National League Roundup : Cubs Lose but Keep 2 1/2-Game Lead

Pitching problems have endangered the Chicago Cubs’ lead in the National League East.

For most of the season, Manager Don Zimmer had reliable starters in Greg Maddux, Mike Bielecki and Rick Sutcliffe. They allowed Zimmer to get by without a regular fourth starter.

Lately, Bielecki and Sutcliffe have faltered. Because Steve Wilson had pitched so well out of the bullpen, Zimmer put the Canadian-born left-hander into the rotation.

In his first start last Sunday against Atlanta, Wilson did well, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up only two runs.

But Friday night at Atlanta, Wilson (5-3) failed to retire a batter, and the Cubs lost, 5-1, to the Braves.

Wilson gave up two singles and two walks as the Braves took a 3-0 lead. That was all rookie Derek Lilliquist (8-8) needed. Lilliquist held the Cubs to three hits,including Andre Dawson’s 15th home run of the season, in eight innings.

When the first two Cubs singled in the ninth, hard-throwing Mike Stanton came to the rescue of Lilliquist and worked out of trouble with a double play and a strikeout.

“The difference was that they threw strikes and we didn’t throw strikes,” Zimmer said. “We didn’t get any hits, and they got a lot of two-strike hits and made it look easy.”

Dale Murphy, who singled in a run in the first, had three more singles.

However, the Cubs didn’t lose any ground. All three of their pursuers also lost, and the Cubs remained 2 1/2 games in front.

San Francisco 7, New York 1--Kevin Mitchell came out of a mild slump in San Francisco to drive in four runs, three with his major leagues-leading 41st home run, as the Giants ended the Mets’ three-game winning streak.

Scott Garrelts and Craig Lefferts combined on a five-hitter. Garrelts improved to 6-1 against New York.

Garrelts (11-3), who lost his shutout in the eighth and needed help in the ninth, has won five in a row.

In the last three games between the teams, the Giants have outscored the Mets, 15-1.

Houston 6, St. Louis 3--All season long, the Astros, who struggled through August, had not had a pinch home run.

But Craig Reynolds hit one in the seventh inning at St. Louis to break a 3-3 tie and keep the Astros four games behind San Francisco in the West.

The Astros scored a run in the fourth on an error by third baseman Terry Pendleton and again in the sixth when relief pitcher John Costello hit Craig Biggio with the bases loaded.

Pedro Guerrero provided the offense for the Cardinals, driving in two runs with a pair of doubles and scoring the other run.

Guerrero, fourth in the league in batting with a .317 average, is third in the league in runs batted in with 93.

The Cardinals, who set a major league record when they left 16 men on base in a shutout loss Wednesday against Cincinnati, left seven on in the first three innings in this one.

Jim Deshaies (12-7) gave up six hits and two runs in six innings to get the victory.

Cincinnati 11, Pittsburgh 5--It’s too late to make an impression in the pennant race, but at long last, the Reds welcomed back some of their regulars who spent long periods on the disabled list.

Third baseman Chris Sabo, right fielder Paul O’Neill and shortstop Barry Larkin all returned from injuries. Larkin was the only one not in the lineup.

But it was Todd Benzinger and Luis Quinones who led the Reds’ 15-hit attack at Pittsburgh.

Benzinger hit a home run and drove in four runs, while Quinones had three hits, scored three runs and drove in two runs.

“It’s nice to have the boys back,” Manager Tommy Helms said. “That was almost our regular team out there.”