National League Roundup : Hammaker Doesn’t Need Haymakers to Knock Off Cubs, 9-2

When Atlee Hammaker came up to the majors a few years ago, he threw bullets. He was a strikeout pitcher with a promising future.

Several injuries, surgery and a mysterious illness later, the San Francisco left-hander now doesn’t throw nearly as hard.

Slowly, he is battling his way back by learning to use his sinker and change speeds. If you’ll pardon the pun, he took a Giant step forward Saturday at San Francisco.

Hammaker, 29, pitched his first complete game in more than two years and improved his record to 5-7 as the Giants routed the Chicago Cubs, 9-2.

With all the problems Hammaker has had in recent years, he could use a little luck. He got some in the first inning when the usually reliable center fielder of the Cubs, Bob Dernier, misplayed a fly ball in the notorious wind at Candlestick Park to help the Giants score five runs, four unearned.

Instead of catching Kevin Mitchell’s deep fly near the fence to end the inning with just one run scoring, Dernier let it bounce off his glove for an error, his first of the season, to give Hammaker a fat early lead.

Bob Brenly, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, and Rob Thompson later hit home runs to make it even easier for Hammaker, who had lost six of his previous seven starts--in part, at least, because the Giants didn’t score for him.

Hammaker joined the Giants in 1982 and won 12 games that year. The next season he was 10-9, but his earned-run average of 2.25 was best in the league. The troubles began late in ‘83, when a sore shoulder forced the first of many trips to the disabled list.

In the next two years, the shoulder and knee injuries, combined with a mysterious loss of weight, made him a pitching liability. Finally, in October 1985, he underwent rotator cuff surgery and missed all of last season.

He began his comeback in the spring. After four relief appearances in which he pitched 10 scoreless innings, he was given a starting job by Manager Roger Craig on May 17.

Craig has kept him in the rotation ever since. He has pitched well in most outings. In the six games he lost beginning June 7, the Giants scored only nine runs altogether.

In the only game he won in the previous six weeks before this one, the Giants scored eight runs, and he won despite turning in one of his weakest performances.

“At first, I was just glad to go out there,” Hammaker said. “But I have had to learn to compensate for losing something on the fastball. I’ve had to learn to pitch. Now, I feel I’m making a contribution.

“I knew I was capable of going nine innings and to do it gives me a lot of confidence. Getting the five-run lead made it easier.”

Before the game, Hammaker told Craig he didn’t think he had his best stuff.

“Good, that’s the way I like it,” Craig told Hammaker. “When he’s strong, that’s when he overthrows. When he doesn’t have his good stuff, the ball sinks for him.”

San Diego 4, St. Louis 3--The Padres are by no means acting like the worst team in the majors in this series at San Diego against the club with the best record.

Chris Brown, a well-known clutch hitter recently obtained from the San Francisco Giants, singled in the winning run with one out in the 10th inning to give the Padres two wins in the three games with the Cardinals.

Before the All-Star break, the Cardinals were 10-1 in extra-inning games. Both losses to the Padres have been in extra innings. in the one game they lost, the Padres rallied for three runs in the ninth and barely lost.

John Kruk opened the 10th by drawing a walk off Ken Dayley (2-1). A sacrifice and another walk set it up for Brown.

“In that situation, the adrenaline is flowing so bad you can taste the victory,” said Brown, who is hitting .345 in his last eight games. “You try not to put extra pressure on yourself.”

Cincinnati 7, New York 3--The Mets’ highly advertised second-half rush to overtake the St. Louis Cardinals has come to a grinding halt.

After their ace, Dwight Gooden, pitched a shutout in the first game after the All-Star break, the Mets talked about how soon they would catch St. Louis.

Although the Cardinals have lost two of their last three games, the Mets have dropped two in a row and failed to gain any ground.

Kevin McReynolds had two home runs, and Howard Johnson hit his 21st in this game at New York, but that’s all the runs the Mets scored.

Meanwhile, Buddy Bell and Bo Diaz each hit a home run for the Reds and had seven hits between them to spark the Reds.

Montreal 3, Atlanta 2--With Tim Raines leading the way, it is the Expos who seem ready to challenge the Cardinals in the East.

Raines turned on his speed at Montreal to give the Expos their sixth win in a row and put them seven games behind the Cardinals.

Raines, who beat out an infield hit with two out in the eighth inning to drive in the winning run Friday night, scored the winning run in the eighth inning of this one.

The fleet outfielder led off with a single, stole second, went to third on Tim Wallach’ single and scored when Gene Garber uncorked a wild pitch.

Philadelphia 4, Houston 2--Mike Schmidt hit his 515th career home run, and Juan Samuel hit a run-scoring triple in the seventh inning at Houston to break a 2-2 tie.

With the score tied, 2-2, Ron Roenicke led off the seventh with a single. Samuel followed with his triple on a 3-and-2 pitch, then scored on a sacrifice fly.

The loss dropped the Astros 3 1/2 games behind Cincinnati in the West.