NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Vulture II Lets Phillies Feast on Braves, 6-5

After the Philadelphia Phillies’ Mitch Williams failed to save a victory for reliever Wally Ritchie Saturday night at Atlanta, he became the winner when Charlie Hayes hit a home run in the ninth to beat the Braves, 6-5.

The Braves, who took a 3-0 lead on a three-run home run by Brian Hunter in the fourth inning, missed a chance to move into a tie with the Dodgers for first place in the National League West.

Williams, who has 23 saves, has failed eight times. But in six of those, he has become the winning pitcher.

“He sits out in that bullpen like a vulture,” Manager Jim Fregosi said. “Even when he doesn’t get the save, we usually win. It’s uncanny.”

In 1966, the Dodgers had a relief pitcher, Phil Regan, who was called the Vulture. Regan was 14-1 that season; most of his victories came after he failed to save a victory for a teammate.

Williams is 9-4 after his latest failure to get a save. The hard-throwing left-hander came in to protect a 5-4 lead in the eighth. The Braves loaded the bases with none out, but scored only once--on a sacrifice fly by Greg Olson.

“I’ll tell you something,” Fregosi said. “There’s no dull moments when Mitch is out there. He can cause anxiety, but he can also pitch.”

The Braves, who had won four in a row, took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Otis Nixon reached base on a force play, stole his 65th base and scored on Terry Pendleton’s single.

Cincinnati 7, New York 0--As he watched Jose Rijo pitch a two-hitter at New York, Red Manager Lou Piniella could only think what might have been.

Rijo, the star of the World Series, was overpowering as he improved to 10-4. He retired the first 14 before Gregg Jefferies singled in the fifth. Rijo, who struck out nine, has won nine of his last 11.

Rijo was on the disabled list for 33 days because of a chip fracture in his right ankle.

“Give him six or seven more starts,” Piniella said, “and we would be much closer to first place.”

Barry Larkin led the Reds’ attack with a two-run home run in the first inning.

San Francisco 5, Pittsburgh 1--The Pirates are acting as if they aren’t concerned about the Eastern Division race.

The Pirates, unable to find a fifth starter to replace injured Bob Walk, were beaten for the fourth time in five games.

Neal Heaton (3-3) was the latest to fail, at Pittsburgh. He gave up five hits and four runs, two of them earned, in four innings.

The Mets’ Trevor Wilson (9-9) singled in two runs in the second inning.

Wilson, 5-0 in his last eight starts, is batting .278 this season. After the game he rushed to San Francisco because his wife is due to give birth.

San Diego 4, Chicago 1--Andy Benes was the No. 1 pick in the 1988 draft. He is finally pitching the way the Padres thought he would.

Benes (9-10) gave up only three hits in seven innings at Chicago to win his fifth in a row.

The Padres, who had lost four in a row, scored in each of the first four innings.

Montreal 5, Houston 1--Mark Portugal stopped the Expos on three hits through seven innings at Houston, but the Expos scored five runs in the eighth.

Portugal left after giving up hits to the first two batters in the eighth. The big hit was a pinch three-run double by Tom Foley.