NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pagnozzi, Cardinals Make Most of Shorter Fences

Busch Stadium has long been a tough park in which to hit home runs. For this season, the fences were moved in a few feet.

Apparently, they were moved in about the right distance to help the surprising Cardinals into first place in the National League East.

Tom Pagnozzi’s drive to left-center field with one out in the ninth inning Sunday would have been a long out in 1991. But with the new dimensions, it barely cleared the wall for a home run that gave the Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

Pagnozzi’s drive was measured at 382 feet. It would have been a foot short last season.

With the Dodgers beating Pittsburgh, the Cardinals lead the division by half a game.

Pagnozzi, batting .306, has hit only seven home runs in a career that began in 1987. All of them have been in Busch Stadium.

He won a Gold Glove as the best defensive catcher last season and has played a key role in the Cardinals’ drive into contention.

“I have no idea why I’ve only hit home runs here,” he said after driving in his 15th run with his first home run this season. “If I did, maybe I could hit one somewhere else. I guess I need a big park.”

When Todd Worrell, giving up a run for only the second time in 20 appearances, failed to hold a 3-2 lead for Bob Tewksbury in the eighth, Lee Smith got a chance to win it. He pitched a scoreless ninth to add a victory to his 14 saves.

Cincinnati 8, Philadelphia 3--Things are looking up for the Reds. Hal Morris is hitting, Jose Rijo won a game and they head home after spending much of the first quarter of the season on the road.

Morris opened a seven-run seventh inning with a triple at Philadelphia and climaxed it with a three-run double.

Rijo (1-3), who is recovering from an elbow problem, gave up two runs and two hits in six innings and became a winner for the first time this season.

Morris has been sizzling since he came off the disabled list May 16. He is 12 for 29 (.414). Morris, who also doubled in a run earlier, is hitting .390 lifetime against the Phillies.

The Reds have played 26 of their 42 games on the road.

Atlanta 2, Montreal 1--John Smoltz struck out nine of the first 13 batters he faced at Montreal and set a pattern for the day.

The big right-hander, who has been struggling, set a club record with 15 strikeouts and improved his record to 4-4. The former record was set by Denny Lemaster in 1966.

Smoltz pitched a six-hitter to end a two-game losing streak with his first victory since May 6.

“I didn’t know about the record,” Smoltz said after striking out Gary Carter to end the game. “I do think I had the best stuff I ever had.”

New York 6, San Francisco 0-- David Cone pitched his fourth shutout, a four-hitter, at San Francisco.

For the third time this season Cone (5-2) went into the fifth inning with a no-hitter. Matt Williams spoiled this one with one out in the fifth.

Cone, who leads the majors with 79 strikeouts, was the first pitcher in 42 games to pitch a complete game against the Giants.

Chicago 6, San Diego 4--Ryne Sandberg again feasted on Padre pitching at San Diego. Sandberg hit a two-run home run and drove in another run with a single to spark the Cubs.

Saturday night Sandberg broke an 0-for-17 slump with three hits and his first home run to beat Bruce Hurst.