National League Roundup : Met Rally in Ninth Makes Viola a Winner

When Frank Viola headed for the dugout after pitching eight innings Wednesday night at St. Louis, he thought he had lost his debut as a pitcher for the New York Mets, 2-1.

When Cardinal bullpen ace Todd Worrell, trying to protect the lead, retired the first two batters in the ninth, he was almost certain he had.

But, in a manner uncharacteristic of this year’s Mets, they rallied to score three runs and pull out a 4-3 victory for their new pitcher.

Keith Hernandez, whose knee is so sore he can’t start, began the rally with a pinch double and Kevin McReynolds provided the clincher with a two-run bases-loaded single.

McReynolds, who brought the Mets out of a seven-game losing streak when he hit for the cycle Tuesday night, won’t talk with the New York media. It seems they are blaming his season-long slump on a weight problem.

Worrell, practically invincible against most of the league, now is 2-5 lifetime and has a 5.10 earned-run average against the Mets.

Viola, a 23-game winner for the Minnesota Twins last season, had been hammered in his last start for the Twins July 28 and had an 8-12 record.

But the left-hander was impressive in this one. He had a shaky third inning in which he walked Tony Pena and gave up a triple to Vince Coleman and a single to Pedro Guerrero for the Cardinal runs. He gave up only two more hits in eight innings, though he walked four more batters.

As it turned out, the Mets needed the two-run cushion because Coleman singled in another run in the ninth before Randy Myers finally recorded the save.

“I felt very comfortable,� Viola said. “I think winning the way we did gave everybody a lift. When I put that uniform on, it felt part of me. I grew up a Met fan, so the adjustment wasn’t difficult.�

Despite their second victory in a row, the Mets again failed to gain ground on the Montreal Expos. They trail the leaders of the East by seven games.

“This team is too good to be struggling the way it has been,� Viola said.

The Mets are hoping that Darryl Strawberry will emerge from his slump. He singled in the first run, but is five for his last 43.

Philadelphia 6, Chicago 0--After some rough seasons trying to find a place with the Dodgers, hard-throwing Ken Howell has found his niche.

Howell, continuing a series of sharp performances, pitched a three-hitter at Philadelphia for his first major league complete game and shutout.

It was the 25th career start, the 21st this year, for Howell, who improved to 9-7. In July, only Mark Langston (1.47) of Montreal had a better earned-run average in the league than Howell’s 1.87.

“I hope it’s the first of many complete games,� Howell said. “I felt I had good stuff. I threw a lot of sliders for strikes, then some in the dirt they went fishing for.

“I just recently developed the right attitude for a starter. You should get hungry around the seventh inning to go the distance.�

Dickie Thon hit two home runs and drove in three runs to lead the Phillies.

Montreal 3, Pittsburgh 1--Nearly everything is going right these days for the Expos. For one thing, they’ve caught the Pirates in another slump at Pittsburgh.

For another, Pascual Perez is once again making big contributions. Perez held the Pirates to one unearned run and six hits in eight innings as they lost their sixth in a row.

Spike Owen, in only his second game since coming off the disabled list, hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning. It was his fifth home run. Tim Wallach, batting .371 in the last 10 games, doubled before the home run, his third hit of the game.

With the Cubs losing, the Expos extended their lead in the East to three games.

Cincinnati 5, Houston 2--Ron Robinson, who spent more than a year on the disabled list, gained his first victory since undergoing elbow surgery June 28, 1988, in this game at Cincinnati.

Robinson held the Astros to two hits in 5 2/3 innings, then the bullpen ended the Astros’ three-game winning streak.

Rookie catcher Joe Oliver hit a two-run single in the third to lead the Reds.

San Diego 9, Atlanta 7--For the first time in several years, Jack Clark has been relatively healthy. The Padres wish his bat had been the same.

However, in this game at Atlanta Clark was four for five, including his 13th home run, and drove in four runs. Although he is batting only .245, Clark has driven in 56 runs.

Carmelo Martinez, who beat the Braves with a bases-loaded triple in the 11th inning Tuesday night, got a rare start and hit a two-run home run in the third inning.

The power attack enabled Bruce Hurst to improve to 10-8 by going six innings.