National League Roundup : Drabek Wins but Loses No-Hitter in 9th

The Pittsburgh Pirates needed something dramatic to get them out of their first slump since early last summer.

Young right-hander Doug Drabek provided just what his team needed Sunday at Pittsburgh. Drabek pitched eight hitless innings as the Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres, 6-2.

Pinch-hitter Randy Ready opened the ninth for the Padres with a hit to deep short that shortstop Al Pedrique knocked down but couldn’t pick up in time to throw out Ready.

One out later, Marvell Wynne homered to spoil the shutout.

The Pirates, who had the best record in the majors in the last six weeks of the 1987 season, had won only once in the previous five games after going into May leading the East.

It didn’t hurt Drabek that he didn’t have to face the Padres’ two best hitters, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk, who are injured. He knew he had a shot at a no-hitter when he came out for the ninth.

“You know what’s going on but you try not to think about it. I talked on the bench between innings because I didn’t want to get by myself and start thinking about it,” Drabek told the Associated Press. “It was a letdown when he (Ready) got the hit, but I thought, ‘Let’s get a double play so I can at least get the shutout.’ ”

With the near gem on Mother’s Day, Drabek was asked what he would tell his mother in Victoria, Tex. when he called.

“I’m not going to tell her I lost a no-hitter in the ninth,” he said. “She’ll ask me what happened, and I’ll say, ‘Nothing, we won today.’ ”

Drabek (4-2) struck out 4 and walked only 2 in winning for the 13th time in his last 17 decisions. There wasn’t anything resembling a hit off him until the ninth.

Jimmy Jones (2-4) stayed with Drabek until the sixth when two errors and doubles by Bobby Bonilla and Sid Bream put the Pirates ahead, 2-0.

The Padres fell to 10-18 and have been held to three or fewer runs in 21 games. Manager Larry Bowa is threatening to bench some light-hitting regulars.

New York 5, Cincinnati 1--Maybe, as the Mets calmly go along playing extremely well, Manager Davey Johnson feels it’s necessary to get things stirred up.

After Ron Darling went into the ninth inning working on a one-hitter, but wound up with a three-hitter and without a shutout, Johnson said Darling was his best pitcher. Darling is 3-2, while Dwight Gooden, the ace of the staff, is 6-0.

Darling was so sharp that a fifth-inning infield hit by Paul O’Neill was all the damage the Reds did until outfielders Darryl Strawberry and Len Dykstra ran together and dropped Jeff Treadway’s pop fly to open the ninth. It went as a double and Dave Collins followed with a bunt single that set up the only run.

“Darling’s pitched well enough to win every start,” Johnson said. “He was my best pitcher in the springand he’s the best since the season started. I knew he was capable of this and it’s great to see.

“Today he had an outstanding curve, good moving fastball and the forkball was excellent. He’s shown flashes of this in the past, but now he’s consistent.”

Darling had only a 1-0 lead until the seventh when the Mets jumped on Mario Soto (1-2) for four runs.

Chicago 13, San Francisco 7--Vance Law had the biggest day of his career, but he was embarrassed when the cheering crowd at Wrigley Field demanded he take a curtain call.

Law drove in six runs with a bases-loaded double and a three-run home run to key the Cubs’ 17-hit attack. Ryne Sandberg had four hits for the Cubs, two of them triples.

“I felt I was on every pitch,” said Law, who had a single and two walks for a perfect day. “I wasn’t trying to hit home runs in the wind, I was just trying to hit the ball hard.”

Sandberg is now 15 for 37 since being moved to the top of the batting order eight games ago.

The Giants, who had scored only 10 runs in the previous five games, dropped to 14-16 and trail the Dodgers in the West by 5 1/2 games.

Houston 7, Montreal 2--Bob Knepper gave credit to his defense after giving up just one run in seven innings at Montreal to improve his record to 4-0.

The Astros turned in six double plays, four while Knepper was on the mound

“I wasn’t that good today,” Knepper said. “I was sloppy and I am lucky that the team picked me up with good defense.”

When Andres Galarraga doubled and scored on Dave Engle’s single in the second inning, it was the first run off Knepper since April 16. It ended a string of 17 scoreless innings.

Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 1--Bruce Ruffin pitched a three-hitter at Atlanta, retiring the last 19 batters.

With the score tied, 1-1, in the sixth, Von Hayes singled with two out and Chris James hit his third home run of the season to give Ruffin (3-2) the victory.