National League Roundup : Leary Gets Little Support, Loses

Tim Leary must have thought he was back with the Dodgers.

Leary, in his debut with the Cincinnati Reds Friday night at Montreal, pitched a strong six innings against the Expos, the leaders of the National League East, but the injury-riddled Reds are having as much trouble scoring runs as Leary’s former club.

Leary, traded to the Reds for outfielder Kal Daniels Tuesday, gave up just six hits and two runs as the Expos won, 3-1, with Kevin Gross getting a victory for the first time in a month.

It was the sixth loss in a row and 11th in the last 12 games for the Reds, who continue to lose regulars. The latest, outfielder Paul O’Neill, has a broken left thumb.

At .286, O’Neill was the No. 2 hitter on the club. He is the leader in runs batted in with 60.

Already missing were the leading hitter, shortstop Barry Larkin, third baseman Chris Sabo and catcher Bo Diaz.

“I’m not disappointed with my performance,” said Leary, who won 17 games for the Dodgers last season. “I know if I keep pitching well, I’ll win some games. When we are healthy we’ll score more than the Dodgers.”

Gross gave up a first-inning home run to Eric Davis (8-8), then allowed only five other hits through seven innings. Tim Burke finished up for his 21st save in 26 chances to put the Expos three games in front.

“There were a lot of good things that happened,” Gross said. “I challenged the hitters, especially the right-handers.

“It’s been a long time since I felt this way. The W’s haven’t been easy.”

Houston 4, Philadelphia 2--Mike Scott, who missed the All-Star game because of a hamstring injury, became the major leagues’ first 15-game winner.

In this game at Houston, his first in 12 days, the hard-throwing right-hander struggled at the start but settled down to pitch a strong seven innings.

Scott’s error on a grounder by Len Dykstra to open the game, a steal and Tommy Herr’s single produced a first-inning run for the Phillies, but Scott gave up only four more hits.

Scott, who gave up a home run to Dwayne Murphy in the fourth, has won nine of his last 11 decisions and is 15-5.

Dave Smith pitched a hitless ninth for his 20th save.

Glenn Davis hit his 21st home run for the Astros’ final run. Craig Biggio had two hits, scored a run and drove in another.

New York 6, Atlanta 4--Darryl Strawberry hit a two-run homer in the third inning at New York to bring the Mets from behind to win their fourth in a row.

Strawberry, who has hit home runs in each of his last three games, has 22 home runs and has driven in 18 runs in the last 16 games.

Ron Darling, who thrives on Braves’ hitters, was beaned by Atlanta’s Marty Clary (3-1) in the second inning, but managed to stick around until the seventh. Darling (8-7) is 10-1 lifetime against the Braves.

San Francisco 4, Chicago 3--Rick Sutcliffe was trying to pitch around light-hitting Pat Sheridan in an effort to get out of a third-inning jam at Chicago.

According to Sutcliffe (10-8), Sheridan, who had driven in only two runs in 53 at-bats, hit a pitch eight inches off the plate for a two-run single that beat him.

It climaxed a four-run inning that marred an otherwise fine performance by the Cubs’ right-hander.

Shortly before Sheridan’s hit, Kevin Mitchell, returning after missing four games with a back injury, singled in a run, his majorleague-leading 85th RBI.

Sheridan went into the game with a .208 average, but a two-for-two game raised it to .236.

“It felt good,” the former American Leaguer said. “I’ve been struggling, and it’s nice to finally contribute.”

St. Louis 5, San Diego 0--After scoring 26 runs in two games against the Pirates, the Padres have managed only one run in two games against the Cardinals at San Diego.

Jose DeLeon, who had lost six straight games, held the Padres to three hits in seven innings.

Jose Oquendo of the Cardinals singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 19, longest in the majors this season.

Milt Thompson had the key hit in the fifth inning, a two-run triple that carried to the wall in left-center. Tony Pena singled Thompson home.