NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Gooden, Strawberry Keep the Mets Afloat, 7-3

There might be some consternation among New York Met fans about players not living up to expectations, but Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry are not in that category.

The performances of Gooden and Strawberry have put the Mets in position to challenge the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL East.

When Gooden pitches, the Mets almost always win. When Strawberry hits, the Mets usually win. When they combine their talents, it’s usually a breeze.

Strawberry hit his 37th home run Sunday at Chicago and Gooden earned his seventh victory in a row in a 7-3 romp over the Cubs that left New York 2 1/2 games behind the Pirates.

Gooden (18-6), who has lost only once since May, will have a shot at 20 victories. He has won 15 of 16 decisions and has beaten the Cubs nine times in a row.

Gooden is 10-2 at Wrigley Field, a hitters’ park. He gave up two runs and seven hits, striking out nine in eight innings.

Manager Bud Harrelson might bring back Gooden back on three days’ rest to face Montreal Thursday.

“It’s all right with me,” Gooden said. “At this time of the year, it’s crucial. I’ll be ready.”

Daryl Boston also homered for the Mets, who had 15 hits.

Strawberry, with eight home runs in September, has tied the Cubs’ Ryne Sandberg for the league lead.

The Mets’ hitters, silent last week against left-handers, pounded Cub right-handers for 18 runs and 27 hits in two games.

Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 2--The Pirates may be hard to catch. They appear to be loose and relaxed. They also may have solved their one major problem--finding a stopper out of the bullpen.

Rookie Vicente Palacios struck out hot-hitting Tom Pagnozzi with the potential tying run on first in the sixth inning at Pittsburgh. He pitched three more hitless innings to get his second save. He has yet to yield a run in 10 innings.

Bobby Bonilla emerged from a mild slump with two hits, including his 32nd home run as the Pirates finally beat the Cardinals. St. Louis finished with a 6-3 record at Pittsburgh.

The Pirates hammered Bob Tewksbury (10-8), who had an 0.33 ERA in seven previous appearances against them.

“I like the Pirates’ chances,” Manager Joe Torre of the Cardinals said. “They have more energy that the Mets. They have confidence.”

Philadelphia 2, Montreal 1--Charlie Hayes singled home the winning run with none out in the 16th inning at Philadelphia to all but end the pennant hopes of the surprising Expos.

The Expos, after climbing into the race in the East by winning six in a row against Pittsburgh and New York, lost three straight one-run games to the Phillies and trail the Pirates by 6 1/2 games with 11 games to play.

Len Dykstra went hitless in five at-bats and probably blew his chance for the batting title. Willie McGee will remain at .335, but Dykstra dipped to .327.

Atlanta 3, Houston 0--Paul Marak pitched a four-hitter at Atlanta for his first major league victory and Dave Justice hit his 27th home run. Justice has 22 homers since the All-Star game.