NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Van Slyke Does Double Duty to Beat Astros, 5-3

Center fielder Andy Van Slyke, after making a rare unassisted double play, doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning at Pittsburgh to lead the Pirates to a 5-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

Van Slyke had to playfully ward off first baseman Gary Redus to become the first center fielder to make an unassisted double play since Billy North of the Oakland Athletics in 1974.

Ken Caminiti, on first, was running on the pitch in the sixth inning when Luis Gonzalez lifted a fly to short right-center. The speedy Van Slyke made the catch and kept on running. He dribbled the ball between first and second, then avoided Redus to make the tag at first.

“The only thing I was worried about was being called for double dribble,” Van Slyke said.

Redus doubled to start the seventh in a 2-2 game. After an infield hit, Van Slyke doubled in the go-ahead run. Steve Buechele singled home two runs to complete the scoring.

The left-handed hitting Van Slyke hit the double against Al Osuna and raised his average against left-handers to .305. Last season he batting only .195 against left-handers.

Barry Bonds doubled twice and scored two runs for the Pirates, who scored only eight runs in the previous five games.

Cincinnati 3, Chicago 2--Jose Rijo (6-6) is regaining his form and the Reds are pulling away in the West.

Rijo, despite a tightness in his right arm, gave up only four hits in seven innings and the Reds, with their sixth victory in a row, stretched their lead to six games. The only run off Rijo was Andre Dawson’s 13th home run in the seventh.

“His arm tightened a little,” Manager Lou Piniella said. “He’s getting stronger, throwing more innings and fewer pitches.

The Cubs had a single, double and an infield hit off Norm Charlton in the ninth, but Dawson lined into a double play and Kal Daniels, after getting the infield hit, was thrown out trying to go to second on a wild throw.

St. Louis 6, San Diego 3--The Cardinals, who were struggling just to get a run a game last week, have found their scoring punch at San Diego.

Ray Lankford drove in three runs with a pair of doubles and Andres Galarraga continued his hot hitting.

Galarraga, who homered in his two previous games, had three more hits.

The Cardinals, after scoring only four runs in six games, have scored 10 in the last two.

Lee Smith pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

New York 5, Atlanta 4--Sid Fernandez gave up only three hits in six innings at Atlanta and the Mets handed the Braves their third loss in a row.

Fernandez gave up a bunt single to Otis Nixon and a run-scoring double to David Justice in the fourth. When Justice opened the seventh with a triple, Fernandez was replaced.

Eddie Murray had two doubles and scored twice for the Mets. The Mets have hit 34 doubles in the last 14 games.

San Francisco 8-10, Philadelphia 7-6--Matt Williams hit his first homer since May 22, Robby Thompson drove in two runs and rookie Jim Pena went six innings to win his major league debut in the second game as the Giants swept the Phillies at San Francisco.

Thompson hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to give the Giants the victory in the opener.