National League Roundup : Mets’ Lost Weekend Becomes San Diego’s Gain as Padres Prevail, 13-7

Although his team lost the last two games of their recent home stand to the Dodgers, Manager Davey Johnson of the New York Mets said everything was fine. He said they were in the right frame of mind to win the East Division title.

Obviously, Johnson was not expecting the Mets’ weekend collapse. The San Diego Padres, who had been struggling for the past month, swept the Mets.

With second baseman Roberto Alomar hitting a home run and driving in five runs, the Padres completed a three-game sweep Sunday at San Diego with a 13-7 victory. The Mets led, 4-0, in the first two innings before falling apart.

Most people believe that the Mets have the best pitching staff in baseball. Johnson had his three sharpest starters ready to face the Padres.

But the Padres handled Sid Fernandez, Ron Darling and Bob Ojeda. In the three games the Padres hit six home runs, scored 27 runs and left the vaunted staff in shambles.

The Mets contributed to their downfall. On an appeal play in the opener, Fernandez balked, which probably cost him a victory.

In the second game, Marvell Wynne hit a three-run home run off Darling to end his hot streak. Darling had won five in a row after switching from uniform No. 12 to 15.

In the finale, center fielder Juan Samuel had problems with the sun and three catchable balls went for extra-base hits. The most glaring was a routine fly by Mark Parent that became a three-run double to put San Diego ahead for good in the fifth.

“I didn’t lose the ball in the sun,” Samuel said. “I just misplayed it.

“We’re going out there like we’re waiting to get beat. We’re not playing like we’re in a pennant race.”

The Mets, who face Orel Hershiser and the Dodgers tonight, have lost five in a row. They are in fourth place, 3 1/2 games behind the faltering Cubs. They have a 24-37 record on the road and six games left on this trip before returning to New York.

Chicago 3, Atlanta 2--The Cubs were in danger of losing again at Chicago. In the ninth inning Braves’ bullpen ace Joe Boever was one pitch from his 22nd save and the Cubs were about to lose for the eighth time in the last nine games.

But Darrin Jackson, a .234 hitter, singled on a two-strike pitch to score Lloyd McLendon from second base and send the game into extra innings.

Andre Dawson, who singled in the first Cub run in the fourth inning, came through with another clutch hit with two out in the 10th to score Shawon Dunston from third and check the Cubs’ skid.

The Cubs lead Montreal by two games in the East and the Cardinals are 2 1/2 back.

Boever’s failure to get the last out prevented rookie Marty Clary from winning. Clary, who blanked St. Louis, 3-0, Wednesday, left with one out in the eighth, leading, 2-1.

Mitch Williams (4-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the victory. He has both Cub victories in the last nine games.

Houston 6, St. Louis 3--A longtime St. Louis favorite, Bob Forsch, checked, at least temporarily, the Cardinals’ dash to the top of the East.

Forsch, a Cardinal for 15 seasons, was traded to the Astros late last year for the pennant drive. In one of his rare starts, he held the Cardinals to four hits and three runs in six innings at Houston.

With Ken Caminiti getting a decisive two-run double in the sixth the Astros ended a five-game losing streak and cut the San Francisco lead in the West to four games.

Although Forsch put an end to the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak, the Cardinals were 6-4 on the trip and go home a contender.

Pedro Guerrero missed his first game of the season. Guerrero, who has driven in 88 runs for the Cardinals, was taken to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. He was examined and released.

Montreal 6, San Francisco 3--The Expos left home in a dismal slump. And so did their key hitter, Andres Galarraga, and one of their top pitchers, Bryn Smith.

Candlestick Park, of all places, is where they recovered.

Galarraga, benched during a recent series against the Dodgers, hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to give Smith his first victory in eight starts. Smith (10-8) gave up four hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings.

By winning two of three in San Francisco, where the leaders of the West are almost invincible, the Expos regained second place in the East.

Cincinnati 1, Pittsburgh 0--Tom Browning (14-10) gave up three hits in eight innings at Cincinnati to win his seventh in a row.