NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pirates Increase Lead Over Expos to 7 Games

The Pittsburgh Pirates moved closer to their third successive National League East title Thursday night as Doug Drabek pitched his fourth consecutive complete game and Barry Bonds hit a three-run homer in a 9-3 victory over the Expos at Montreal.

The Pirates reduced their magic number to three and moved seven games ahead of the Expos. It also marked the third consecutive season Pittsburgh has won at least 90 games.

Drabek (15-10) recorded his fifth consecutive victory and improved to 3-1 against the Expos this season.

Cecil Espy and Jose Lind added two runs batted in each for the Pirates, who had 14 hits off starter Bill Krueger (0-1) and four relievers.

San Diego 7, Houston 1--Gary Sheffield hit a three-run homer, his 33rd of the season, to ignite a five-run first inning at San Diego and give Manager Jim Riggleman his first victory.

Sheffield moved within one of teammate Fred McGriff for the NL home run lead and increased his RBI total to 99, six behind Philadelphia’s Darren Daulton. Sheffield maintained his lead in the batting race at .332 after a one-for-four day.

Padre starter Frank Seminara gave up one unearned run and three hits in seven innings. He is 9-4 overall and 3-1 in four starts since returning from a two-week stint at triple-A Las Vegas.

Only 5,913 fans attended the game, the smallest San Diego crowd since Sept. 29, 1982, when 4,931 watched a Padre game against Cincinnati.

San Francisco 4, Atlanta 0--Jeff Brantley, Bill Swift and Rod Beck combined on a three-hitter and Matt Williams homered in the victory at San Francisco.

Williams’ solo shot in the fifth inning came off Tom Glavine (20-7), who continues to top the NL in wins despite losing four of his last five. The Braves lead the NL West by six games.

Glavine, who was returning from two weeks off to rest his sore ribs, pitched five innings, giving up six hits and four runs, three of them earned.

Philadelphia 3, Chicago 2--Rickey Jordan’s pinch-hit RBI single after a 10th-inning brawl was the difference at Philadelphia.

In the 10th, Darren Daulton singled off Bob Scanlan with two outs and went to second when Dave Hollins was hit in the shoulder by a first-pitch fastball. Hollins charged the mound and a bench-clearing brawl ensued, after which Hollins, Scanlan and Cub Manager Jim Lefebvre were ejected.

Chuck McElroy relieved Scanlan. Jordan lined a 3-and-2 pitch to right field for the winning hit.

St. Louis 4, New York 3--Todd Zeile’s bases-loaded single capped a wild 14th inning at St. Louis.

The game was scoreless before Jeff Kent’s three-run homer put the Mets ahead in the top of the 14th.

Bernard Gilkey started the bottom of the 14th with a single off Mark Dewey. With one out, Rich Gedman singled and pinch-hitter Felix Jose followed with a run-scoring single. Chuck Carr walked to load the bases and Ozzie Smith tied it with a two-run single before Zeile’s winning hit.

The Cardinals’ Bob Tewksbury and the Mets’ Bret Saberhagen matched each other for the first eight innings. Both gave up five hits and walked none. It was only the second start for Saberhagen since Aug. 1. He has been sidelined because of an inflamed index finger.