NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Cub Hitters Just Can’t Figure Out the Braves

The Chicago Cubs just don’t seem able to find home plate when they play the Atlanta Braves.

John Smoltz (10-6) pitched a five-hitter Friday at Chicago and the Braves beat the Cubs and All-Star pitcher Greg Maddux, 4-0.

It was the second time in a row Smoltz shut out the light-hitting Cubs and the sixth time in 10 games the Braves have held Chicago without a run.

Smoltz struck out seven and walked four in his seventh complete game and third shutout.

“Good pitching will dominate good hitting,” Brave Manager Bobby Cox said. “And, we’ve got good pitching. We didn’t exactly murder Mr. Maddux.”

Maddux (10-8) retired the first 11 Braves and gave up seven hits in eight innings.

Sid Bream singled and Damon Berryhill doubled to open the fifth. Smoltz singled in a run and Deion Sanders hit a sacrifice fly and that’s all Smoltz needed.

Cub Manager Jim Lefebvre also gave the credit to the Atlanta pitching staff.

“Every guy on that staff is capable of shutting out any team, not just us,” he said. “Every time we seem to get a little momentum, we run into them. It’s no bargain when you catch them on a roll.”

Shortstop Rafael Belliard ended a one-for-24 slump with a single in the ninth inning to drive in the last two Atlanta runs.

New York 7, Houston 6--There have been many disappointments for the Mets this season. Eddie Murray has not been one of them--especially with the bases loaded.

Murray cleared the bases with a double into right-center in the ninth inning to bring the Mets from behind to another victory.

Murray, who has driven in 58 runs, is hitting .426 with the bases loaded during his career and has driven in 240 runs. He is seven for nine this season with 20 runs batted in.

The Mets, needing a closer with John Franco on the disabled list, tried Anthony Young, who pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.

The Mets rallied for the victory against All-Star relief pitcher Doug Jones.

“Eddie’s got unbelievable numbers when you get him up there with the bases loaded. It’s amazing what he’s done in those situations,” Manager Jeff Torborg of the Mets said.

“That’s what the game is all about. You can never walk away from those situations,” Murray said. “I enjoy those situations.”

Montreal 3, San Francisco 2--Ken Hill, the surprise of the Expos’ pitching staff, was the star on offense, too, at San Francisco.

Hill tripled and doubled, driving in two runs and scoring Montreal’s third, and improved his record to 9-4 as the Expos stayed within three games of Pittsburgh in the East.

Mark Leonard’s first home run off the season accounted for the Giant runs in the seventh.

The Expos are 10-5 on a season-high 17-game, 14-day trip, and Friday was the first time in six days they played only nine innings. They played three doubleheaders in Dodger Stadium, and on the other three days they played extra-inning games.

Pittsburgh 4, Cincinnati 0--The start of the game was delayed more than three hours because of rain at Cincinnati, but it didn’t bother Doug Drbek.

Drabek (7-7) pitched a six-hitter and singled in a run to beat a West Division team for the first time this season. The Pirates had lost five in a row to the Reds.

Cecil Espy hit a two-run home run for the last two Pittsburgh runs.

San Diego 8, Philadelphia 7--Gary Sheffield doubled home two runs to climax a five-run seventh inning at San Diego.

Sheffield took over the league lead with 60 RBIs. Kurt Stillwell singled in two runs in the inning.