NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Phillies End Mets’ Home Win Streak at 11

It figured that when the New York Mets’ home winning streak ended, there would be a left-handed pitcher involved.

Rookie left-hander Pat Combs held the Mets to four hits Friday night as the Philadelphia Phillies scored a 4-1 victory that ended the Mets’ 11-game Shea Stadium winning streak.

The Mets are 23-28 when left-handers start against them.

Combs, ejected in his previous start at Shea on Aug. 9 when he hit Dwight Gooden with a pitch and precipitated a brawl, gave up a home run to Howard Johnson in the second inning but otherwise was in charge. The 6-foot-4 Combs (8-9) was leading, 3-1, when he hit Gooden to start the fifth inning in the previous effort.

The Phillies’ Lenny Dykstra scored a run, drove in a run and regained the league batting lead at .336. Dale Murphy hit his 22nd home run and the Phillies beat Sid Fernandez (9-13), who struck out 12 in 7 1/3 innings.

The Mets, who had won four in a row, remained 1 1/2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, who also lost, in the National League East.

Combs, 23, was 4-0 when he came up late last season. Four of his 12 victories have come at the expense of the Mets.

“I don’t think it was a letdown after beating the Pirates,” said the Mets’ Darryl Strawberry, who was hitless in four at-bats, striking out twice. “He just made some good pitches.”

Said Combs: “I am surprised. I didn’t have it warming up. I was all over the bullpen. But from the first pitch I was good.”

Montreal 4, Pittsburgh 2--There are two major factors keeping the Pirates from taking charge in the East.

First is their inability to beat the Expos, against whom they are 5-11. The other is their inability to find a late-inning stopper.

In a desperate move at Montreal, the Pirates brought starter Neal Heaton to try to save a 2-1 lead for Bob Walk. Walk gave up five hits in seven innings, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five.

Heaton retired the first two Expos, but walked Delino DeShields. Tim Wallach doubled home the tying run and rookie Larry Walker followed with his 18th home run.

Walker said he wasn’t trying to hit a home run and the left-handed Heaton said he wasn’t trying to throw a strike to the left-handed-hitting rookie.

“I was trying to get him to chase a pitch in the dirt, but I got it up,” Heaton said.

The Pirates’ Barry Bonds hit two home runs and a double against rookie left-hander Brian Barnes, who otherwise was impressive in his debut.

Houston 2, San Francisco 1--Mark Portugal (9-10) overcame early wildness at Houston to beat the Giants for the sixth time in seven decisions.

Portugal, who gave up four hits in six innings, walked five before being replaced by Juan Agosto.

Rookie Karl Rhodes doubled twice against Kelly Downs and scored both runs. The Giants fell to third and trail the Cincinnati Reds by 6 1/2 games.

Portugal’s 23 scoreless innings at the Astrodome ended in the fourth inning when Ernest Riles singled in the Giants’ run.

St. Louis 4, Chicago 2--The Cardinals’ new center fielder, Ray Lankford, had three hits and Pedro Guerrero doubled him home twice at St. Louis.

Cub shortstop Shawon Dunston was sidelined after suffering an injured left shoulder in a pregame fight with teammate Marvell Wynne.

Atlanta 7, San Diego 3--Jim Presley doubled home the first of five Brave runs in the fourth inning at Atlanta and homered in the next inning.