NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pirates Help Dodgers Again, Defeat Braves

The Pittsburgh Pirates have come through just when the Dodgers needed help.

While the Dodgers have staggered and stumbled since the All-Star game, the leaders of the National League East have been beating up on the contenders in the West.

First, they won six of seven from the Cincinnati Reds, putting them into a tailspin they are having trouble snapping out of.

Next came the Atlanta Braves, who pulled within 2 1/2 games of the Dodgers with a victory at Pittsburgh Monday night.

Lloyd McClendon had three hits, scored a run and drove in two Wednesday night at Pittsburgh as the Pirates made it two in a row over the Braves, 7-4.

McClendon and his teammates jumped on All-Star starter Tommy Glavine for eight hits and six runs in five innings, and his record fell to 13-5.

Although he couldn’t make it through the sixth inning, John Smiley (11-6) won his third in a row.

It may be McClendon and Gary Redus are going to force clubs to stop pitching left-handers against them. McClendon is batting .302 against them and Redus is hitting .386 in his last 14 starts, mostly against left-handers.

Hot-hitting Terry Pendleton hit a two-run homer for the Braves.

Cincinnati 12, Chicago 3--It was a relatively calm day at Wrigley Field. No baseballs or bats were thrown in anger.

The Reds, though, were in a hitting mood. With Chris Sabo getting three hits and driving in three runs, the Reds pounded out 17 hits for their second victory in the last 14 games.

Neither controversial reliever Rod Dibble of the Reds nor bat-throwing Andre Dawson of the Cubs had heard whether he would be punished for antics Tuesday night.

Dibble appeared to deliberately throw at Doug Dascenzo as he ran out a squeeze bunt. Dawson ignited the Chicago crowd when he tossed bats onto the field after being called out on strikes.

Dawson thought he should be fined, but not suspended. Dibble, just coming off a three-day suspension for throwing at a batter, said he didn’t do anything, that the ball slipped out of his hands.

Tom Browning (11-7) ended his three-game losing streak with a 10-hitter.

San Francisco 8, New York 4--It seems only yesterday the Mets were getting tremendous pitching and talking about overtaking the Pirates in the East.

But the pitchers have awakened the home run bats of the Giants in San Francisco, and suddenly the Mets are 5 1/2 games out of first.

Kevin Bass, for the second game in a row, hit a home run and Kevin Mitchell hit a home run and drove in six runs.

Montreal 8, San Diego 2--The Expos scored five times in the first inning off Dennis Rasmussen at San Diego and romped to the victory.

Brian Barnes (2-3), who took Oil Can Boyd ‘s spot in the rotation, gave up two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Fred McGriff hit his 19th home run, the 18th consecutive Padre home run with nobody on base.

St. Louis 4, Houston 3--Jose Oquendo’s single over an outfield playing in close with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning allowed the Cardinals to sweep the three-game series at St. Louis.

Lee Smith, the Cardinals’ bullpen ace, who rested the other two games when starters Jose DeLeon and Bryn Smith went the distance, was the winner with one inning of relief.

Although he didn’t win the game, pitcher Ken Hill, one for 32 this season going into the game, was two for three and drove in two runs. The other Cardinal run came on Todd Zeille’s seventh home run.