National League Roundup : Sutcliffe Wins 11th as Cubs Defeat Giants, 5-3

The Chicago Cubs left 14 runners on base and hit into four inning-ending double plays Saturday.

But they beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-3, at Chicago on a day when they had 15 hits and 8 walks, and Rick Sutcliffe became the National League’s first 11-game winner.

“We made some mistakes and got away with them,” said Chicago Manager Gene Michael after the Cubs had sent the Giants to their 14th loss in 20 games.

Sutcliffe (11-4) struck out a season-high 10 batters, walked two and gave up eight hits in eight innings, including a two-run homer by Chris Brown and a bases-empty shot by Chili Davis. “I had good location on my slider,” said Sutcliffe, who was replaced in the ninth by Lee Smith, who got the last three outs to pick up his 21st save.

But even Sutcliffe said that “it was a long day for everybody.”

Manny Trillo, Bob Dernier and Paul Noce each had three hits for the Cubs, with Trillo driving in two runs.

Dernier led off the first inning with his fourth homer, and the Cubs scored twice in the third on RBI singles by Trillo and Andre Dawson to chase Atlee Hammaker (4-6).

Brown’s home run in the fourth cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-2, but they scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch by reliever Jim Gott and a run-scoring infield single by Trillo.

Brown was later traded, along with pitchers Keith Comstock, Mark Davis and Mark Grant, to the San Diego Padres for pitchers Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts and infielder Kevin Mitchell.

St. Louis 3, Atlanta 0--Vince Coleman had two singles, scored twice and drove in a run, and Danny Cox combined with relievers Rick Horton and Todd Worrell as the Cardinals beat the Braves at Atlanta.

Cox (8-3) struggled with his control in scattering six hits and walking seven in seven innings. Three times he escaped bases-loaded, two-out jams, getting Graig Nettles each time.

Each time, Cox walked Ken Griffey--the hitter ahead of Nettles--to load the bases.

“The name of the game is to hit it where they aren’t standing,” Nettles said. “I didn’t do that today.”

Coleman singled in the first inning off Zane Smith (8-5), stole his 52nd base and scored from second base on Tommy Herr’s infield single. In the fifth, Cox tripled and scored on a single by Coleman, who then came home on Ozzie Smith’s double.

Philadelphia 9, Houston 3--Von Hayes hit two home runs and had four runs batted in as the Phillies beat the Astros at Philadelphia, helping Tom Hume pick up his first victory since Aug. 16.

Hayes, who has hit .343 since June 2 while raising his batting average to .280, doubled home a run in the first inning, hit his 10th homer in the seventh and added a two-run homer in the eighth.

Hume (1-0), making his 29th appearance but only his second start, allowed eight hits and all three Houston runs in six innings, his longest stint of the season.

Mike Jackson pitched the final three innings for his first save.

The Phillies erased a 2-1 deficit in the third inning, scoring four times off Jim Deshaies (8-3), who had won his last six decisions, after a 50-minute rain delay. The key hit was a two-run double by Ron Roenicke.

Cincinnati 7, New York 3--Kal Daniels capped a six-run fourth inning with a two-run homer, and Bill Gullickson picked up his first victory in more than a month as the Reds beat the Mets at Cincinnati.

Gullickson (8-5), who had not won since May 30, gave up eight hits, struck out two and walked two in his third complete game.

Trailing 3-1, the Reds rallied in the fourth against John Mitchell (1-2). Singles by Eric Davis, who hit his 24th homer in the first inning, and Dave Parker and a walk to Buddy Bell loaded the bases with none out. Davis scored on a sacrifice fly by Bo Diaz, with Parker taking third.

Ron Oester’s bloop double down the left-field line scored Parker, with Bell moving to third. Bell and Oester scored when third baseman Howard Johnson’s throw home on Barry Larkin’s ground ball hit Bell in the back and bounded away.

Mitchell retrieved the ball but threw wildly to second, allowing Larkin to take third. Daniels followed with his 17th homer, a towering shot to right.

Montreal 4, San Diego 3--Hubie Brooks hit his sixth home run of the season, with one out in the bottom of the ninth at Montreal, lifting the Expos past the Mets into second place in the NL East.

The Expos trail the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals by 6 1/2 games.

Brooks hit a 3-and-1 pitch from Rich Gossage (0-1) as the Expos won their seventh straight game against the Padres after losing the first meeting of the season.

Tim Burke (1-0) worked two scoreless innings for the victory.