NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Smoltz Closes Out Giants, Braves Close In, 5-2

John Smoltz has been doing the job, just not finishing it.

Smoltz changed that Monday night, pitching a six-hitter for his fifth victory in six starts as the Atlanta Braves moved closer to the Dodgers with a 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Atlanta.

“Getting out of the fifth and sixth innings this year have been tough for me,” said Smoltz, who has made it only into the seventh inning 11 times in 25 starts. “When I got through the sixth tonight, I said to myself, ‘This game is mine.’ ”

The Braves have won six of eight to move within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Dodgers in the West.

Smoltz (7-12) didn’t walk a batter and struck out six for his second complete game this season.

“He was tough in the ninth,” San Francisco Manager Roger Craig said after Smoltz got Kevin Mitchell and Matt Williams on foul pops and struck out Robby Thompson to end the game.”

The Braves got to Don Robinson (5-8), who just came off the disabled list, when Otis Nixon doubled home a run and scored on a single by Jeff Treadway in the third. Robinson’s wild pitch put Treadway on second and he scored on Terry Pendleton’s single.

Tommy Gregg followed his first home run to make it 5-0.

The Giants got to Smoltz in the fourth when Darren Lewis singled and scored on Willie McGee’s double. Two outs later, McGee came home on a single by Matt Williams.

Chicago 7, New York 2--Andre Dawson drove in two runs with his 19th homer and a sacrifice fly and the Cubs completed their first four-game sweep at New York since 1965 by sending the Mets to their sixth consecutive loss.

The Cubs (52-52) have picked up five games in eight days, moving to within 9 1/2 games of first-place Pittsburgh in the National League East. Chicago has won 10 of 14 games.

The third-place Mets fell 6 1/2 games behind the East-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, who start a three-game series tonight in New York. In losing 11 of 13 games, the Mets have been outscored, 67-31.

In a match of 22-year-old rookies, Frank Castillo (4-2) bested Pete Schourek (2-2).

Houston 2, San Diego 1--Craig Biggio’s run-scoring single in the 12th inning pushed the Astros past the Padres at Houston for their eighth consecutive victory.

It was the last-place Astros’ fourth one-run victory in a row, all coming in their last at-bat.

San Diego tied the game in the ninth when Tony Gwynn doubled, went to third on Jerald Clark’s infield single and scored on Thomas Howard’s single.