National League Roundup : Langston Lifts Expos to Victory Over Pirates

Mark Langston won for the seventh time in eight starts and Nelson Santovenia snapped an eighth-inning tie with a two-run homer Monday night as the Montreal Expos beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2, to remain in first place in the National League East.

Langston (9-3) gave up seven hits in eight-plus innings. He has a 1.66 earned-run average over his last eight starts. Tim Burke got the final three outs for his 22nd save in 29 opportunities.

John Smiley (9-6) led, 2-1, until Andres Galarraga led off the eighth with his 16th homer. With two out, Tim Wallach reached on third baseman Bobby Bonilla’s third error of the game, his 26th of the season and his sixth on a ball hit by Wallach.

Santovenia then hit a 2-and-0 pitch off the left-field foul pole for his fifth homer.

Chicago 10-4, Philadelphia 2-7--Rick Sutcliffe ended his three-game losing streak with a three-hitter as the Cubs beat the Phillies in the opener of a twi-night doubleheader at Philadelphia. The Phillies won the nightcap as Don Carman won his first start since April 12.

It was only the second loss for the Cubs in their last 10 games. They trail the Expos by 1 1/2 games.

Sutcliffe (11-9) gave up only one hit through 6 1/3 innings, a leadoff homer in the second inning by John Kruk. The victory was his first since he beat the Dodgers on July 7. He had lost five of his last six. Sutcliffe doubled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.

Ryne Sandberg homered twice and Dwight Smith hit a grand slam in support of Sutcliffe.

St. Louis 3, New York 2--Jose DeLeon struck out eight at St. Louis to take over the National League lead in that department and the Cardinals extended the Mets’ losing streak to seven.

DeLeon (11-9) gave up three hits and increased his season strikeout total to 135, one more than Tim Belcher of the Dodgers.