National League Roundup : Oquendo Delivers as Cardinals Rally, 4-3

Early in the season, the St. Louis Cardinals called Jose Oquendo their “secret weapon,” because he kept making unexpected contributions. Now they recognize him as one of the game’s most valuable utility men.

A shortstop by trade, the 24-year-old Puerto Rican has played every position for the Cardinals this season except catcher, and he could do that in an emergency.

Oquendo, filling in for ailing Tommy Herr at second base, laid down a perfect squeeze bunt with one out in the ninth inning Sunday at St. Louis to score Jack Clark from third base and climax a three-run rally that gave the Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Cardinals and the 44th time they have come from behind to win. They may not be the best team in the league, but they certainly are the luckiest.

For eight innings, Atlanta’s David Palmer, who has a reputation for not finishing what he starts (no complete games in 23 starts this season), had a four-hitter and a 3-1 lead. He told Manager Chuck Tanner he was unable to continue because the heat had made him feel sick to his stomach.

The Cardinals jumped on the Braves’ ineffective bullpen for three doubles in the ninth. Vince Coleman opened with a double, and with one out Terry Pendleton doubled him home. After a walk to Jack Clark, Willie McGee doubled in the tying run. Pinch-hitter Herr was given an intentional walk to fill the bases.

The Braves brought in veteran Gene Garber. His first pitch to Oquendo was a ball. Clark started home on the next one, and Oquendo bunted. Garber fielded the ball but was unable to shovel the ball home, and Clark scored the winning run. A few minutes later, Garber was notified he had been traded to Kansas City for a player to be named.

“You never know what we’ll try out there,” Oquendo said. “We even do this with two out. He gave me a low pitch I could handle. I just wanted to get it down fair and get out of Jack’s way.”

The Braves scored three runs in the first against Greg Mathews on Gerald Perry’s three-run home run, but after that they had only three more hits.

“It’s a shame we can’t go into a four-corners sometimes,” Tanner said.

The win enabled the Cardinals to remain five games ahead of the Montreal Expos in the East.

Pittsburgh 7, Houston 0--In an effort to shake up his team, Astro Manager Hal Lanier became the third base coach for the game at Pittsburgh.

He wound up in the loneliest place in Three Rivers Stadium. With Doug Drabek (7-10) pitching a three-hitter, Lanier had to go to the dugout to get close to any of his players.

But Lanier got plenty close to them after the game. He held a team meeting for the club that trails San Francisco in the West by 3 1/2 games after losing their fifth in a row.

“I told them what I saw and what I thought we had to get better at,” Lanier said. “The bottom line is we have to get it in gear and start scoring some runs.”

Drabek is 6-2 since the All-Star break, has won five in a row and the Pirates, making things easier for the Giants in the West, have won six in a row. Before sweeping three from the Astros, they won three from the Cincinnati Reds.

Chicago 3, Cincinnati 1--Unfortunately for Dennis Rasmussen, who was making his pitching debut for the Reds, he had to face the Cubs’ Andre Dawson in this game at Cincinnati.

Dawson greeted Rasmussen, acquired from the New York Yankees in a trade last week, with a run-scoring single in the first. He singled in the fourth, then hit a two-run home run in the sixth.

In six innings, Rasmussen gave up only one other hit, a triple to Bob Dernier, to open the game.

Dawson increased his majorleague lead in home runs to 43 and his lead in runs batted in to a career-high 115. The Cub outfielder may become the first player not on a contender to win the Most Valuable Player Award since Hank Sauer of the Cubs won it in 1952.

Dawson’s home run made Ed Lynch (2-8) a winner for the first time since April. Lynch gave up just one hit in five innings before being replaced.

The Reds have lost eight of their last nine games, and trail San Francisco by five games.

Rasmussen, who came to the Reds in exchange for pitcher Bill Gullickson, was 9-7 for the Yankees this season.

New York 5, San Francisco 3--Gary Carter hit a grand slam in the first inning at San Francisco to spoil the second start of the Giants’ newest pitcher, Rick Reuschel.

Reuschel (9-7) got only one out and gave up all five runs. Rick Aguilera (6-2) turned the big lead into his second win in a row since returning from the disabled list.

San Diego 6, Philadelphia 1--For a long time it appeared the Padres would be buried so deep in the cellar in the West they couldn’t possibly climb out.

On June 11, they were 19 games out of first place and 14 games behind the Dodgers in fifth place.

After Mark Grant (5-7) pitched an eight-hitter for his first majorleague complete game, the Padres were 14 1/2 games out of first.

But they are only 2 1/2 games away from fourth place.