National League Roundup : Cardinals Trail by 3 After Win

The St. Louis Cardinals, after pulling to within a half game of the Chicago Cubs in the East Sept. 8, went into a slump--they fell six games behind in a week.

And when they started talking about closing to within three games again, many figured they were overly optimistic.

The Cardinals were hoping to be close enough to challenge for the pennant when they played host to the Cubs in a three-game series to conclude the season.

Now, St. Louis has reached its goal early.

After John Morris and Milt Thompson each drove in two runs in a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets Wednesday night at St. Louis, they trail the Cubs by three games.

The Mets, a team in turmoil, are 5 1/2 back with only 11 games left.

Manager Whitey Herzog used his bullpen judicially after the Cardinals scored all their runs off Dave Cone (13-8) in the first two innings.

Five relief pitchers held the Mets scoreless in the last 6 2/3 innings. Frank DiPino (8-8) was the winner. Ken Dayley got his 12th save. He ended the game by getting Darryl Strawberry on a routine fly with the bases loaded.

Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds returned to the Mets’ lineup and were a combined zero for eight.

San Diego 3, Cincinnati 1--Jack Clark scored the winning run in the 10th inning at Cincinnati when third baseman Luis Quinones made a throwing error, and the Padres kept the pressure on the Giants in the West.

The Padres have won 23 of their last 29 games and the Reds have lost nine in a row and are assured of finishing below .500 for the first time since 1984.

Mark Davis pitched the 10th for his 41st save in 45 opportunities.

Houston 7, Atlanta 6--In dramatic fashion, the Astros kept their faint hopes alive in the West at Atlanta.

Kevin Bass hit a grand slam in the seventh to tie the game and Alex Trevino won it with his second home run.

Pittsburgh 9, Montreal 1--It’s too late to make a difference, but for the past few weeks, the Pirates have been the best team in the East.

Bobby Bonilla hit a three-run home run in the first inning at Pittsburgh to lead the rout of the Expos. The Pirates have knocked around all four teams ahead of them in recent series.