NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Cardinals Keep Expos From Gaining Ground

The Montreal Expos have hit a bit of a snag in their drive to overtake Pittsburgh in the East.

Bernard Gilkey’s solo homer leading off the 10th inning gave the St. Louis Cardinals an 8-7 victory Monday at Montreal, the Expos’ third consecutive loss to remain four games behind first-place Pittsburgh in the East.

“If you can look at the bright side in our three losses, Pittsburgh has lost twice,” Expo outfielder Larry Walker said. “We could be six games out instead of four.”

Gilkey showed them the dark side by lining a 2-and-0 pitch from John Wetteland (3-4) over the left-field fence for his fifth homer of the season.

Bryn Smith (1-0) pitched one inning for the win and Lee Smith worked the 10th for his 38th save.

Chicago 6, Pittsburgh 5--Derrick May hit a three-run homer on reliever Bob Patterson’s first pitch of the 11th inning and Alex Arias went five for five in his second major league start for the Cubs at Pittsburgh.

The Cubs outhit the Pirates, 21-8, but were shut out for 7 2/3 innings by four Pittsburgh relievers until May’s drive, the second first-pitch homer allowed by Patterson in as many appearances. Todd Benzinger of the Dodgers hit a grand slam off Patterson Friday.

“It’s hard to look guys in the eyes when you give up runs like that,” said Patterson, previously the Pirates’ most consistent reliever.

Stan Belinda (5-4) got into trouble in the 11th by allowing singles to Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace, who had three hits apiece. Andre Dawson bounced into a force play before Patterson replaced Belinda and May hit his seventh homer.

Rookie knuckleballer Tim Wakefield lasted only 2 1/3 innings in his shortest outing since joining the rotation, but got off the hook when the Pirates rallied from a 3-0 deficit. Wakefield went at least eight innings in all but one of his first seven major league starts.

Cincinnati 10, Houston 0--Jose Rijo held the Astros to three hits over seven innings at Houston as the Reds won for the fourth time in five games.

Rijo (11-9) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning by striking out Brian Williams and then retired the next eight batters. Rijo struck out six and walked four.

Greg Swindell, who came off the 15-day disabled list before the game after recovering from a rib injury, relieved Rijo and pitched one inning, striking out two. It was Swindell’s first relief appearance since April 15, 1987.

San Diego 7, San Francisco 5--Jerald Clark hit a grand slam and Gary Sheffield and Darrin Jackson also homered at San Francisco as the Padres won their fifth in a row and sent the Giants to their 12th defeat in 13 games.

Sheffield hit his 30th homer in the first inning and Jackson hit his 16th homer, a two-run shot, in the second. Clark hit the first grand slam of his career in the fourth to give the Padres a 7-0 lead.

New York 6, Philadelphia 3--Pete Schourek won his third consecutive start, and Todd Hundley and Dick Schofield each drove in two runs to lead the Mets at Philadelphia.

Schourek (5-6) allowed 10 hits and two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. Anthony Young relieved with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth and got Mariano Duncan on a grounder for his 13th save.