National League Roundup : Raines’ 9th-Inning Hit Beats Slumping Giants

After the San Francisco Giants won the National League West last season, Manager Roger Craig assured the fans that the club would do even better this season.

But when Tim Raines singled home two runs with two out in the ninth inning at Montreal Monday night, it gave the Expos a 3-2 victory and handed the Giants their fourth defeat in row.

The defeat dropped the Giants two games below .500. The Giants are 24-26. A year ago, they were 28-22 after 50 games and went on to win a division title for the first time in 17 years.

The Expos, who have been having trouble scoring runs, brought their hot hitter up in the clutch.

Andres Galarraga opened the ninth with a single off Scott Garrelts (1-3). With one out, Nelson Santovenia doubled. After an intentional walk, Atlee Hammaker came on to strike out Wallace Johnson. Raines hammered his second pitch to center, and the tying and winning runs scored.

After starting slowly this season, Raines is starting to sting the ball. He has 19 hits in his last 51 at-bats and is moving up on the .300 mark.

Craig has moaned all season about the Giants’ failure to score runs. It seems they always have a couple of hitters in a slump.

It may be that Will Clark has finally come out of his slump. He was 0 for 18 until he came through with two hits, scored a run and drove in another.

Chicago 12, Cincinnati 3--Les Lancaster has given the Cub pitching staff a big lift.

Pressed into action as a starter with the injury to Rick Sutcliffe, he turned in his second consecutive solid performance at Chicago.

Lancaster pitched the first complete game of his career. He gave up 11 hits, but he had an 8-0 lead after two innings and was never in trouble.

Ryne Sandberg hit a three-run home run to trigger a six-run second inning after the Cubs scored two unearned runs in the first.

In his first start in place of Sutcliffe May 25, Lancaster gave up seven hits and a run in seven innings.

Houston 5, St. Louis 4--Glenn Davis hit Scott Terry’s first pitch in the eighth inning at Houston for his 11th home run to give the Astros the victory.

Jim Deshaies (4-2) held the Cardinals to five hits in eight innings, but he trailed, 4-2, until Jim Pankovits doubled in two runs in the sixth.

One of the hits was a three-run home run by Jose Oquendo, just his third in 984 at-bats in the majors.

Another was a run-scoring single by Tom Brunansky to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games.

Pittsburgh 14, Atlanta 2--Every time he hits a home run, hot-hitting Bobby Bonilla insists he isn’t a home run hitter.

He hit his major league-leading 13th home run in this game at Atlanta and drove in three runs to help the Pirates rout the Braves.

Bonilla went 3 for 3 to lead an 18-hit assault in which every Pirate starter had at least one hit. Barry Bonds hit his 12th home run.

“I hit the alleys and the balls just seem to be going out. And, that’s a plus,� Bonilla said.

Philadelphia 7, San Diego 3--Juan Samuel had three hits and drove in three runs at Philadelphia as the Phillies won their fourth in a row.

The Padres held a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning, but the Phillies exploded for four runs to take the lead. Shane Rawley, who has won four in a row after losing five, struck out eight in pitching his second complete game.