NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Merced Helps Pirates Get Better Grip on 1st

Andy Van Slyke is having the kind of season that most valuable players have.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ star, considered by many the best center fielder in the National League, is a key reason the Pirates again are contending for the pennant.

Van Slyke, the one player the club signed to a long-term contract, has been battling for the batting title and coming through with clutch hitting and fielding.

Van Slyke contributes in other ways, too.

After the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1, Saturday at Pittsburgh to increase their lead over Montreal in the Eastern Division to two games, Orlando Merced explained how.

Merced, who drove in three runs to back another potent performance by Doug Drabek (9-8), credits Van Slyke with helping him get a feel for his bat.

One of Van Slyke’s hobbies is making things on a lathe. He also uses it to hone the handle of some teammates’ bats. Merced is convinced that Van Slyke’s lathe gives him just the right grip.

Drabek gave up a first-inning run, then shut down the Cardinals to give the Pirates their third win in a row. The Cardinals have lost seven of their past eight and trail the Pirates by 7 1/2 games.

Merced drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the first. After Van Slyke and Barry Bonds singled with two out in the third, Merced singled in another run. In the sixth, Bonds doubled and Merced singled him home to give Drabek the extra run.

Drabek pitched his sixth complete game. Usually a strong pitcher in the second half, Drabek has gone at least eight innings in nine of his last 10 starts. He has given up only eight earned runs in his last 59 innings.

A chronic back problem has forced Van Slyke to cut down on his swing, and his power production is down. But he has 27 doubles and has driven in 57 runs. His .336 average puts him behind John Kruk of Philadelphia, who has been leading the league all season.

Atlanta 5, San Francisco 3--Most pitchers do not like to pitch in Candlestick Park.

The Braves’ John Smoltz is an exception. The big right-hander pitched a strong eight innings to improve his record in San Francisco to 6-1.

Smoltz (13-6) gave up six hits and one run to win his fourth in a row. In his past 41 innings, he has given up only two earned runs.

The Braves, who have won only two of the past seven, got three unearned runs in the third and a home run by Brian Hunter in the fourth.

Marvin Freeman pitched the ninth and gave up a two-run home run to Mark Leonard.

Philadelphia 4, Montreal 2--Wes Chamberlain hit his first grand slam in the first inning at Montreal and the Phillies handed the Expos their second defeat in a row.

Although his scoreless streak ended at 29 1/3 innings, Curt Schilling went seven solid innings to improve his record to 10-6.

Marquis Grissom, playing two nights after suffering a hairline fracture in his left hand, doubled in a run in the sixth inning to end Schilling’s streak.

Cincinnati 9, Houston 0--Greg Swindell (10-4) pitched a six-hitter at Cincinnati and the Reds maintained their half-game lead over Atlanta in the West.

The Reds, who had 13 hits, batted around in the first inning to give Swindell a four-run lead.

New York 3-1, Chicago 0-6--Ryne Sandberg ran his consecutive hits streak to eight before being stopped in the second game of the doubleheader at New York. His four in the first game could not prevent a shutout.

But he hit a run-scoring triple and scored after a single to help Jeff Robinson win the nightcap. He grounded out in the fourth inning and fell two short of the league record.

It was a costly sweep for the Mets. Bret Saberhagen, just back from a lengthy stay on the disabled list, re-injured the finger that put him there and had to leave in the fourth inning of the opener.