National League Roundup : Walton’s Streak Is Over

Jerome Walton of the Chicago Cubs had mixed emotions after his 30-game hitting streak ended.

“I’m glad it’s over. Now I can concentrate on playing baseball,” Walton said Monday night after the Cincinnati Reds extended the Cubs’ losing streak to four games with a 6-5 victory in 10 innings at Chicago.

“I wanted to make that rookie record but I didn’t get there.”

Walton fell short of the record of 34 games set in 1987 by San Diego’s Benito Santiago.

He walked in the first inning, flied out in the second, grounded into a double play in the fifth, struck out in the seventh and bounced to the pitcher in the ninth.

“There wasn’t a lot of pressure like someone would kill me if I didn’t get a hit,” Walton said. “But being in the streak was a big surprise.”

The Reds came back from a 5-1 deficit with three runs in the seventh, tied it in the eighth on Joel Youngblood’s pinch-hit home run off Steve Wilson and won it in the 10th when Todd Benzinger doubled and scored on third baseman Domingo Ramos’ throwing error.

The first-place Cubs had their East lead cut to 1 1/2 games over the New York Mets, who defeated San Francisco 4-1.

They had a last gasp attempt in the 10th when Ryne Sandberg walked and tried to score from first on a double by Mitch Webster.

But right fielder Rolando Roomes fielded a bad hop and hit cutoff man Ron Oester, who turned and threw out Sandberg at home.

New York 4, San Francisco 1--Ron Darling struck out a season-high 10 for his fourth consecutive victory as the Mets won for the 11th time in 14 games at New York.

Darling, who has struck out 12 batters twice, pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits. Randy Myers retired the last two Giants for his 22nd save.

Darling (12-9) has given up only five earned runs in his last 33 2/3 innings. Pat Sheridan, who entered the game in the sixth inning, accounted for the only San Francisco run when he homered in the eighth.

The loss reduced the Giants’ lead over idle second-place Houston to 1 1/2 games in the West.

San Diego 8, Philadelphia 2--Dennis Rasmussen pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game this season, and Bip Roberts hit a two-run homer at Philadelphia.

Rasmussen (6-9), who had seven complete games last season, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. His last complete game was Oct. 2, 1988, against Houston.