National League Roundup : Reds End Scoreless Streak in Fourth Inning, Snap Losing String in 10th

Breaking their scoreless streak was relatively easy for the Reds Saturday at Cincinnati; ending their losing streak was a little more difficult.

It took extra innings, but when Paul O’Neill singled home Kal Daniels in the 10th, the Reds had a hard-earned, 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros.

The Reds, shut out in three consecutive games, extended their string of scoreless innings to 30 before Eric Davis hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. The major league record for consecutive scoreless innings is 48, set by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1906 and tied by Chicago Cubs in 1968.

The crowd of 31,073 gave the Reds a standing ovation when they finally scored. It had been 38 years since the Reds were shut out in three consecutive games.

Davis gave the Reds a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning with his fourth home run of the season. But reliever Kent Tekulve couldn’t hold it, as the Astros tied it in the seventh.

In the 10th, the Reds loaded the bases on walks, two of them intentional. With one out, Daniels walked. Danny Darwin balked, and Davis was walked intentionally. After making a wild pitch, Darwin also walked Benzinger intentionally, bringing up O’Neill, who singled to left.

“I balked,� Darwin admitted. “There was no reason to balk, especially on a pitchout.

“I was trying to strike out O’Neill. I guess he had a hit coming, because he had hit rifle shots for three outs.�

The Reds, who got six hits, have only 19 in their last 36 1/3 innings.

New York 3, Chicago 1--Sid Fernandez was so tired of hearing about being fat, he shed 20 pounds.

If he had known how much it would improve his pitching, Fernandez, who improved to 2-0 with this victory at New York, would have trimmed down long ago.

When Ryne Sandberg opened the ninth with a single, it was the fourth hit given up by Fernandez. Roger McDowell gave up another hit, but held on for the save.

“The nagging was getting to me,� said Fernandez, who now weighs about 230 pounds. “I wasn’t feeling good about myself. I didn’t do anything drastic to knock off the pounds. I just ran a lot and rode the bicycle. Now, I’m going to keep it off. That gives me stamina.�

Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 3--Plagued by injuries and lack of hitting, nothing comes easy for the Pirates these days.

They had to call on workhorse Jeff Robinson again to get the victory. Robinson, formerly the setup man for Jim Gott, has been the finisher since Gott was injured.

Robinson entered the game in the eighth. His first pitch was wild, allowing the go-ahead run to score. The Pirates scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth and staggered to the victory.

Robinson has two wins and four saves for a team that only has seven victories.

The Phillies had 14 hits, three by Tommy Herr, but left 15 runners on base.

St. Louis 5, Montreal 2--Although three of their starters are on the disabled list, the Cardinals continue to get outstanding pitching.

Scott Terry gave up just five hits to improve his record to 2-1. Friday night, Jose DeLeon pitched a two-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Expos.

Terry Pendleton drove in three runs for the Cardinals, and former Dodger Pedro Guerrero doubled in another. The 18th run batted in this month tied Guerrero’s career high for a month.

The Expos have lost their last five games at Busch Stadium.

Atlanta 5, San Diego 1--John Smoltz got too pumped up at Atlanta and failed to complete his third victory in four decisions.

Smoltz worked out of a jam in the eighth inning when Dion James made a leaping catch against the fence with two runners on.

“Smoltz did a great job,� Atlanta Manager Russ Nixon said. “He got so hyper in the eighth inning that we decided he’d had enough.�