put the Braves in front to stay.

Philadelphia 6, Cincinnati 5--The Reds’ Danny Jackson, the second-best pitcher in the league last season behind the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser, is 6-10. Last season, his first with the Reds, he was 23-8.

After giving up four runs in the first inning, Jackson settled down and retired 12 in a row before Randy Ready tagged a slider for his fourth home run of the season in the eighth inning at Cincinnati to break a 5-5 tie.

The Reds have lost eight of their last nine games and 24 of their last 34. They have fallen into fourth place behind San Diego.

Jackson went nine innings for the first time in 19 tries, but that seemed to be little consolation. When asked about his performance, he answered with profanities.