NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mets Hot at Home, Cone Has the Fans

New York’s David Cone won his sixth consecutive decision and reached double figures in strikeouts for the fourth game in a row as the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-2, Thursday night at New York.

The Mets have won 16 of 18 home games.

Cone (7-4) gave up six hits, struck out 11 and walked three in 7 2/3 innings. He raised his season strikeout total to 117, third-best in the league, and has 60 strikeouts in the last 54 innings.

John Franco got the last four outs for his 20th save.

Philadelphia 5, Cincinnati 2--Darren Daulton drove in two runs and scored twice at Cincinnati as the Reds had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Daulton hit a solo home run in the first inning, driving a curveball by Jack Armstrong over the right-field wall, and added a triple in the Phillies’ two-run fifth inning and an eighth-inning single.

Pat Combs (6-7) gave up 11 hits in seven-plus innings before Roger McDowell pitched the last two for his 14th save and first since June 2.

Daulton’s home run, his fourth of the year, was only the sixth off Armstrong in 124 innings this year. Armstrong (11-5) went six innings, giving up seven hits.

Houston 4, Montreal 3--Ken Caminiti’s run-scoring single in the 11th inning gave the Astros a 7-0 record in extra-inning games at home this year.

Franklin Stubbs led off the 11th with a single off Bill Sampen (7-2). Stubbs then stole second base and came home when Caminiti followed with a single down the right-field line.

Tim Wallach started the Montreal 11th with a single and, after Mike Fitzgerald struck out, Larry Walker hit a line drive down the third-base line off Larry Andersen (5-2). But Caminiti made a diving catch for the second out, and Dave Martinez flied out to end the inning.

The victory was the Astros’ 16th in their last 21 home games. Overall, however, they have lost 18 of their last 30.

Andres Galarraga, who hit a grand slam in the ninth inning of an 8-7, 11-inning loss to Cincinnati Wednesday night, homered off Jim Deshaies in the sixth inning.

St. Louis 8, San Diego 3--Todd Zeile and Terry Pendleton hit home runs and Joe Magrane turned in a solid pitching performance for six innings as the Cardinals won at St. Louis.

Zeile’s home run, his team-leading 10th, made him the first St. Louis rookie to hit that many since Hector Cruz in 1976. Pendleton’s homer, his sixth, was only the third by a Cardinal in 14 games.

The Cardinals, who had scored only 14 runs in seven previous games, homered twice for the eighth time this year. They have 37 home runs in all, fewest in the majors, and have scored three or fewer runs 50 times.

Bruce Hurst pitched four innings, yielding six hits, as the Padres lost their fourth game in a row. The Padres are 1-7 since Greg Riddoch took over as manager July 11.