Baseball Roundup : Strawberry Strikes With Three Home Runs as the Mets Move Into First

Darryl Strawberry was probably saving his best for last.

Strawberry, plagued by injuries this season, slammed three homers, drove in five runs and scored four times Monday to lead the New York Mets to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Chicago.

The win, the Mets’ third in a row and ninth in their last 11 games, moved them into first place one-half game ahead of St. Louis in the National League East. The Cardinals were beaten, 9-1, by the Phillies at Busch Stadium.

“It’s a shame to have a day like this and know that you may be on strike tomorrow,” Strawberry told the United Press International.

Strawberry hit a three-run homer in the first and added solo blasts in the third and seventh. He also had a single in the ninth and was intentionally walked in the fifth.

Strawberry’s three-home run effort was the first by a National Leaguer this year and was the fourth in club history. Claudell Washington in 1980, Dave Kingman in 1976 and Jim Hickman in 1965 Louis were the other Mets to accomplish the feat.

Ed Lynch (9-5) scattered seven hits over 7 innings to win his fifth straight.

Derek Botelho (0-1), making his first start after being recalled from Iowa, took the loss.

Philadelphia 9, St. Louis 1--Ozzie Virgil hit two home runs and John Russell hit another as the Phillies won at St. Louis and dropped the Cardinals into second place in the NL East. St. Louis had not been out of first place since June 29.

Shane Rawley’s five-hitter helped send the Cardinals to their third straight loss and fifth in six games. Rawley (8-6) struck out six batters and walked two.

Virgil and Russell homered consecutively off St. Louis starter Danny Cox (12-7) in the fourth inning. Virgil added his 13th homer of the year in the eighth.

Cincinnati 8, San Diego 7--Dave Parker went 4 for 5, including his 21st homer, to lead an 11-hit attack that gave the Reds the victory at Riverfront Stadium in a game in which the Padres squandered a 4-0 lead.

It was the Padres fourth loss in a row.

Tom Hume (2-3) recorded the last out of the fifth inning to earn the victory. Ted Power, the last of seven pitchers used by the Reds, got the last out for his 19th save. Roy Lee Jackson (0-2) took the loss.

Cincinnati player-manager Pete Rose went 1 for 4 and needs 24 hits to break Ty Cobb’s career record of 4,191.

Montreal 5, Pittsburgh 2--Jeff Reardon said baseball’s impending strike kept him from giving full attention to his relief duties, but he still managed to nail down his major league-leading 28th save in the Expos’ victory over the Pirates at Pittsburgh.

Reardon came in and retired three straight Pirates after the Expos broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth on Andre Dawson’s run-scoring double and Hubie Brooks’ two-run single.

The victory went to Tim Burke (6-0), who pitched three innings of hitless relief. The loser was Jim Winn (2-4), who gave up two runs in one-third of an inning.

Houston 7, San Francisco 5--Starting pitcher Bob Knepper snapped a personal five-game losing streak and Glenn Davis drove in three runs as the Astros beat the Giants at Houston their fourth straight victory.

Knepper (9-9) had not won since June 29, when he defeated the Giants 8-1. In seven innings on Monday, Knepper allowed nine hits and struck out four batters. He gave up solo homers to Chris Brown and Bob Brenly.

Loser Atlee Hammaker fell to 3-10.

New York 7, Chicago 3--Ron Guidry scattered nine hits to notch his 14th victory and Don Mattingly homered for the fourth time in four games as the Yankees downed the White Sox at Chicago.

Guidry struck out seven and walked none in pitching his ninth complete game.

Mattingly staked the Yankees to a 1-0 lead off loser Floyd Bannister (5-9) in the first inning with an RBI double and he drilled his 16th home run in the fifth, following Rickey Henderson’s 17th home run. It was the seventh time this season the Yankees have hit back-to-back homers.

Carlton Fisk ruined Guidry’s shutout bid in the ninth with a three-run homer. It was Fisk’s major league leading and career high 29th homer of the season.

Detroit 8, Kansas City 4--Chet Lemon doubled home two runs in the seventh inning and Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish belted back-to-back homers in the eighth to lift Walt Terrell and the Tigers to the win at Kansas City.

Lou Whitaker chipped in with a two-run homer for the Tigers to help offset a pair of homers by the Royals’ Steve Balboni. Balboni has now hit seven home runs off Tiger pitching this year.

Oakland 5, Minnesota 1--Bruce Bochte had three hits and drove in two runs and rookie pitcher Tim Birtsas improved his record to 8-2 as the A’s beat the Twins at Oakland.

The loss was the Twins’ fifth straight and ended a personal six-game winning streak by pitcher Mike Smithson (11-8).