NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Tewksbury Good and Fast; Cardinals Defeat Padres, 5-1

With games lasting longer and earned-run averages getting higher, more than a few pitchers could take a lesson from Bob Tewksbury.

Tewksbury pitched a four-hitter and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.78 as the St. Louis Cardinals ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the San Diego Padres Saturday night at St. Louis.

He made only 86 pitches and the game was over in 2 hours 22 minutes.

“I like to keep the fielders busy,” Tewksbury said. “Ozzie Smith says I make him look good by letting him make plays. That’s fine with me. I’ll throw the ball over the plate and let them make all the plays.”

Tewksbury (6-1) walked none and struck out two. In 76 innings this season, he has walked only six.

The Padres spoiled Tewksbury’s shutout bid in the eighth on Oscar Azocar’s run-scoring grounder.

San Diego’s Craig Lefferts (6-3) gave up four runs (three earned) and 10 hits.

The Cardinals broke a 1-1 tie with two out in the sixth when Bernard Gilkey tripled home Felix Jose and scored on Geronimo Pena’s single.

San Diego catcher Benito Santiago left the game in the fourth inning after injuring his right pinky sliding into second base. Preliminary X-rays disclosed a small crack in the finger.

Pittsburgh 3, San Francisco 2--Don Slaught’s foul sacrifice fly scored Jeff King in the 10th inning, lifting the Pirates over the Giants at Pittsburgh.

King opened the 10th with an infield single off Jeff Brantley (2-2). After a sacrifice and a balk, Slaught hit a foul fly to right. Willie McGee caught the ball and made a strong throw to the plate, but King scored.

Denny Neagle (2-2) pitched one inning for the victory. He came back after the 10th inning was interrupted by rain for 44 minutes.

Jay Bell’s tiebreaking double off Bryan Hickerson gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead in the seventh.

Doug Drabek came within three outs of recording his first victory since April 22 before Matt Williams tied the score, 2-2, with a run-scoring double in the ninth.

Atlanta 6, New York 1--Deion Sanders had four singles, stole three bases and scored three runs at New York as the Braves handed the Mets their fourth consecutive defeat.

Terry Pendleton hit a three-run homer off David Cone (5-3) to break a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning and send Atlanta toward its third consecutive victory.

Cone, who pitched shutouts in his last two starts, had his scoreless streak stopped at 20 innings when David Justice hit a run-scoring single in the third. Cone lasted only four innings, giving up seven hits and walking four.

Steve Avery (3-5), who walked Vince Coleman with the bases loaded in the second, pitched out of trouble and gave up six hits in eight-plus innings.

The Mets have scored only two runs during their losing streak.

Cincinnati 9, Montreal 4--Bill Doran’s bases-loaded single capped a three-run first inning and led to a brawl as the Reds beat the Expos at Cincinnati for their sixth consecutive victory.

Hal Morris was thrown out at home while trying to score from second base on Doran’s single and wound up fighting catcher Gary Carter after their collision, emptying the dugouts. Order was restored quickly and both players were ejected.

The Reds continued their longest winning streak in two years by scoring five runs in 1 2/3 innings off Mark Gardner (3-4), who has lost his last three starts.

Doran had three hits, including a solo homer. Paul O’Neill drove in three runs and Bip Roberts scored four times.

Tom Browning (4-3) needed the big cushion to get his first victory since April 28 despite yielding home runs to Spike Owen, Archi Cianfrocco and Darren Reed.

Houston 5, Philadelphia 4--Craig Biggio singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth at Houston and the Astros ended Terry Mulholland’s five-game winning streak.

Mulholland (5-4) won his five previous starts in May, pitching into the ninth inning each time. He gave up 10 hits and struck out five in six innings.

Houston’s Jimmy Jones (2-0) gave up three runs in the first inning before settling down. Doug Jones pitched the ninth for his 12th save in 14 chances.

The Astros trailed, 4-1, entering the sixth, but Jeff Bagwell doubled home two runs and scored on Biggio’s third hit of the game.