NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Reds Stumble to Sixth Consecutive Loss, 3-2

For most of the season, there have been close races in three of the four major league divisions. The National League West has been the exception.

The Cincinnati Reds won their first nine games, and one month into the season they led the West by seven games. Since then, they have been in command most of the time.

Their lead eventually reached double figures. As recently as last Monday it was 11 games.

But the Reds are faltering.

The Giants pulled out a 3-2 victory in 11 innings Saturday at San Francisco to hand the Reds their sixth defeat in a row and cut their lead to 6 1/2 games. The last time the lead was that small was June 14.

It was the way Cincinnati, which is 0-6 at Candlestick Park, lost that bothered Manager Lou Piniella.

Behind the sharp pitching of Tom Browning, the Reds led, 2-1, in the ninth inning. Dave Anderson, who had hit one home run in his previous 200 at-bats, hit a pinch-hit homer to send it into extra innings.

Pinch-hitter Ernest Riles led off the 11th with a checked-swing infield hit. Randy Myers struck out Brett Butler and Rick Leach, but Will Clark singled. Kevin Mitchell, on a 3-and-2 pitch, hit a bloop single to center field to score Riles.

“We just stumble-bumbled through three one-run games,” Piniella said. “They’re not a better club than we are, but they’re playing better. They’re executing and we’re doing everything wrong.”

The Reds’ 29-25 road record is best in the league, but they are 1-6 on the trip.

St. Louis 1, New York 0--Willie McGee homered in the seventh inning off David Cone to give the Cardinals their eighth victory in the last 11 games.

McGee’s second homer of the season enabled Joe Magrane to improve his record to 6-12. Magrane gave up four hits in 7 2/3 innings. Lee Smith retired the last four Met hitters, including pinch-hitter Darryl Strawberry on strikes, to get his 16th save.

McGee, who also singled in the ninth for the Cardinals’ third hit, extended his hitting streak to 19 games and raised his average to .335. Due in part to injuries, McGee batted only .236 last season.