NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Leyland Has Wakefield Figured, Hitters Don’t

Pirate pitcher Tim Wakefield continued to fool the hitters with his knuckleball, but this time he didn’t fool his manager.

When Wakefield ran into trouble Wednesday night at Pittsburgh in his 3-2 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants, Jim Leyland went to the bullpen to get the final out.

Left-hander Bob Patterson retired Will Clark on a fly to left for the final out to give Wakefield his fifth victory in six decisions. It enabled the Pirates to maintain a three-game lead over the Montreal Expos in the National League East. It also stretched the Giants’ losing streak to eight games.

Barry Bonds’ two-run home run in the fifth inning enabled Wakefield, who has gone at least eight innings in all but one of his seven starts, to take a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning.

After a recent start in which Wakefield was shaky late in the game, Leyland explained why he didn’t replace him.

“I defy anyone to tell me he can tell when a knuckleball pitcher has lost it,” he said.

So, Leyland didn’t make a move when a single and double put Giants on second and third with none out. Wakefield retired Mike Felder on a short fly to center. After Willie McGee’s RBI groundout, though, Leyland made his move.

After all, Clark had hit a home run against Wakefield in the fifth inning.

“I was worried about that game,” Leyland said. “I got a real uneasy feeling when Royce (Clayton) got that squib hit to open the ninth. I didn’t have a good feeling right there.

“Finally, I decided he shouldn’t pitch to Clark again. I guessed right.”

Wakefield, who has an earned-run average of 2.03, is off to the fastest start for a Pirate rookie pitcher since 1983 when Jose DeLeon, just released by St. Louis, broke in with four near no-hitters in his first seven starts.

Montreal 7, Cincinnati 3--At Cincinnati, relief pitcher Norm Charlton’s throwing error led to three runs in the eighth inning as the Expos handed the fading Reds their seventh loss in a row.

Charlton came in to start the eighth in a 2-2 game. Tim Laker beat out an infield hit and Marquis Grissom tried to sacrifice. He popped the ball in front of the mound, and Charlton dived but failed to catch the ball. He picked the ball up and threw it into right field. A run scored and Grissom reached third.

Spike Owen singled in another run and third baseman Willie Greene made an error to allow the third run to score.

New York 6, Atlanta 5--The Mets picked up Kevin Bass just to fill in for the rest of the season for injured outfielder Howard Johnson.

The way he has been hitting, they might sign him for next season.

Bass, a former Giant, hit his ninth home run and two doubles at New York to enable the Mets to salvage the finale of a four-game series.

Bass, picked up Aug. 7, is 15 for 37 in his last 11 games after getting only two hits in his first 34 at-bats for the Mets.

Despite the loss, the Braves continue to lead the National League West by 7 1/2 games.

San Diego 5, St. Louis 4--Bruce Hurst, getting home runs from Fred McGriff and Tim Teufel, won for the sixth time in his last seven decisions at St. Louis.

McGriff hit his league-leading 32nd home run and leads teammate Gary Sheffield by three.

Sheffield, leading in batting average and runs batted in, is trying to be the first National League player since Joe Medwick of the Cardinals in 1937 to win the triple crown. If he fails, he can blame the Cardinal pitchers. He finished four for 39 with no home runs and two RBIs against them.

Houston 3, Philadelphia 2--Pete Incaviglia made up for being picked off base earlier at Houston by doubling home the winning run in the eighth inning.

The hit beat Terry Mulholland (12-9), who gave up eight hits and pitched his 10th complete game.