National League Roundup : Giants Win on 17-Hit Attack, 12-6

For almost half the season, the San Francisco Giants have been ridiculed for their lack of offense. The most effective pitching staff in the National League has been hamstrung by a pitiful attack that has been unable to produce an average of three runs a game.

The Giants, a solid last in the West, are the worst-hitting team in the majors. Just a few days ago, they were batting .211.

Unless Chicago’s Wrigley Field, a hitter’s playground, is producing a mirage, it may be that the Giants are coming out of their prolonged slump.

For the third day in a row Friday, the Giants hammered out hits in double figures and won. A seven-run seventh inning broke open a close game, and the Giants smashed the Cubs, 12-6, to the dismay of the Cubs’ largest crowd of the season, 38,766. The Giants sent 12 men to the plate in the seventh for their biggest barrage of the season.

The Giants’ 17-hit attack was led by Chris Brown, who had four hits, including a run-scoring single in the seventh and a two-run home run in the eighth. It was the most runs and most hits by the Giants this season.

The Giants, in winning three in a row, have pounded out 44 hits and scored 26 runs. A .395 batting clip during that span has raised the team average to .222, still the worst in baseball by 10 points. In two games at Chicago, they have raised their average 6 points.

“We’re swinging better,” Manager Jim Davenport said. “You’re not going to keep hitting like we did today, but we are swinging much better. Two games don’t make a season, but it’s good to win. We haven’t played well.”

Although he pitched only five innings, Vida Blue improved his record to 5-2. Blue left with a 3-2 lead. After the Giants scored seven in the top of the seventh, the Cubs scored four in the bottom to chase Greg Minton. Mark Davis finally restored order, holding the Cubs to one hit in the last 2 innings.

Ryne Sandberg went 3 for 4 for the Cubs and extended his hitting streak to 17 games. Sandberg, who was batting .221 six weeks ago, is now hitting .286.

The defeat left the Cubs in fourth place in the East, five games out of first place.

Pittsburgh 5, San Diego 4--Rick Reuschel can do no wrong these days. Even when he pitches poorly, he wins.

Reuschel, scheduled to start today’s came, was brought in to pitch in the 12th inning of this game at Pittsburgh and gave up a two-run single to Tony Gwynn.

Instead of losing his second game, Reuschel won his seventh when the Pirates rallied to score three times in the bottom of the 12th. Bill Madlock hit a bases-loaded double to tie the score, and Johnny Ray won it with a sacrifice fly.

The Padres sent the game into extra innings when Steve Garvey doubled with two out in the ninth and scored on Terry Kennedy’s single. It was Garvey’s fourth hit.

New York 6, Atlanta 1--With rookie Rick Aguilera pitching a five-hitter for his first complete game in the majors, the Mets followed up their early-morning marathon victory at Atlanta by winning again Friday night.

The Mets, who completed a 16-13 victory in a 19-inning game at 3:55 a.m. EDT Friday, wasted no time taking charge of this one. Wally Backman hit a two-run home run, his first homer of the season, in the first inning to start Pascual Perez on his way to a sixth consecutive defeat.

An error by shortstop Rafael Santana led to the only Atlanta run in the fifth inning. Paul Zuvella singled it in.

The Mets have won four in a row; the Braves have lost their last three. They also lost Claudell Washington for an indefinite period. Washington fouled a pitch off his right ankle in the first inning. X-rays proved negative.

Philadelphia 5, Cincinnati 2--The Phillies, trailing, 2-1, and without a hit since the third inning, erupted for four runs in the seventh inning at Philadelphia.

Tom Browning had retired 14 batters in a row before the rally. Mike Schmidt, who hit his 10th home run in the first inning, singled to end Browning’s string, Glenn Wilson doubled to tie the game, and John Russell hit a two-run home run.

Nick Esasky’s two-run home run in the seventh inning accounted for the Reds’ runs.

Houston 4, Montreal 2--Kevin Bass hit two home runs for the first time in his career in this game at Houston to help Mike Scott improve his record to 7-4.

Bass had hit only four home runs in 550 at-bats for the Astros before this season, but he has nine already this season.

Scott gave up seven hits in seven innings, and Ron Mathis retired the last six Expos to earn his first save. By losing, the Expos missed a chance to pull within a half-game of the Cardinals in the Eastern Division.