National League Roundup : Griffey Powers Out of Slump With 3 Homers, but Braves Still Wither

Ken Griffey hit three home runs Tuesday night at Atlanta, but the way the Braves are going lately, it wasn’t enough for a victory.

Pinch-hitter Tom Foley singled home Von Hayes with two out in the 11th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 victory. It was the Braves’ 13th loss in the last 15 games.

Griffey was batting .274 since joining the Braves about a month ago, but in 18 games, he had hit only one home run and driven in three runs. He had not driven in a run in the last 11 games.

He changed that with two out in the first inning, when he hit the first of his three home runs off Kevin Gross. He also hit them in the seventh and leading off the ninth to cut the Phillies lead to 4-3. His first cleared the center-field fence, the other two went to right.

Two hits and an infield out produced the tying run. In the 11th, Hayes, who hit a two-run home run in the first inning, hit his league-leading 28th double. He moved to third on an infield out and scored on Foley’s hit.

When Griffey, obtained from the New York Yankees in a trade that involved Claudell Washington, joined the Braves, he said he was just glad to get away from the turmoil surrounding the Yankees.

In early July, when the Braves improved their record to 41-37 and were only 1 1/2 games out of first in the West, Griffey felt even better. Then came the slump, which leaves the Braves in a tie with the Dodgers for last place, 8 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros.

“I think I hit three in a Little League game, but the fences were a bit closer,” Griffey said. “It figures, though, the way things have been going for us lately, they would all come with nobody on base.

“Maybe, it will get everybody hitting. We need a spurt to get back into the race.”

Houston 1, Montreal 0--Nolan Ryan wasn’t around to get the benefit of a Glenn Davis 10th-inning home run at Houston, but the 39-year-old right-hander turned in another remarkable performance.

Before he was relieved with one out in the top of the 10th, Ryan gave up just one hit, a double by Mike Fitzgerald in the fifth inning, and struck out 14 Expos.

It was the 159th time the all-time strikeout king struck out 10 or more batters in a game. He walked four batters.

“The key for me was getting ahead of the hitters,” Ryan said. “I didn’t have to throw a lot of pitches early. The last three games I’ve been more consistent.”

Manager Hal Lanier, who saw his club increase its lead in the West to two games over San Francisco, marveled at Ryan’s performance.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him pitch,” he said. “I don’t see how he could be much better. It was one of the finest pitching duels I ever saw.”

It was the fourth game in a row the Astros won in their last time at bat.

Floyd Youmans, who had won six in a row, also pitched superbly, until Davis drilled his 21st home run and 10th game-winning hit. Before the home run, Youmans had given up only two hits--one an infield hit--and struck out eight.

Chicago 6, San Diego 4--Jerry Mumphrey continued to make life miserable for his former teammates at Chicago.

Mumphrey had two hits and scored twice as the Padres lost their fifth in a row and dropped six games behind in the West.

Monday, Mumphrey went 4 for 4 to help the Cubs pound out a 6-1 victory.

“We made a run at them late,” Padre Manager Steve Boros said. “That’s been our history. If we make a run, it’s too late.

“You’ve got to stay close to come from behind and win some games. But we don’t get close until it’s too late.”