NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Tewksbury Methodically Beats Young, Cubs

Anthony Young throws hard and his record is 6-38 in a major league career that began in 1991.

Bob Tewksbury throws pitches that wouldn’t break the speed limit in a school zone, and he is 51-27 since 1991. He also is the first National League pitcher to win seven games this season, joining Ben McDonald of the Baltimore Orioles as the only seven-game winners in the big leagues.

“It doesn’t mean anything to me,” Tewksbury (7-0) said after scattering seven hits in eight innings as the Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, Wednesday night at St. Louis. “When the season’s over, I’ll look at the total. That will mean something to me.”

Tewksbury struck out six and walked two to win for the 11th time in 14 starts dating to Aug. 28, 1993.

Young (1-3) worked six innings and gave up three runs and nine hits.

Tewksbury is 9-3 in his career against the Cubs, for whom he pitched in 1987-88, and he thoroughly frustrated the Chicago hitters.

“Sometimes you think you’ve got him, and then he makes the good pitches when he has to,” Cub Manager Tom Trebelhorn said. “He picks the corners and entices you to swing at balls. Really, there’s nobody like him.”

John Habyan pitched the ninth inning for his first save.

Montreal 4, New York 3--Darrin Fletcher had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Expos at Montreal and stop the Mets’ four-game winning streak.

Pedro Martinez (2-3) struck out eight in seven innings. Mel Rojas earned his ninth save in 10 tries.

San Francisco 6, Colorado 1--Bill Swift remained perfect in four decisions against the Rockies and hit a run-scoring double at San Francisco.

Swift (5-3) scattered 10 hits in six-plus innings, allowing at least one per inning. He struck out five and walked two.

Mike Harkey (0-4), who changed uniform numbers from 32 to 27 to try to improve his luck, had no luck at all. He gave up four runs and nine hits in four innings as Colorado lost for the fourth time in six games. Harkey had been 5-0 against San Francisco.

The Giants held a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning, then added three runs on Kirt Manwaring’s RBI groundout, Swift’s run-scoring double over left fielder Howard Johnson and Darren Lewis’ RBI bunt single to the right side with two out.

Atlanta 4, Philadelphia 2--Deion Sanders weighed his new bats, found they were heavier than he was used to, then borrowed David Justice’s lighter model and hit a two-run homer in the Braves’ victory at Atlanta.

Fred McGriff hit a bases-empty homer in support of Greg Maddux (6-2), who gave up both runs and six hits in 6 2/3 as the Braves finished a three-game sweep.

Greg McMichael pitched two innings for his seventh save in eight chances.

Curt Schilling (0-6), the MVP of last year’s playoffs, gave up all four runs and nine hits in seven innings. The Phillies have lost seven of eight overall and 11 of 12 road games.

Pittsburgh 5, Florida 1--Denny Neagle pitched 7 2/3 strong innings and tied a personal best with eight strikeouts, helping the Pirates win in Miami.

Neagle (3-4), who began the game with an earned-run average of 5.57, allowed four hits, three walks and one run. Rick White completed the five-hitter.

Don Slaught’s two-run single capped a three-run fourth inning for the Pirates, who snapped Dave Weathers’ five-game winning streak. Weathers (5-2) gave up nine hits, three walks and three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Cincinnati 9, San Diego 5--Bret Boone scored on Barry Larkin’s single in the sixth inning to put the Reds ahead for good in a comeback victory over the Padres at San Diego.

The Reds, who trailed 4-0 in the second inning, had tied the score, 5-5, at 5 in the fifth inning on Roberto Kelly’s two-run homer, which scored Hal Morris.