NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Morris’ Hit in 9th Breaks Reds’ Losing Streak

Hal Morris looped a single to left field with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday night at San Diego and the Cincinnati Reds ended their four-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory.

Morris’ opposite-field hit was the decisive play in a pitching duel between Andy Benes of the Padres and Norm Charlton of the Reds.

Benes, before tiring in the ninth, held the Reds to three hits and struck out 13 in eight innings.

But, he gave up a hit to Barry Larkin with one out in the ninth inning on his 140th pitch. After Benes walked Paul O’Neill and Eric Davis to fill the bases, Larry Andersen replaced him.

Andersen got Chris Sabo on a pop-up. On Morris’ hit, left fielder Jerald Clark threw out O’Neill at the plate. But the damage was done.

The Padres put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Randy Myers replaced Charlton and got out of the jam.

Atlanta 10, Houston 4--The Braves hit into a triple play in the second inning at Atlanta to ruin a promising outburst.

They kept swinging and, with Terry Pendleton hitting a three-run double, scored seven times in the eighth inning.

The Braves’ fans had not seen the club win at home in three previous tries.

They didn’t seem to be getting any closer after Sid Bream and Mark Lemke singled to open the second inning. Mike Heath hit a one-hopper to third baseman Ken Caminiti to start a round-the-horn triple play. Last September against the Braves, Camaniti started the same kind of triple play.

The Braves trailed, 4-3, going into the eighth. Jeff Blauser’s infield hit with the bases loaded tied it. Pendleton cleared the bases and the Braves were on their way to the first home victory.

Pendleton didn’t start because of a hamstring problem, but it didn’t affect his hitting.

“Getting our first win at home made the long ramp up to the clubhouse a good one,” said Pendleton, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and singled. “The double was a big hit for all of us, not just for me.”

Rookie Jeff Bagwell, who sparked the Astros to victory Monday night, hit another two-run homer in the seventh to give them their 4-3 lead.

Pittsburgh 4, New York 2--Andy Van Slyke hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the sixth inning at Pittsburgh to end the Pirates’ three-game losing streak.

Randy Tomlin slowed the hot Mets, giving up five hits in seven innings in his first start. He gave up home runs to Hubie Brooks in the fifth and Mark Carreon in the seventh.

Stan Belinda, whose wildness beat the Pirates in his previous appearance, pitched two scoreless innings for the save. He didn’t walk anybody and struck out three.

Chicago 4, Philadelphia 3--After missing most of last season and undergoing shoulder surgery, Damon Berryhill was a question mark. The Cubs’ catcher seems to be giving the right answer.

Barryhill singled off former teammate Mitch Williams with two out in the 13th inning at Chicago to give the Cubs their fourth victory in a row.

Mike Bielecki, normally a starter, pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to win his second in a row. His sacrifice moved Shawon Dunston into position to score on Barryhill’s hit.

Montreal 4, St. Louis 1--Rick Mahler pitched six strong innings at Montreal for his first victory for the Expos.

Mahler, invited to training camp as a non-roster player, gave up one run and four hits to even his record at 1-1. The 37-year-old right-hander threw only 81 pitches, then gave way to Tim Burke. Burke, who couldn’t get anybody out in the ninth Monday night and lost, pitched three shutout innings for the save.

The Expos jumped on Ken Hill for three runs in the sixth inning. Andres Galarraga doubled in one run and Spike Owen tripled in another.