NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Gooden Doesn’t Last Very Long in Return

Making his first start since April 21, when he was sidelined because of ligament damage in his right big toe, Dwight Gooden had problems Thursday in New York.

The Montreal Expos ganged up on him with Alous, father and son, and one Martinez, who was pitching like another, in a 9-0 rout in which Gooden (2-2) was removed after facing three batters in the fifth inning. He gave up six runs and six hits while striking out four.

“I still have to build my arm strength and get better command of my pitches,” Gooden said. “No way do I consider this a setback.”

His chief tormentor was Moises Alou, who had four hits in five at-bats, including two homers, and drove in five runs for the second time in four games.

Gooden’s counterpart, Pedro Martinez (5-3), yielded only three hits in his first major league shutout and complete game. Martinez struck out nine and walked one in winning his fourth in a row.

He stayed in the game in the late innings, in part because Manager Felipe Alou has been reading the papers.

“I knew his brother (Ramon) had pitched a shutout for the Dodgers two nights ago and that they keep in touch with each other constantly, so I let him go,” Felipe Alou said.

Martinez was surprised.

“I heard Felipe talk to Joe (Kerrigan, the Expo pitching coach) in the seventh inning, and I figured that I might come out. But the bullpen has been used recently and needed a rest,” Martinez said.

“This was special for me, since this was my first shutout and first complete game. Yes, I talk to Ramon very much but we usually discuss family problems and not our pitching. The next time, I will talk about this.”

Philadelphia 6, St. Louis 2--The Phillies spotted the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then scored five runs in the bottom half, including homers by Ricky Jordan and Jim Eisenreich.

It was the fourth victory in a row for the Phillies (30-30), who reached .500 for the first time since April 21.

Bobby Munoz (1-2) recovered from a poor start and lasted six innings, giving up two runs and three hits in his first National League victory. Paul Quantrill pitched the final three innings for his first NL save.

Cincinnati 7, Colorado 1--Jose Rijo won his third game in a row and the Reds took advantage of an error in the first inning to win at Cincinnati.

A misplay by center fielder Mike Kingery and left fielder Howard Johnson--Colorado’s first error in four games--set up a four-run first inning that kept the Rockies winless in eight games at Riverfront Stadium.

Rijo (5-3) scattered four hits over seven innings--two each by Kingery and Dante Bichette--and struck out eight.

Cincinnati led, 1-0, when Tony Fernandez hit a fly ball to left center for what should have been the third out. But Kingery cut in front of Johnson at the last second, distracting him so that the ball went off his glove for an error. Two runs scored on the play, and Bret Boone followed with a run-scoring single that made it 4-0.

Pittsburgh 3, Florida 1--Orlando Merced broke out of a slump with a two-run double and Zane Smith and two relievers worked out of a succession of jams at Pittsburgh.

Smith (6-5) gave up nine hits in 6 2/3 innings and allowed at least two runners to reach in five different innings, but got out of trouble in all but one.

Dan Miceli retired four hitters in relief of Smith before Alejandro Pena, out for more than a year after elbow surgery, pitched the ninth inning for his first save since August 17, 1992, when he was with Atlanta.

“There were times I didn’t know if I would get another save,” Pena said. “It’s good to be back. It makes me feel good to be able to come back and do it again and survive in the big leagues and be a pitcher again. It’s nice.”

Marlin starter Charlie Hough (4-4) got the first two batters in the third inning before walking Andy Van Slyke and Brian Hunter. Merced, in a one-for-17 slump, doubled to score both runners.