NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Cubs End Five-Year Drought Against Gooden

The Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff has enjoyed a significant turnaround since May.

On May 4, the Cubs had a 4.20 earned-run average, the worst in the National League. Today they have the best at 3.25.

Danny Jackson continued his personal turnaround Monday by pitching 8 1/3 innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets at Chicago.

Rey Sanchez’s two-run double keyed a three-run fifth inning that helped the Cubs beat Dwight Gooden for the first time in five years.

Gooden (5-7) had won 12 in a row against the Cubs since they last defeated him Aug. 9, 1987, and was 24-3 lifetime against them before Monday.

“I’ve never been on a Cub team that’s beaten him, and I’ve been here five years,” said Chicago first baseman Mark Grace, whose double started the Cubs’ big inning.

Jackson (4-8) gave up two runs and six hits to earn his fourth victory in five decisions. He struck out two, walked three and came within two outs of pitching his first complete game in nearly three years.

Jackson, who retired 17 consecutive batters during one stretch, called it “My best game of the year. I’m working in the right direction but I’d like to get over the first two or three innings and find my groove at the start.”

The Cubs picked up an unearned run without a hit in the first. Jose Vizcaino reached when Willie Randolph bobbled his grounder to second for an error. Vizcaino went to second on an errant pickoff throw by Gooden, to third on a groundout and scored on Ryne Sandberg’s sacrifice fly.

Gooden retired 12 in a row before Grace got the Cubs’ first hit, opening the fifth with a double. Derrick May’s pop fly dropped for a single in center, and Sanchez followed with his double into the left-field corner. Sanchez scored on a two-out single by Doug Dascenzo.

Dwight Smith of the Cubs hit his first homer in the eighth against reliever Paul Gibson.

Jackson retired 17 consecutive batters before Bill Pecota and Charlie O’Brien singled with one out in the ninth.

Paul Assenmacher got the final two outs for his fifth save, relieving Jim Bullinger after he walked Chico Walker to load the bases. Pecota came home from third with the final run charged to Jackson when pinch-hitter Junior Noboa grounded into a fielder’s choice off Assenmacher.

St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 1--Bob Tewksbury gave up seven hits and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.94 in the victory at St. Louis.

The Cardinals have won four of five and have closed to within 4 1/2 games of the first-place Pirates, who have lost four of five.

Tewksbury (9-2) beat Pittsburgh for the second time in five days, taking a shutout into the ninth before allowing a leadoff triple to Orlando Merced and an RBI groundout to Dave Clark. Gerald Perry and Craig Wilson hit consecutive run-scoring doubles in the fourth against rookie Victor Cole (0-1) to give the Cardinals the lead.

Felix Jose hit his seventh homer for the Cardinals in the sixth.

Philadelphia 5, Montreal 4--Terry Mulholland, wearing extra padding to protect his broken glove hand, gave up eight hits in 8 2/3 innings for the victory at Philadelphia.

Mulholland (8-4) struck out three, walked two and picked off two runners in his first start since breaking his right hand June 20 when hit by a line drive.

Spike Owen’s run-scoring double in the ninth pulled Montreal to within 5-3, but Mitch Williams allowed a run-scoring single to Archi Cianfrocco, then struck out Darren Reed for his 17th save.

Trailing 2-0, Philadelphia went ahead with three runs in the sixth.

Houston 4, Cincinnati 3--Pinch-hitter Benny Distefano hit a bases-loaded triple against Rob Dibble in the eighth at Houston, ending the Reds’ winning streak at five.

Ken Caminiti led off the eighth with a single against Greg Swindell. Dibble (0-3) walked Jeff Bagwell and, two outs later, Luis Gonzalez was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Distefano, batting for Scooter Tucker, hit a ball into the gap in right-center, leaving Dibble with his third blown save in 14 chances.

Al Osuna (4-3) pitched one inning and Doug Jones got three outs for his 17th save.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the third when Caminiti doubled with two out and scored on Bagwell’s single.

The Reds scored in the fourth when Bip Roberts and Barry Larkin doubled, and Larkin scored from second on a passed ball.