NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mets’ Gooden Still Has the Cubs’ Number

It seems almost all Dwight Gooden has to do for a victory against the Chicago Cubs is show up.

Gooden improved to 25-4 lifetime against the Cubs, as the Mets beat them, 11-3, Wednesday at Chicago.

“Don’t ask me why I can beat one team 25 times,” Gooden said. “I can’t give you an answer. I do know, I don’t like pitching in Wrigley Field (where he is 11-3). It’s a hitters’ park and the wind blows out a lot.

“The fact I’m 14-1 against the Cubs at Shea Stadium is hard to figure out. It seems if they get three runs, we get four. If we get 10, they might get six.”

This time, it was 11.

Todd Hundley, Bobby Bonilla and Chico Walker each hit homers in the seven-run fourth as the Mets won two of three against Chicago, their first series victory since playing at Cincinnati April 16-18.

“We’re not doing the job,” Cub Manager Jim Lefebvre said. “We have to start giving some wake-up calls and getting the starting pitchers to get the job done. There’s nothing I can do about Doc Gooden. He’s a great pitcher.”

Gooden (6-4) gave up three runs and eight hits. He also had two hits, giving him 10 for the season.

“I have to admit, I’m proud of my hitting,” Gooden said. “I was only in the minors for a year and a half coming out of high school, and I made up mind early on, that I was going to help myself at the plate. All pitchers love to hit, though.”

Philadelphia 5, Cincinnati 2--Kim Batiste and Todd Pratt, who entered the game with one homer between them this season, each hit solo homers to help the Phillies beat the Reds at Cincinnati.

The first-place Phillies took two of three in the series, and have won five of their last six games.

Ben Rivera (4-2) scattered eight hits, walked two and struck out a career-high nine in eight-plus innings. Mitch Williams got the final three outs for his 16th save.

Batiste homered on the first pitch from John Smiley (2-7) in the third inning to give Philadelphia the lead. It was his second of the year.

Pratt, batting .167 in six games, hit his first homer of the season in the seventh.

Houston 5, Montreal 4--Eric Anthony’s bases-loaded grounder was bobbled for an error by first baseman John Vander Wal allowing the winning run to score in the ninth inning as the Astros edged the Expos at Houston.

Pinch-hitter Casey Candaele singled off Mel Rojas (1-4) to open the ninth and Craig Biggio sacrificed. Steve Finley and Jeff Bagwell walked, loading the bases, and Anthony hit a slow grounder that Vander Wal mishandled.

San Francisco 3, Florida 2--Will Clark hit a two-run homer and John Burkett became the major league’s first eight-game winner this season as the Giants beat the Marlins at Miami.

Clark’s third homer of the season barely cleared the right-field fence in the opening inning against Jack Armstrong (4-5). Clark also doubled and finished two for four, raising his average to a season-high .250. He’s 12 for 26 (.462) in the past six games.

Burkett (8-1) gave up nine hits, walked one and hit a batter in six innings. He got Geronimo Berroa to pop out with the bases loaded in the fourth, then struck out Dave Magadan and Orestes Destrade with runners at first and third in the fifth.

Atlanta 5, San Diego 2--Pinch-hitter Francisco Cabrera singled in the go-ahead run in a four-run sixth inning as the Braves won at Atlanta.

The Braves, winning for only the third time in eight games, sent 10 players to the plate in the sixth.

Ron Gant led off the inning with a home run, his 12th, to tie it at 2 off Andy Benes (7-4).

Benes then walked Greg Olson and Mark Lemke with one out and threw a wild pitch before Cabrera, hitting for winner Steve Avery, lined an RBI single to left with Lemke holding at third.

Roger Mason relieved and gave up a single to Deion Sanders, but Lemke, thinking it would be caught, held up and was thrown out at the plate. Jeff Blauser then walked, loading the bases and Terry Pendleton followed with a two-run single.

Pittsburgh 5, Colorado 3--Orlando Merced doubled off the right-center field wall to drive in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning as the Pirates won at Denver.

Merced, who drove in five runs on Tuesday, made a pinch hit appearance in the seventh inning and stayed in the game. With runners on first and third and one out in the ninth, he drove a pitch off Jeff Parrett (0-2) into the gap for the go-ahead run. Kevin Young added a sacrifice fly.

Mark Petkovsek (1-0) got the win with two-thirds innings. Stan Belinda pitched the ninth for his team-leading 11th save.