National League Roundup : Braves’ 6-Run Rally Drops Giants

Omar Moreno hit a three-run home run, and pitcher Zane Smith hit a two-run single in a six-run fourth-inning rally that carried the Atlanta Braves to a 7-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants Wednesday at Atlanta.

For the Braves, it was their sixth win in the last seven games. The loss knocked the Giants out of first place in the West and put the Braves just two games behind division-leading Houston.

Imagine what the Braves would be doing if Dale Murphy, who has been the most consistent slugger in baseball for the last four seasons, was having a good year. Without much help from their center fielder, the Braves are right in the middle of a hot pennant fight.

In the previous four seasons, Murphy had averaged 36 home runs and 110 runs batted in while hitting almost .300.

After a decent start, Murphy, 30, slumped during June. In 27 games, he had only 24 hits in 103 at-bats for a .233 average. Even worse, he had only 4 home runs and drove in just 8 runs.

Murphy, who had two hits, including his 14th home run, Tuesday night, went 1 for 3 in this game, getting a single to start the six-run rally. He is 3 for 7 in July.

“There is more than half the season left,� Murphy told the Associated Press recently. “I need to contribute more. Here we are challenging for first place and I haven’t done anything.

“I haven’t been pleased with what I’ve been doing so far this year. I have to keep telling myself there are a lot of games left.�

Smith, whose broken-bat single set up Moreno’s second home run of the season, went the distance. Although he gave up eight hits, he struck out nine and allowed only two earned runs.

In his third game as a Brave, Ken Griffey hit his first home run for the team, connecting in the second inning.

Houston 8, San Diego 1--Dennis Walling had the best day of his eight-year major league career in this game at Houston. He hit two home runs and drove in six runs to move the Astros back into first place.

Walling, a left-handed batting utility man, also had two singles as he went 4 for 5 and helped Mike Scott breeze to his eighth victory in 13 decisions. Scott, the league strikeout leader, fanned only three to reach 151, but pitched a six-hitter and did not walk a batter.

“I never had a day like that,� Walling said. “I’ve never hit two home runs in the same game before, and I never had more than three RBIs.

Walling hit a three-run homer in the third, a solo homer in the fifth and a two-run single in the eighth. In 48 previous games and more than 150 at-bats, Walling had only two home runs and had driven in 15 runs.

Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 3--Rick Rhoden continues to be a double threat. He is pitching almost as well as anyone in the league and is hitting better than any other pitcher.

In this game at Pittsburgh, he pitched a six-hitter and struck out seven. He also went 3 for 4, and his third single started the winning rally in the ninth. Tony Pena’s two-out single scored Rick Reuschel, who ran for Rhoden (9-4).

Chicago 1-5, Montreal 0-4--Davey Lopes hit a ninth-inning home run at Chicago to give the Cubs two victories for the day in a total of 11 innings of play.

Before the regular game, the teams completed a suspended game that was scoreless through seven innings Tuesday before darkness stopped play. Jody Davis singled with two out in the eighth to score Thad Bosley with the only run of the game.

Reliever Lee Smith, who saved the suspended game for reliever Dave Gumpert, pitched two scoreless innings in the regular game to win his fifth game of the season.

New York 4, St. Louis 3--Gary Carter drove in two runs, and Wally Backman scored twice at St. Louis as the Mets won their sixth in a row and extended their lead in the East to 11 1/2 games over Montreal.

It was the sixth loss in a row for the Cardinals and marked the sixth time they have been swept in a series at home this season. Last season, when they won the pennant, the Cardinals were never swept at home.

Carter, with a run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly, increased his league-leading RBI total to 56 in 66 games.