NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Expos Win Two, Complete Sweep of Mets

A doubleheader at home? What better time to close in on a division leader.

That’s what the New York Mets thought of their doubleheader Thursday against the Montreal Expos, but now they find themselves farther behind the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates than they have been in more than a week, with the streaking Expos on their heels in the National League East race.

Expo rookie Chris Nabholz pitched a one-hitter for his first major league shutout and Montreal beat New York, 2-0, to complete the doubleheader sweep at Shea Stadium and drop the Mets 2 1/2 games behind the Pirates.

Montreal scored both its runs in the fourth inning off Sid Fernandez, on Tim Wallach’s broken-bat RBI single and Marquis Grissom’s sacrifice fly. Fernandez gave up only two hits in six innings, losing for the sixth time in his last seven decisions.

In the opener, the Expos rallied for four runs in the eighth inning against Frank Viola and reliever John Franco, winning, 6-4.

Dave Magadan, Darryl Strawberry, Kevin McReynolds and Gregg Jefferies, the Mets’ No. 3 through 6 hitters in the order, had two hits in 20 at-bats in the doubleheader.

The Expos, who swept the three-game series at New York, have won six consecutive games and trail the Pirates by 4 1/2.

Pittsburgh beat the Chicago Cubs, 11-2. The Pirates’ magic number s 11.

“We’ve come back before, but now time is just running out,” Magadan said of the Mets. “Now we have to win on the road.”

New York plays 10 of its last 13 games on the road at Chicago, Montreal and Pittsburgh.

Nabholz (6-0) did not allow a hit for 5 2/3 innings until Tommy Herr singled to right field. The left-hander walked three and struck out six.

Said Expo Manager Buck Rodgers: “We have to pass the Mets before thinking about first place. I just hope the schedule doesn’t run out on us.”

Pittsburgh 11, Chicago 2--Andy Van Slyke hit two home runs and drove in three runs and Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer, leading the Pirates at Chicago.

Van Slyke homered in the first inning off loser Randy Kramer and hit a two-run homer, his 17th, off Mitch Williams in a three-run sixth. Van Slyke walked in his other three appearances.

Bonds hit his 32nd homer in the eighth inning after Van Slyke had walked. It was the most home runs by a Pirate since Willie Stargell hit 32 in 1979.

Winner Bob Walk allowed only one hit before the Cubs scored a run in the fifth inning, and needed relief in the sixth after Ryne Sandberg hit his National League-leading 37th home run.

San Francisco 5, Atlanta 3--Pinch-hitter Mike Laga hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning at Atlanta to give Eric Gunderson his first major league victory.

The victory was only the second in seven games for San Francisco, which began play in third place in the National League East, 7 1/2 games behind division-leading Cincinnati.

Laga, batting for Gunderson, hit his second home run of the season off John Smoltz after a one-out single by Jose Uribe.

St. Louis 5, Philadelphia 4--Rookie Ray Lankford’s pinch single capped a three-run ninth inning that gave the Cardinals a victory at St. Louis.

St. Louis, which snapped a four-game losing streak, was held to two runs and four hits over eight innings by Terry Mulholland, but Todd Zeile started the ninth with a double, bringing on reliever Roger McDowell.

Zeile held second on Rex Hudler’s infield hit and took third when Pedro Guerrero hit into a double play. Felix Jose’s infield hit made it 4-3 and, after Jose stole second, Denny Walling, pinch hitting for winning pitcher Mike Perez, singled off third baseman Charlie Hayes’ glove to tie the game.

Ozzie Smith’s double sent pinch-runner Dave Collins to third before Lankford’s single gave Perez his first major league victory.