NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Reds’ Dogged Attempt Works Against the Mets

How desperate were the Cincinnati Reds?

The players agreed to let owner Marge Schott rub hair from a dead dog on their chests and legs, and Manager Davey Johnson had a wad of it in his back pocket.

And the results?

The league’s biggest underachievers of the season pulled off a comeback that even they couldn’t believe.

The Reds piled up nine runs in the last two innings to beat the New York Mets, 13-11, at Cincinnati. Ron Gant’s three-run homer started the surge in the eighth and Jerome Walton ended it with a two-run homer in the ninth.

The entire bench was waiting for Walton at home plate, and Schott--who brought out hair from dead former mascot Schottzie before the game--was kissing and hugging her players after only their second victory in 10 games.

“Whoo! Lordy, lordy, lordy,” Johnson said after the Reds overcame deficits of 7-2, 9-2 and 11-4.

“We haven’t really had anything to get us going,” said Walton, who homered off loser Doug Henry with one out and the score tied. “Hopefully this will get us all going.”

Xavier Hernandez pitched the ninth for the win.

Walton’s homer completed an ugly afternoon for the Mets’ bullpen. The relievers gave up 12 hits and 11 earned runs in the final 3 1/3 innings.

St. Louis 7, Houston 5--Darnell Coles hit a three-run homer and Bernard Gilkey also homered as the Cardinals stopped the Astros’ five-game winning streak at St. Louis.

The Cardinals gave starter Ken Hill a 6-0 lead in the third inning, but he couldn’t get past the fifth after a three-run homer by Phil Plantier and a solo shot by Scooter Tucker.

Vicente Palacios pitched 1 1/3 innings for the victory.

Coles’ first homer of the season highlighted a four-run first inning against losing pitcher Greg Swindell.

Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 1--Michael Mimbs limited the Braves to one hit in six shutout innings and won his official major league debut at Atlanta as the Phillies won their third in a row and Charlie Hayes homered for the second consecutive night.

Mimbs walked five and struck out four. Javier Lopez had the only hit against him, but was thrown out trying to stretch his second-inning single into a double.

Mimbs, who played in double-A last season, pitched five innings against Pittsburgh last Sunday, but the game was called by rain after 4 1/2 innings with the score tied 1-1.

Hayes, who hit a three-run homer in Friday night’s 9-4 victory, hit a two-run shot off loser John Smoltz in the second inning.

Heathcliff Slocumb pitched the ninth for his third save.

Florida 10, Montreal 3--Greg Colbrunn had four hits and drove in a career-high five runs and the Expos committed four errors in the Marlins’ rout at Montreal.

Colbrunn hit a two-run double to highlight a five-run fourth inning, a run-scoring double in the sixth and a two-run single in the seventh, raising his average 71 points to .361 with his four-for-five performance.

The Marlins won consecutive games for the first time this season and handed the Expos their third loss in a row as electrical problems cut power to the Olympic Stadium lights with two out in the bottom of the sixth, delaying the game for 39 minutes.

David Weathers pitched six strong innings in his first start of the season for the victory. Expo starter Kirk Rueter lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks.

Chicago 13, Pittsburgh 5--Shawon Dunston drove in three runs with two doubles and Jaime Navarro had a career-high eight strikeouts to lead the Cubs at Pittsburgh.

Rey Sanchez, Rick Wilkins and Jose Hernandez had two RBIs apiece as the Cubs won their fourth consecutive road game for the first time since 1975. Pittsburgh has lost four in a row at home for the first time since 1974.

One of Dunston’s doubles highlighted a four-run third inning against loser Paul Wagner.