NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : It Took Half a Season, but Drabek Is Even

Doug Drabek could not have picked a better time to return to his Cy Young Award form.

With the New York Mets putting on the pressure, the Pittsburgh Pirates need their best pitcher.

Drabek, climbing to the .500 mark for the first time this season, gave up five hits and struck out 10 in seven innings at Pittsburgh Sunday to pitch the Pirates to a 6-1 victory over the Montreal Expos. The Pirates carry a 2 1/2-game lead in the National League East into the All-Star break.

Only the turnaround by the veteran right-hander has kept the slumping Pirates from falling out of first. Drabek (8-8) has won six of his past seven decisions and the Pirates have won eight of his past nine starts.

By May 11, Drabek had only one victory and had already lost as many games as last season, when he went 22-6. But the Pirates weren’t really concerned because they were breezing along half a dozen games ahead off the pack.

But Pittsburgh’s hitters turned cold and the Mets turned hot. Now, the Pirates need their ace.

Drabek also helped with his bat. He keyed the three-run fifth inning that ended a three-game losing streak with a run-scoring single.

The only run for the Expos, who have lost 13 of 16, was Ron Hassey’s home run in the top of the fifth. “Considering where I was, I’m definitely glad to be at the .500 mark,” said Drabek, who was 13-2 in the second half last season. “When I was 1-6, I was trying to go out and win two or three games. Now I’ve settled down and I’m in a groove.”

The Pirates say they aren’t worried about the Mets.

“We’re relaxed and we’re not going to put pressure on ourselves,” Barry Bonds said.

St. Louis 8, Chicago 7--Tom Pagnozzi singled home Pedro Guerrero over a drawn-in outfield with no outs in the 12th inning as the Cardinals came from behind twice to beat the Cubs in St. Louis.

The Cardinals had lost three in a row before scoring their 20th come-from-behind victory of the season. The loss ended the Cubs’ three-game winning streak.

Pagnozzi’s hit made a winner of former Angel Willie Fraser (1-0), who pitched one-third of an inning.

The Cardinals trailed, 6-1, after seven innings, sending the game into extra innings on Guerrero’s run-scoring single with two out in the ninth.

After Cris Carpenter gave up Doug Dascenzo’s run-scoring double in Chicago’s 12th, Todd Zeile, who had a personal-best four hits, started the Cardinals’ winning rally by doubling against Laddie Renfroe (0-1), the fourth Chicago pitcher.

Guerrero singled home Zeile, then went to third on Felix Jose’s single. Renfroe intentionally walked Geronimo Pena to load the bases, bringing up Pagnozzi.

The Cubs had taken a 7-6 lead in the top of the 12th on Dascenzo’s double. Chicago had been shut out on two hits since the fourth inning, but Shawon Dunston started the 12th with a single against Carpenter. Dascenzo doubled down the right-field line on the next pitch.

The Cubs led, 6-1, before the Cardinals scored four times in the eighth and tied the score in the ninth on Guerrero’s RBI single.

Les Lancaster took a 6-1 lead and a three-hitter into the eighth inning, but consecutive one-out singles by Milt Thompson, Ozzie Smith and Zeile made the score 6-2.

One out later, Jose hit an RBI double, finishing Lancaster. Reliever Paul Assenmacher gave up a two-run single to Craig Wilson, making the score 6-5.

Andre Dawson hit his 15th homer, a two-run shot in the third against Ken Hill that gave the Cubs a 4-1 lead. It was the 361st homer of his career, tying him for 38th place on the all-time list with Joe DiMaggio and Carlton Fisk.

New York 8, Philadelphia 2--David Cone (8-5) was a bit disappointed that he missed a complete game by one out at Philadelphia, but he and his teammates enter the All-Star break with mostly good feelings.

“I wanted to go nine,” Cone said. “But I had my chances and they made the right move. We are playing very well. We are getting magnificent pitching. If you had said two weeks ago we’d be just 2 1/2 out, we’d have jumped for joy.”

The Mets, in winning their seventh in a row, all on the road, batted around in the third inning to score four times as Garry Templeton extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

“This is the best road trip I’ve ever managed,” Manager Bud Harrelson said. “The pitching was the key. I think the Pirates have to be taking notice of the way we’re playing. The way we’re going, I’m not happy to see the All-Star break.”

In the seven games, Met pitchers have given up eight runs.

The Phillies have lost 12 of 15.

Houston 7, Cincinnati 3--Mark Portugal, usually a slow starter, is keeping the Astros from falling deep into the cellar in the West.

Portugal needed help in the seventh inning at Houston, but he improved to 8-4 and dropped the Reds five games behind the division-leading Dodgers. In games in which Portugal doesn’t have a decision, the Astros are 26-43.

An 11-game winner last season, Portugal didn’t win his eighth until Aug. 29.

“I feel confident I can win 15 or 18 games just by pitching the way I usually do in the second half,” Portugal said. “I felt strong today.”

All-Star pitcher Tom Browning, trying for his 11th victory, lasted 2 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and four runs.

“Browning got everything up,” Manager Lou Piniella said. “We needed a well-pitched game and we didn’t get it.”

San Francisco 3, San Diego 0--John Burkett (5-5) pitched a five-hitter at San Francisco for the first shutout of his career.

Burkett struck out nine in his second complete game.

“I’d like to win 10 or 12 games in the second half, and I think I have a good chance to do it because we have a good club,” Burkett said.

The Padres’ Tony Gwynn went one for three and goes into the All-Star break with a .358 average, the best in the majors.

“He doesn’t throw anything extraordinary,” Gwynn said of Burkett, “but he puts all of his pitches where he wants to. We didn’t hit anything solid off him.”