NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Clinching Doesn’t Slow Pirates, 10-3

Who cares that the Pittsburgh Pirates have won 10 of their last 12 games en route to their third consecutive East title? Not Manager Jim Leyland.

“I’m not a believer in momentum,” Leyland said after the Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs, 10-3, Monday at Chicago for their fifth victory in a row in preparation for the playoffs. “You’re as good as your next day’s pitcher. I don’t think momentum is a big factor.”

The Pirates won easily even though Leyland rested most of the regulars after clinching the division crown Sunday.

Kevin Young and Gary Varsho each drove in three runs and had two hits to lead a 13-hit attack.

Rookie knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (7-1) gave up four hits and three runs, two earned, in seven innings.

Bob Patterson and Roger Mason each pitched an inning.

“He threw strikes,” Leyland said of Wakefield. “Credit the minor-league team and scouts for him.”

Wakefield was not in spring training and Leyland never saw him until he set foot in the clubhouse in July.

“I’m not surprised, I have a lot of confidence in myself,” Wakefield said about his success since being called up from triple-A Buffalo. “It’s not everywhere where a knuckleball pitcher is going to be used in a pennant race.”

Wakefield got off to a shaky start.

He gave up a leadoff walk to Dwight Smith and a two-run homer to Ryne Sandberg, his 26th.

But the Pirates came back with a four-run fourth inning against loser Jim Bullinger.

Philadelphia 7-7, New York 6-6--Greg Mathews won for the first time since 1988, giving up eight hits over seven-plus innings in the second game at New York to give the last-place Phillies their ninth win in 10 games.

The Mets have lost six in a row.

In the first game, Mariano Duncan’s infield single scored Ruben Amaro in the 10th inning.

The Phillies, playing their third consecutive doubleheader, swept St. Louis on Saturday and split on Sunday.

St. Louis 4, Montreal 1--Omar Olivares gave up five hits in seven innings and the Cardinals got four runs in the sixth inning on five consecutive singles at St. Louis.

Olivares (9-9) won for the first time since Aug. 29. Lee Smith worked the ninth for his league-leading 41st save.

Rookie Gil Heredia, making his first start for Montreal because of a slight injury to Dennis Martinez, shut out St. Louis for five innings to run the Expos’ streak of scoreless innings to 26.

Martinez pulled a muscle in his right side while lifting a suitcase at the Montreal airport Monday morning.