MAJOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mets, After Leading 10-1, Hold Off Reds

Things got so ugly at Shea Stadium on Monday night that Ron Darling decided not to watch the finish.

As it turned out, Darling might have enjoyed it.

Howard Johnson and Hubie Brooks hit two-run home runs and Darling won for the first time in 37 days as the New York Mets held on to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 10-6.

It was hardly an artistic success for either team as the Mets squandered much of a 10-1 lead and the Reds made three errors, two by outfielders.

Darling (3-4), who last won on May 11, got off to a smooth start but finished by allowing three runs and seven hits in six innings. Doug Simons relieved and helped the Reds get back into the game by giving up three runs in the seventh, including Bill Doran’s leadoff homer.

Manager Bud Harrelson, who was booed by the home crowd, brought on Julio Valera and the rookie got out of the seventh despite some wildness. The Reds loaded the bases in the eighth and Rich Sauveur relieved Valera and struck out Mariano Duncan.

The Reds entered the game having won four consecutive games and seven of eight, but the tone of the night was set early.

Center fielder Herm Winningham made a two-base error on Daryl Boston’s leadoff single in the first inning and Dave Magadan, in a four-for-34 slump, followed with an RBI single off Scott Scudder (2-2).

The Mets chased Scudder with six runs and three hits in the third inning. Johnson got things going with a two-run homer, his 14th, tying Fred McGriff for the National League lead.

Montreal 3, Houston 2--The Expos rallied to tie the score at Montreal in the ninth and 11th and finally won it in the 16th when Tim Wallach singled home Marquis Grissom.

Montreal won its fourth in a row, despite being outhit, 12-6, by the Astros.

Grissom led off the 16th with a single against Curt Schilling (3-5) and was sacrificed to second by Delino DeShields. After Ivan Calderon was walked intentionally, Wallach lined a 1-1 pitch into left field for the game-winning hit.

Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 3--Dale Murphy hit a 433-foot home run in the eighth inning at Philadelphia as the Phillies sent the Braves to their fourth consecutive loss.

Reliever Mitch Williams (1-3) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for the victory, striking out three, while Juan Berenguer (0-2) gave up Murphy’s game-winning homer.

Phillie starter Tommy Greene, who homered to tie the score in the fifth, allowed all three Braves runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.

St. Louis 5, San Francisco 4--Geronimo Pena, who scored the tying run in the eighth inning, hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth to help the Cardinals beat the Giants at San Francisco.

Todd Zeile doubled to start the ninth off Giant reliever Dave Righetti (2-3) and went to third on Tom Pagnozzi’s sacrifice. Pena, who entered the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth, flied to deep right to score Zeile with the winning run.

Juan Agosto (4-1) pitched the eighth to pick up the victory, and Lee Smith got the last three outs for his 16th save.

Pittsburgh 3, San Diego 2--Gary Redus hit his first home run of the season and doubled twice, and Pirate pitcher Doug Drabek won his fourth game in a row in the victory over the Padres at San Diego.

Redus, who has been platooned at first with Orlando Merced, homered off left-hander Bruce Hurst with one out in the third for a 3-0 lead. Redus, whose last homer was Sept. 14 at Montreal, also led off two innings with doubles.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Milwaukee 5, Oakland 0--Don August pitched a five-hitter for his first shutout in two years, and Billy Spiers and Jim Gantner sparked a five-run fifth inning as the Brewers beat the Athletics for the third time in the four-game series.

August (5-2), backed by four double plays, won his fifth consecutive game but first since May 28.

The Brewers batted around in the fifth off Mike Moore (8-5), who gave up only one hit in the first four innings.

Greg Vaughn walked and was forced at second by Franklin Stubbs. Willie Randolph’s infield single and another walk to Dante Bichette loaded the bases.

Spiers then lined a two-run single to center. Paul Molitor doubled to right to make it 3-0 and Gantner hit a hard grounder past first on a 3-0 pitch for two more runs

Texas 10, Kansas City 9--Gary Pettis drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning at Arlington, Tex., as the Rangers capped a six-run comeback for their seventh win in a row.

Left fielder Gary Thurman made a sliding attempt to catch Pettis’ two-out bloop, but trapped it as Steve Buechele scored the winning run.

Texas’ Ruben Sierra drove in five runs with a three-run homer in the eighth and a game-tying two-run single in the ninth to erase the Royals’ 9-4 lead.

Mike Jeffcoat (2-1) pitched two innings of one-hit relief. Jeff Montgomery (1-3), Kansas City’s fifth pitcher, gave up eight hits and three runs over 2 1/3 innings.