National League Roundup : Mitchell Increases His Homer Total to 31 as Giants Win in St. Louis, 8-5

Kevin Mitchell hit two more home runs out of spacious Busch Stadium in St. Louis Saturday night to lead the San Francisco Giants to an 8-5 victory.

Pitcher Don Robinson, who didn’t stick around long enough to get the victory, and Will Clark also homered as the Giants ended the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.

Mitchell has 31 home runs in 85 games, easily topping the majors, and also leads both leagues in runs batted in with 80. In 148 games last season, the left fielder drove in 80 runs and hit 19 home runs.

In his last two games, he has hit three home runs, including a smash over the center-field fence at the 414-foot mark in this game.

Although he needs daily treatment for a sore knee, Mitchell continues to hit the ball solidly.

“We’re seeing an athlete at his greatest moment, “ Giant Manager Roger Craig told the Associated Press. “I’ve never seen anybody that you just think is going to hit a home run every time up there like Mitchell.

“I’m not going to bring up Roger Maris (who hit 61) and compare him to Kevin. All I want Kevin to do is stay healthy and stay in the groove he’s in.”

Mitchell also played down any talk of breaking records.

“I never heard of Roger Maris,” he said, “until recently. I do remember that my first game as a Met was in this ballpark. I hit a home run off John Tudor. I’ve always liked to hit here.”

Mitchell said he spent the off-season playing whiffleball. “That’s a kids’ game, but it helps me hit breaking balls better,” he said.

Manager Whitey Herzog said the only thing to do is walk him.

San Diego 2, Pittsburgh 0--Ed Whitson (11-6) pitched a five-hitter at Pittsburgh for his first shutout of the season, and Chris James hit his first home run as a Padre.

Whitson, who started his career as a Pirate more than a decade ago, is 8-3 in his career against his old team.

Atlanta 4, Philadelphia 3--The only time Tommy Gregg of the Braves gets a chance to play is if one of the regular outfielders is hurt or needs a rest.

Dale Murphy took a night off at Atlanta, and Gregg made the most of his opportunity, hitting a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie.

Houston 3, Montreal 2--A bullpen that rarely yields runs, according to Manager Art Howe, is the reason the Astros lead the majors in one-run victories.

A strong outing by Dave Smith in Houston enabled the Astros to end the Expos’ eight-game winning streak at the Astrodome.

Smith worked out of a jam in the eighth inning with two on and nobody out and went on to get his 18th save, giving the Astros 23 wins by a single run.