Baseball Roundup : Gooden Injects Life Into Mets as Cubs Fall, 5-2

Dwight Gooden is healthy at last, but it might be too late to save the New York Mets, a team in turmoil.

A few hours after Manager Davey Johnson disciplined two top players, Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry, Gooden returned to form.

Gooden, in his second appearance since being sidelined for more than two months because of a torn shoulder muscle, held the Cubs to three hits in four innings Tuesday at Chicago to save the Mets’ 5-2 victory. With a split in the two-game series, the Mets, who have 12 games to play, trail the first-place Cubs by 5 1/2 games in the East.

Gary Carter, who had not hit a home run in five months, hit a three-run homer off Steve Wilson in the second inning to back Bob Ojeda (13-10). Ojeda held the Cubs to a run and four hits before Gooden took over.

The Mets won without Strawberry and McReynolds. Both were benched and fined because they left the dugout and went to the clubhouse in the ninth inning of Monday night’s 10-6 loss to the Cubs.

They were getting ready to take early showers when the Mets rallied for two runs and had the bases loaded. Strawberry, hurriedly summoned to take his turn at bat, struck out to end the game.

“The incident is closed now,” Johnson said. “But I was angry and disappointed at what they did. I’ve never been so upset in my life.”

However, Newsday reported that a shouting match occurred between Johnson and Strawberry in the Mets’ clubhouse about an hour before Tuesday’s game. The incident occurred in front of the entire team and at least one player had to step between the two to prevent a fistfight, the newspaper said.

But nothing could take away from Gooden’s enthusiasm. Originally, after pitching three shutout innings last Wednesday, Gooden had been expected to start Tuesday.

But he warmed up Saturday late in the game without doing any stretching exercises and experienced some soreness.

After his four-inning stint Tuesday, he said: “I feel good, great. I’m hoping my next appearance will be a start.”

Ojeda had given up only two hits before Domingo Ramos and Shawon Dunston singled to open the sixth. Gooden was summoned and Ryne Sandberg hit into a double play on his first pitch. The Cubs scored off him in the eighth after Dwight Smith tripled.

Cub Manager Don Zimmer was not worried.

“We knew if we won one in the series we couldn’t get hurt,” he said.

St. Louis 5, Montreal 0--Bob Tewksbury, only a few years ago a top prospect with the New York Yankees, gave the riddled Cardinal pitching staff a big lift at Montreal.

Tewksbury, who spent this season in triple-A ball, pitched a four-hitter and singled in a run as the Cardinals moved to within four games of the Cubs.

Pedro Guerrero hit his 17th home run of the season for the Cardinals and Tom Brunansky had his 20th. It is the eighth consecutive season that Brunansky has hit at least 20.

As a rookie in 1986, Tewksbury, who will be 30 in November, was 9-5 for the Yankees. But arm problems, which slowed his progress early in his career, cropped up again in 1987, when he was 1-8 with the Yankees and Cubs.

Toronto 6, Boston 5--All the Blue Jays have to do to win the American League East is get the game into extra innings.

Although they twice fell behind after the ninth inning, the Blue Jays, on a two-out double by Nelson Liriano with the bases loaded, came from behind in the 13th inning to win their fifth consecutive extra-inning game.

The Red Sox had gone in front in the 10th inning, only to see Ernie Whitt get a two-out single that drove in the tying run.

In the 13th, Wade Boggs, mired in a two-for-28 slump that has probably cost him his fifth consecutive batting title, hit a sacrifice fly to put Boston ahead, 5-4.

When third baseman Boggs threw out a runner at the plate trying to score on a grounder for the second out in the bottom of the 13th, it appeared the Blue Jays were about to lose. But Lee Mazzilli walked to load the bases and Liriano delivered.

The Blue Jays remained two games ahead of Baltimore.

Baltimore 6, Detroit 2--Going into this game at Baltimore, the bottom three hitters in the Orioles’ lineup were in a three-for-40 slump.

But Craig Worthington, Jamie Quirk and Tim Hulett provided the punch for the Orioles’ third victory in their last four games.

Worthington and Hulett hit home runs, and Quirk had a double and drove in two runs.

San Diego 5, Cincinnati 1--Rookie Andy Benes won his fifth in a row and Mark Davis earned his 40th save at Cincinnati as the Reds lost their eighth in a row.

Atlanta 3, Houston 0--Gary Eave, in his major league debut, outpitched 20-game winner Mike Scott at Atlanta. Eave gave up two hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 2--Gary Redus and Jose Lind each had three hits at Pittsburgh to lead the Pirates to their ninth victory in 10 games.

Texas 5, Seattle 3--Brad Arnsberg gave up two hits in 5 2/3 innings of relief to win it.