National League Roundup : Phillies’ Mulholland Has Last Laugh on Giants

It was merely his sixth major league victory, but Terry Mulholland won’t soon forget it.

The 26-year-old left-hander pitched a two-hitter Saturday night at Philadelphia to beat his former team, the San Francisco Giants, 1-0.

Mulholland was sent to the Phillies earlier this season as part of a deal in which relief ace Steve Bedrosian went to the Giants.

And it was Bedrosian who gave up a bases-loaded single to Ricky Jordan with one out in the ninth inning that enabled Mulholland to improve to 3-5 with his second complete game for the Phillies.

Manager Roger Craig and the Giants can’t feel too bad. Kelly Downs, after spending most of the season on the disabled list, turned in his second strong performance since coming back.

Downs held the Phillies to three hits in eight innings before giving up a double to Len Dykstra and a single to Tom Herr in the ninth. Craig Lefferts came in and walked the bases full, then got John Kruk to ground into a force-out at home.

Bedrosian came in to face Jordan. The Giants brought the outfield in, and Jordan, on an 0-and-2 pitch, hit the ball over the head of right fielder Candy Maldonado.

Mulholland gave up singles to Matt Williams in the second inning and Jose Uribe in the sixth. He stopped the 1-2 punch of Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell eight times, four apiece.

“It probably is the best game I’ve pitched and certainly the most gratifying,” Mulholland said. “I told myself to stay under control and not get carried away. I just concentrated on (catcher) Darren Daulton.I wasn’t making eye contact with the hitters, guys I played with.”

Mulholland said he owed a lot to Craig.

“He taught me an awful lot,” Mulholland said, “both in the minors and with the Giants.”

Craig said Mulholland probably had never pitched a better game.

But he added: “I’m pleased with Kelly’s progress. He was still throwing well, into the ninth.”

Houston 8, Chicago 4--Glenn Davis became the first Astro to hit 30 home runs in three different seasons in the victory at Houston.

Davis had two other hits and drove in two runs as the Astros tightened both division races. The Astros moved within two games of San Francisco in the West. The second loss in a row cut the Cubs’ lead in the East to 2 1/2 games over New York.

The Cubs’ Jerome Walton singled in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 29 games, the longest by a Cub this century.

Although he gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings, Mark Portugal improved to 3-1.

St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 1--If the Cardinals had two more pitchers like Joe Magrane, they would be a real threat in the East.

It took a five-hitter by Magrane at Cincinnati to give the Cardinals their first victory over the Reds after seven losses.

Magrane (16-7) has won five games in a row and 11 of his last 12 decisions. With the Cubs losing again, he put the Cardinals within 5 1/2 games of the East lead.

“Right now, Magrane is the best left-hander in the league,” Red Manager Pete Rose said. “He led the league in ERA last year and is again on his way to a big season.”

Tom Brunansky drove in two runs and made a leaping catch in right field to rob the Reds’ Todd Benzinger of a home run in the ninth inning.

Montreal 6, San Diego 4--The Expos are over their slump and climbing back into the Eastern race.

Rookie Larry Walker, playing for slumping right fielder Hubie Brooks, broke a fifth-inning tie with a two-run single, and the Expos went on to win their second in a row. They trail the Cubs by three games.

Dennis Martinez (13-3) needed last-out help from Tim Burke in winning for the first time this month. Burke picked up his 24th save.

Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 3--John Smoltz gave up six hits in eight innings at Atlanta to end a slump that began after the All-Star break.

Joe Boever pitched the ninth to get the save and help Smoltz (12-11) end a five-game losing streak.