National League Roundup : After Rose, the Deluge: Pirates Storm Past Reds, 12-3

It was definitely not baseball as usual Friday night at Riverfront Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Reds.

Pete Rose’s picture on the outer-office wall was replaced by one of owner Marge Schott posing with her St. Bernard, Schottzie. The players seemed in a state of shock. And interim Manager Tommy Helms, after holding a meeting with the players, went to the coaches’ dressing room instead of the manager’s office.

The first game of the post-Rose era reflected the situation. The Pittsburgh Pirates scored six runs in the third inning and won, 12-3.

A former Red, Gary Redus, hit for the cycle, scored three runs and drove in four to lead the Pirates’ 14-hit assault.

Redus had an infield hit in the second, a three-run homer in the third, doubled in the fifth and tripled in the seventh. Redus was three for five Thursday night.

Helms was cheered by the crowd of 25,722 when he came out to remove Rick Mahler with the Reds trailing, 7-0, in the fourth.

“I watched Rose on TV yesterday,” reliever Rob Dibble said. “It was like signing a treaty after a war. It was over and he had lost, and that was the saddest moment for me. He was like a father figure to me. I had an empty feeling driving to the ballpark, knowing I wouldn’t see him.”

Helms, a close friend of Rose, said he didn’t feel comfortable coming to the park.

“I don’t think the effect of Pete Rose being out of the game has hit home,” veteran outfielder Dave Collins said. “He’s going to be missed for what he did for the game. But all the hassle definitely affected this team.”

Chicago 4, Atlanta 3--Catcher Rich Wrona began the day playing golf in Des Moines and finished it helping the Cubs end their six-game losing streak by scoring the winning run in the 12th inning at Chicago.

Wrona was brought up from the triple-A Iowa farm club because of an injury to catcher Damon Berryhill. He arrived shortly after the game started and went into the game in the 10th inning.

Wrona singled to open the 12th and was sacrificed to second. Jerome Walton was intentionally walked and Ryne Sandberg singled off Mark Eichhorn to score Wrona.

“I hit a great drive on the ninth hole,” Wrona said. “When the club pro drove up in a cart and told me to put my clubs in the cart because I was wanted in Chicago, I told him, ‘Wait’.

“I pulled out my seven-iron and hit the ball on the green. I told my partner to pick up my ball and headed for the clubhouse.”

Another new Cub, Paul Assenmacher, obtained Thursday in a trade with the Braves, pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

St. Louis 7, Houston 4--While all of the talk is about the New York Mets and Montreal challenging the Chicago Cubs in the East, the Cardinals are only 2 1/2 games out.

The Cardinals hammered Mike Scott (17-7) for five runs in the first two innings and enabled Jose DeLeon to get 14 victories for the first time. It was the fourth time in a row Scott failed to win his 18th; the Cardinals have beaten him five times in a row.

DeLeon faltered in the ninth, giving up three runs. Through eight he had a four-hitter and eight strikeouts.

Willie McGee, in center field for one of the few times in recent weeks, had three hits and scored two runs. McGee, who has played in only 42 games this season because of injuries, was in the lineup because Vince Coleman suffered a leg injury.

Montreal 12, San Francisco 2--The Expos, still in the race in the East despite a recent slump, won at San Francisco.

Tom Foley drove in four runs and hit a three-run home run to lead the Expos’ assault on the Western Division leaders.

Dennis Martinez (14-4) got the victory, but he had to leave after five innings when he developed a blister on his pitching hand.

The Expos, leading, 4-2, scored six unearned runs after two were out in the sixth.

The Expos moved into second place in the East, two games behind the Cubs.

San Diego 5, New York 3--With two out in the 11th inning at San Diego and nobody on base, reliever Randy Myers pitched carefully to slugger Jack Clark and gave him his 100th walk of the season.

But Chris James followed with a home run to spoil a Met comeback in the first game of their trip West.

Howard Johnson hit his 31st home run, a two-run shot off the Padres’ ace reliever, Mark Davis, in the eighth inning to tie the score.

The loss dropped the Mets into a tie with St. Louis for third place in the East, 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs.