NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Phillies’ West Needed Pit Stop

The needle was pointing toward empty, so Philadelphia Phillies pitcher David West didn’t complain when Manager Jim Fregosi pulled him after six innings with a no-hitter.

“I would have if I could have, but I was getting a little low in the tank,” West said. “If they sent me out there, I would have kept going, but he probably made the right decision.”

Heathcliff Slocumb continued the combined no-hitter into the ninth before giving up a clean leadoff single to Houston’s Steve Finley. The Astros got two more singles and scored twice in the ninth but still lost, 4-2, Sunday at Philadelphia.

Fregosi said there was no question in his mind that he would remove West, a converted reliever who already had thrown 102 pitches.

“He got to 100 pitches and that’s as far as he was going to go,” he said. “He got us through six innings and that’s all we could ask.”

The Astros’ Doug Drabek (7-2) lost in his bid for a career-best eight-game winning streak.

Mitch Williams, who has predicted he will be released by the Astros this week, pitched the eighth against his former team. He gave up Philadelphia’s fourth run on a leadoff walk and Milt Thompson’s two-out single.

West, whose fastball had dropped from 92 m.p.h. to 87 by the sixth inning, was just glad to have a good outing. He was 0-4 as a reliever.

He moved out of the bullpen because of injuries to three Phillie starters. “Originally we planned to start him only one time,” Fregosi said. “Now he’ll stay in the rotation.”

Chicago 4, Atlanta 2--Sammy Sosa hit Tom Glavine’s first pitch of the game for a home run and last-minute starter Jim Bullinger gave the Cubs six strong innings at Atlanta.

The Braves, who just before the game announced the trade of outfielder Deion Sanders to Cincinnati for outfielder Roberto Kelly, lost four of six games on the home stand and are 12-11 at home.

The Cubs, who have won 10 of their last 12, also took advantage of Glavine’s four walks in the first inning to score two more runs after Sosa’s 11th homer.

Bullinger (3-0), making his second start and 16th appearance of the year, was given the start when scheduled starter Jose Guzman was scratched due to stiffness in his right shoulder.

Bullinger gave up only two hits and struck out four before making way for reliever Dave Otto after giving up his first walk to Tony Tarasco leading off the seventh.

New York 8, Cincinnati 5--Bobby Bonilla set a team record by driving in a run in his ninth consecutive game, and the Mets beat the Reds at New York for a three-game sweep.

The Reds lost for the eighth time in nine games.

Bonilla, who drove in two runs, broke the Mets’ mark of eight consecutive games with an RBI set by Keith Hernandez in 1986 and matched by Jeff Kent earlier this season.

Bonilla had RBI singles in the first and fourth innings, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

San Francisco 3, Florida 1--Matt Williams doubled home the go-ahead run with two out in the eighth inning at San Francisco. The Giants added a second run in the inning on Willie McGee’s RBI single.

Mike Jackson (3-1) got two outs in relief of Bryan Hickerson for the win. Rod Beck got three outs for his 11th save.

San Diego 7, St. Louis 2--Joey Hamilton won his second consecutive start since being called up from the minors as the Padres swept the Cardinals at San Diego.

The Cardinals, who have lost nine in a row at San Diego since July 8, 1992, were swept in a three-game series for the first time this season.

Hamilton (2-0), whose contract was purchased Tuesday from triple-A Las Vegas, gave up one run on six hits in six innings. Jeff Tabaka went 1 1/3 innings for his first major league save.

Montreal 4, Colorado 3--Larry Walker homered on Bruce Ruffin’s first pitch in the 10th inning to give the Expos a victory at Montreal.