NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pirates Reel as Expos, Mets, Phillies Make Up Ground in the East

Just two weeks ago Manager Jim Leyland and his Pittsburgh Pirates had a solid lead in the National League East.

Maybe even more important, there were no signs the team Leyland feared most, the New York Mets, who had made a managerial change, were ready to wake up.

Suddenly, the Pirates appear to be in deep trouble.

When journeyman left-hander Bruce Ruffin (5-6) stopped them cold Wednesday at Philadelphia, and the Phillies rolled to a 7-2 victory, the situation became serious.

The Montreal Expos are only 1 1/2 games behind the Pirates, the sizzling Mets and the surprising Phillies are only four games behind and Pittsburgh pitcher Bob Walk is out at least 15 days with a groin injury.

Ruffin, who came into this season with a 32-38 record, pitched his second solid game in a row. He gave up five hits and both runs in eight innings. Len Dykstra led the Phillie attack. He was two for three to raise his major league-leading average to .384. He scored three runs.

“We stink,” the angry Leyland said. “Ruffin pitched good, but we stink.

“We’re not hitting, the pitching isn’t very good and we’re playing sloppy defense. We can’t hold onto the lead playing that way.”

Bobby Bonilla provided the only Pirate punch. He hit his 16th home run and a double, scoring both runs.

New York 6, St. Louis 3--Kevin McReynolds hit a three-run home run in the first inning. The Mets have hit home runs in eight consecutive games and have cut the Pirates’ lead from 9 1/2 games to four since June 7.

The Cardinal players called a clubhouse meeting that lasted 25 minutes after the game.

“The players closed the doors,” Manager Whitey Herzog said. “I had nothing to do with it. We still aren’t hitting and we’re making bad pitches.”

Vince Coleman stole two bases for the Cardinals and is 56 for 56 against the Mets.

Cincinnati 9, Atlanta 8--Billy Hatcher singled in the winning run in the 10th inning at Atlanta to give the Reds their seventh victory in the last eight games and an 8 1/2-game lead in the West.

The Reds scored a run in each of the last three innings to come from behind.

Mariano Duncan walked, was sacrificed to second and scored on Hatcher’s hit.

Montreal 3, Chicago 2--The Expos had only three hits and trailed, 2-0, at Montreal when Larry Walker appeared to strike out to end the seventh inning. But catcher Joe Girardi missed the pitch, the Expos rallied for three runs and Greg Maddux was a tough loser.