NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mets’ Gooden Proves Too Slick for Expos

Dwight Gooden had a tough time keeping his footing on the wet pitching mound Saturday at New York.

But the Montreal Expos had even more trouble.

Gooden (2-0) struck out 14 and went the distance for a 5-3 victory. A light rain began in the first inning and seldom let up throughout the game.

Howard Johnson led the Met offense with a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly.

When Gooden walked three and gave up two hits in the first two innings, the Expos took a 2-1 lead. But Gooden found his groove in the fourth, when he struck out the side.

“The first couple of innings were tough,” Gooden said. “The way it started out, I didn’t think there was any way I would finish this game. It was tough because of the wet and cold.”

Said Johnson: “He was definitely throwing the ball like the old Dwight Gooden. At the end, he was just putting the hitters away.”

Gooden, who singled during the second inning, stole the first base of his career.

The Mets entered the game with a .189 batting average and Johnson was two for 17. They had only seven hits Saturday, but the Expos’ Dennis Martinez walked six in five innings. The Mets have drawn 48 walks in six games, four of which they have won.

Chicago 7, Pittsburgh 3--Manager Don Zimmer of the Cubs was in a funk over the lack of hitting by his team in cold weather.

Mike Bielecki took care of that and the pitching, too, at Chicago.

Bielecki drove in four runs with two singles and held the Pirates to three hits in eight innings.

Bielecki was an .076 hitter with five runs batted in in 197 at-bats.

“I got lucky,” he said. “I hit one off my thumb and the other off the end of my bat.”

Bielecki singled with two out and the bases loaded in the fourth, then singled in the other two in the next inning.

“Of all people, he drives in four runs against Doug Drabek,” Zimmer said. “We have trouble scoring three runs in four outings against him.”

The Pirates lost more than a game. Barry Bonds crashed into the left-field wall while catching a foul ball in the fifth inning. He hurt his thumb and won’t play today.

Atlanta 7, Cincinnati 5--In the first two weeks last season, the Reds took command of the West. They won their first nine games and never looked back. But that was last season.

Sid Bream hit a two-run home run and David Justice hit a two-run double for the Braves at Cincinnati.

Steve Avery, who gave up eight runs in 2 1/3 innings in his debut last June in Cincinnati, went five innings for his first road victory.

San Francisco 16, Houston 2--Kevin Mitchell homered twice at Houston to lead a 19-hit barrage that gave the Giants the victory.

Mitchell leads the majors with five home runs, but the Giants are 2-3.

Scott Garrelts, who missed a scheduled start Tuesday with an inflamed shoulder, couldn’t have asked for an easier outing.

Garrelts gave up two hits in six innings, then the Giants batted for him in the seventh and scored eight runs for a 16-0 lead.

Philadelphia 4, St. Louis 2--Lenny Dykstra, who helped beat the Cardinals with three hits Friday night at Philadelphia, did it with his feet this time.

Dykstra stole three bases and John Kruk drove in two runs to lead the Phillies to their third consecutive victory.

Mitch Williams pitched 1 1/3 innings to get his second save.