NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Astros’ Rookie Slides One Past Williams

How’s this for a pressure spot?

Bases loaded. Two outs. And your manager has just handed you the ball to face the National League’s leading home run hitter with your team holding a one-run lead.

It’s enough to make a 10-year veteran shaky, never mind a rookie.

“I was more pumped than nervous,” said rookie Dave Veres, who then struck out Matt Williams to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants Monday night at Houston.

“The first two strikes went OK, but after it got to 2-2 things slowed down and got interesting,” said Veres. “When the count got to 2-2, I threw a slider hoping he would swing at it. I was lucky and he took it for a strike.”

Williams had hit his NL-leading 15th homer in the eighth inning.

Veres (1-1) picked up his first major league victory despite facing only Williams.

Veres had lost his major league debut May 10 to the Dodgers with one-third inning of relief.

“It’s kind of weird, one-third of an inning and I get a loss, and one-third of an inning and I get a win.”

Jeff Bagwell hit two homers for the Astros.

Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 2--Tom Foley and Lance Parrish, at the bottom of the batting order, combined for six RBIs at Pittsburgh to end Bob Tewksbury’s winning streak.

Foley, a .196 hitter playing only because Jeff King has a sore wrist, drove in four runs and Parrish, who didn’t have a major league job in spring training, went three for three with a homer and two RBIs.

Foley’s four RBIs doubled his season total.

Tewksbury (7-1) lost for the first time since Sept. 21, giving up six runs on six hits over six innings while failing to become the first Cardinal since Bob Gibson in 1965 to start a season 8-0. He was trying to become the majors’ first eight-game winner this season.

Florida 3, New York 1--Chuck Carr, leading off the eighth, hit his third double of the game and then scored the go-ahead run as the Marlins beat Bret Saberhagen and the Mets at New York.

Saberhagen (4-2) struck out 10 and walked none in eight innings, but gave up 10 hits.

Chicago 4, San Diego 2--Steve Buechele hit a two-run homer to give Anthony Young and the Cubs a victory at Chicago in a matchup of the National League’s two worst teams.

Young (2-3), who benefited from three double plays, gave up five hits and two earned runs in seven innings.

The victory was only the Cubs’ third in 17 games at home. The Padres have lost eight straight.

Montreal 4, Philadelphia 1--Curt Schilling, 16-7 last season, fell to 0-7 with a loss at Philadelphia.

Schilling, who allowed three runs and six hits in five innings, has not won since pitching a shutout in Game 5 of the World Series.

Butch Henry (1-0) allowed three hits in 5 2/3 innings to get the win. Dave Hollins had a first-inning homer off Henry and also a sixth-inning single. Hollins is now 12 for 15 with five homers and nine RBIs against Henry.