NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Strawberry Homers Twice, Mets Win, 12-0

After winning only 19 of their first 40 games this season, the New York Mets were a team in turmoil. Everybody was looking for a reason, and management cited indifference as a major problem.

Barely a month later, the Mets are playing better baseball than any other team. They haven’t yet reached the top of the National League East, but it seems only a matter of time before they get there.

The turnaround began shortly after Bud Harrelson replaced Davey Johnson as manager and has continued largely because of Darryl Strawberry’s prodigious hitting.

Frank Viola has been the constant. The left-hander obtained from Minnesota last summer to win a pennant, is doing his part a year later.

Earlier, Viola kept the Mets from falling completely out of the race. Now he is leading their charge to the pennant.

Viola became the league’s first 12-game winner Tuesday night, pitching a five-hitter at New York, and Strawberry hit two more home runs in a 12-0 rout of the Houston Astros.

The Astros, the worst road team in the majors, lost for the 15th time in the last 16 road games. They were never in the game after Strawberry singled in a run in the first inning.

Strawberry has 19 home runs, 11 in the last 21 games. He is a big reason the Mets have won 20 of 23 games. After a horrible start, the talented outfielder has finally raised his average above .300. His second home run in the fifth off Xavier Hernandez was one of the longest ever hit in Shea Stadium. It was a towering drive that struck nearly 30 feet up on the scoreboard, about 450 feet from home plate.

“The key to this game was Kevin McReynolds’ three-run home run in the first inning,” said Strawberry, who is in negotiations for a new long-term contract.

“I don’t worry about how far I hit them.”

Viola (12-3) coasted to his third shutout, tying Mike Morgan of the Dodgers for the league lead. He was never in danger against the hapless Astros.

Daryl Boston added a solo shot for the Mets.

Mark Portugal gave up six runs in four innings. Portugal typifies the Astros’ staff. He’s 2-2 at home and 0-6 on the road.

Pittsburgh 5, San Diego 3--The Pirates aren’t ready to concede first place to the Mets just yet.

R.J. Reynolds, with his third hit of the game at San Diego, drove in the tiebreaking run in the ninth as the Pirates battled back from a 2-0 deficit.

The Pirates scored the tying run in the eighth. With runners on second and third and one out, the Padres had left-hander Craig Lefferts walk left-handed hitting Andy Van Slyke and pitch to switch-hitter Bobby Bonilla. Bonilla hit a sacrifice fly.

The Pirates’ fourth consecutive victory left them 1 1/2 games ahead of the surging Mets.

Cincinnati 2, Montreal 0--No-hitters are becoming so prevalent that five perfect innings are nothing. Tom Browning retired the first 16 Expos before Spike Owen singled with one out in the sixth inning at Montreal.

With ninth-inning help from Randy Myers, who checked the Expos with the bases loaded, Browning improved his record to 8-5. The left-hander had a perfect game against the Dodgers in 1988.

Browning was just glad to shake a mild slump. In his two previous outings, he pitched 9 1/3 innings, giving up 11 runs and 20 hits.

Glenn Braggs continued to hit for the Reds. He had three hits, including his third home run. He has hit safely in all 13 games he has started for the Reds since being obtained from Milwaukee on June 9.

San Francisco 4, St. Louis 0--In the meeting of two unbeaten pitchers, the Giants’ Trevor Wilson had much the better of it against Bob Tewksbury.

Wilson (5-0) pitched a five-hitter and lowered his earned-run average to 1.67.

Tewksbury (3-1), who won his first three decisions after being called up by the Cardinals, gave up three runs--one earned--in six innings.

Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 1--With Ken Howell unable to pitch because of a pain in his right armpit, the Phillies brought Jeff Parrett out of the bullpen.

Parrett (3-6), who had been struggling as a reliever, had not started a game since 1986 in the minors, but he went five innings, giving up four hits and an unearned run.

Dennis Cook gave up one hit in the last four innings to get his first save in the majors.