Davis’ 3-Run Homer Gives Giants 6-3 Win Over Mets

Chili Davis considers this season a drag, but he brightened things up somewhat Thursday with a game-winning home run and five runs batted in for the San Francisco Giants.

“This town is nice. But the ballpark stinks, losing stinks,” said the star of the Giants’ 10-inning, 6-3 victory over the New York Mets at San Francisco.

Davis’ three-run homer with one out in the 10th allowed the Giants to get even with Terry Leach, the pitcher who shut them out exactly a week earlier in New York. Leach worked in relief this time, entering the game in the 10th.

“I tried to pitch him a little too fine, got behind on the count, and threw him the pitch he was looking for,” Leach, 2-2, said. “I tried to get a fastball down, sink it so he’d hit a ground ball. I thought it was down, but he had a good swing at it.”

Davis said, “If he said it was down, then I hit a great pitch. But, no, it was up.”

The extra-inning victory gave the Giants a three-game winning streak, but they are last in the National League West with a record of 50-75. They finished last in 1984 with 96 losses.

“I’m not going to cry, ‘Trade me, trade me,’ but when my free agent year (1987) and I think it will benefit me to go somewhere else, I’ll do so,” said Davis, who raised his runs-batted in total to a team-high 52 with Thursday’s outburst. His homer was his 12th.

The Mets, second in the NL East, suffered a third straight loss and fell three games back of the idle St. Louis Cardinals.

Scott Garrelts, 8-3, got the pitching victory with two innings of relief work.

Jeff Leonard opened the 10th with a single and was sacrificed to second by Dan Gladden. Manny Trillo followed with a walk, setting the stage for Davis’ homer.

After a pair of walks in the eighth, Davis broke a 2-2 tie with a one-out, run-scoring single off reliever Jesse Orosco. But the Mets tied the score in the top of the ninth off Garrelts on a triple by Howard Johnson and a sacrifice fly by Wally Backman.

New York starter Rick Aguilera allowed only four hits through five innings, and the Mets led 2-0. Backman had an RBI single in the third, and Gary Carter hit his 18th homer of the season in the fourth off San Francisco starter Atlee Hammaker.

The Giants tied the score in the sixth, with pinch-hitter Rick Adams’ bunt single opening a two-run rally. Adams went to second when Gladden sacrificed and, after Trillo flied to center for the second out, Davis ripped an RBI single to center. Dan Driessen doubled to right to score Davis.

Montreal 8, San Diego 5--Andre Dawson hit a three-run double over the head of center fielder Kevin McReynolds with two out to cap a seven-run seventh inning that lifted the Montreal Expos to a come-from-behind victory over the Padres at San Diego.

The game-winning blow came off rookie right-hander Lance McCullers but the loss was charged to Gene Walter, 0-2, who had replaced starter Dave Dravecky earlier in the inning.

Bert Roberge, who pitched the sixth inning for the Expos, got credit for his third victory in four decisions. Jeff Reardon got the last out to gain his 33rd save.

The Padres built a 5-0 lead mainly on a three-run homer by McReynolds in the fourth inning and a solo homer by Garry Templeton in the fifth.

Dawson, who now has four game-winning RBI against San Diego this year, opened the seventh with a single off the glove of shortstop Mario Ramirez. Hubie Brooks grounded out, moving Dawson to second, and Tim Wallach singled to left to put runners at first and third.

Andres Gallaraga drew a walk to load the bases and Mitch Webster dropped a single into short left to score Dawson. Mike Fitzgerald then lined a single to center to knock in Wallach and Gallaraga and move Webster to third. Walter took over for Dravecky and struck out U.L. Washington for the second out of the inning but then gave up a double to left to Tim Raines that drove in Webster.

McCullers replaced Walter and walked pinch hitter Terry Francona to again load the bases. Dawson, batting for the second time in the inning, then hit an 0-2 pitch to center to clear the bases.

Raines homered in the ninth for the Expos’ final run.