NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Streaking Mets Getting Closer to Pirates

A few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates seemed to be breezing to another division title in the National League East.

Suddenly, however, the Pirates are slumping, the New York Mets’ pitching has jelled and there is a pennant race.

Frank Viola gave the Mets their sixth consecutive well-pitched game Saturday night, a 2-1 victory over the Phillies at Philadelphia. With the Pirates losing again, the Mets’ sixth victory in a row moved them within 2 1/2 games of the Pirates.

Viola (10-5) needed reliever John Franco to get the final out but won his third in a row. Except for Dale Murphy, Viola had little trouble with the Phillies. Murphy had four hits and scored the only run for the Phillies in the ninth. Charlie Hayes had the other hit off Viola.

Met pitchers have given up four runs in the past five games after giving up two in the game that started the winning streak.

Hubie Brooks’ 434-foot drive into the upper deck in left in the fourth inning gave the Mets a lead they never lost.

“I guess it was my best shot ever, but I didn’t know it at the time,” Brooks said. “I knew I got it pretty good, but I didn’t think it would go that far.”

The other Mets’ run came in the eighth when reliever Mitch Williams walked Tom Herr with the bases loaded.

Howard Johnson has triggered the Mets’ offense, but it is the pitching that has the team excited.

Viola and David Cone have pitched well, but the big lift came when Dwight Gooden flashed his old form Friday night.

Montreal 2, Pittsburgh 1--The Mets aren’t looking forward to the All-Star break, but the Pirates are.

Although he didn’t give up a hit until two were out in the fourth inning at Pittsburgh, Bob Walk contributed to his own downfall. He walked the leadoff batter in the fourth, then threw wildly to first on a sacrifice bunt and both runners eventually scored.

The Pirates, in losing their third consecutive one-run game, managed only two hits off Mark Gardner (4-5) in eight innings. Jose Lind doubled in the only run in the fifth inning.

The Pirates put the first two runners on in the ninth but couldn’t get the tying run home.

Until the past few games, the Pirates had been winning close games. But relievers Jeff Fassero and Tim Burke got the last three outs to stop the rally.

“It was a tremendous pickup by the bullpen,” Gardner said. “We needed that kind of pitching.”

Chicago 12, St. Louis 2--Mike Bielecki (9-6) was as hot as the 97-degree weather at St. Louis.

He had a no-hitter until Pedro Guerrero hit a two-run home run with one out in the seventh and had two hits to spark the Cubs’ attack.

After eight innings, though, it was even too hot for Bielecki and he gave way to reliever Heathcliff Slocumb.

Andre Dawson had three hits, including a two-run home run, and drove in three runs to lead the Cubs to their third victory in a row.

Houston 3, Cincinnati 0--Astro pitcher Jimmy Jones followed Manager Art Howe’s advice and it paid off at Houston.

Jones pitched a three-hitter for his first complete game in almost three years and struck out six. He didn’t walk a batter.

“Artie talked to me and said, ‘Throw strikes and let the fielders play with the ball,’ ” said Jones (5-5). “I did it and it worked. Throwing the sinker over the plate for a first-pitch strike was the key.”

Ken Caminiti hit a two run home run in the fourth inning.

San Francisco 4, San Diego 1--In ending the Giants’ four-game losing streak at San Francisco, Don Robinson held the Padres hitless until Benito Santiago homered with one out in the fifth. He gave up only two hits before Dave Righetti came in to get the final out.

A run-scoring single by Robby Thompson, who also homered, broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh and enabled Robinson to improve his record to 4-6.