NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Expos Finally Get Home and Beat Cardinals, 3-2

After 32 consecutive road games, the Montreal Expos returned to Olympic Stadium Monday and beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, for their fifth consecutive victory.

Montreal ended last season with 26 games on the road because a 55-ton concrete beam had collapsed at its ballpark, built for the 1976 Olympics. The Expos had not played at home since Sept. 8.

“It’s nice to be in your home ballpark and have people behind you, especially late in the game,” Expo shortstop Spike Owen said.

Mark Gardner (1-1) gave up one run and seven hits in five innings, struck out seven and walked two before 40,907. Former Dodger John Wetteland got five outs for his first save.

Wetteland got some help in the ninth when right fielder Larry Walker made a running catch of Ozzie Smith’s drive with Ray Lankford on first.

“Larry gave me a second chance when he made that catch,” Wetteland said. “It was amazing. It’s really tough to blow a game when you get defense like that.”

Lankford stole second and took third on a wild pitch, but Wetteland struck out Milt Thompson and got Pedro Guerrero to hit a game-ending fly ball.

“Walker’s catch probably saved the game for the Expos,” St. Louis Manager Joe Torre said. “It looked like Walker was holding Ozzie a little (shallow), but he still got to it.”

Rheal Cormier, starting in place of injured Bryn Smith, made his first appearance of the season and gave up all three runs--two unearned--and six hits in five innings. He began the season at triple-A Louisville of the American Assn.

The Expos’ Delino DeShields led off the first inning with his second homer of the season.

The Expos made the score 3-0 in the second. Walker and Rick Cerone singled and Gardner hit a two-out grounder that was booted by Smith at shortstop, allowing Walker to score. DeShields singled to load the bases, then Cormier walked Owen on four pitches, forcing in a run.

Philadelphia 3, New York 2--Jeff Torborg’s first week as manager of the New York Mets is not going as expected. In fact, the last Met manager to have this much trouble at home to start the season was Casey Stengel in 1962.

Rookie Ruben Amaro had two hits and scored two runs as the Phillies kept the Mets winless at home.

The Mets’ 0-4 start at home is their worst since going 0-7 at the Polo Grounds in their first season. New York went on to a 40-120 record that season, a major league record for losses.

Cincinnati 5, Atlanta 4--The Braves’ John Smoltz lost for the first time since Aug. 15.

The right-hander, who had won his last seven regular-season decisions and two in the playoffs, gave up five hits and three walks to the Reds in 2 1/3 innings at Cincinnati, his shortest stint since July 6.

“It’s frustrating because a long streak ended, and it’s frustrating because we had a chance to win,” said Smoltz (1-1). “I beat myself. I didn’t give my team a chance. That’s what’s disappointing.”