National League Roundup : A Textbook Swing Helps Beat Expos

Steve Garvey says he’s hitting by the book, his book.

Garvey, who is writing a book about hitting, had a three-run homer in the Padres’ 6-0 victory over Montreal Thursday at San Diego.

Dave Dravecky and Gene Walter combined on a five-hitter to hand the Expos the their fifth straight loss.

Said Garvey: “I’ve been working on a hitting book for 1987. The more you think about it, the more you analyze it, the more you’re going to go out and do it. It’s been a good year for power.”

Garvey has 18 homers this season--his most since 1980--and credited tinkering with his batting stance for the increased power production.

Dravecky (9-10) worked five innings for the victory but left when his back stiffened. He allowed three hits while striking out two and walking one. Walter finished for his first save.

San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 6--The Giants, who fell on hard times after blowing a 5-0 lead last week in Cincinnati, snapped a four-game losing streak by rallying from a four-run deficit against the Phillies at San Francisco.

The Giants trailed, 6-2, but got five runs in the eighth inning the hard way.

“We get two men on base, the next two batters take called third strikes, and then we score five runs,” Giant Manager Roger Craig said. “How do you figure this game?”

Candy Maldonado, who drove in the final two runs with a double off Kent Tekulve (6-2), said: “It looked like it might be a rough day. But we hung in, and you saw what can happen.”

Atlanta 5, Chicago 2--Dale Murphy hit a disputed two-run homer through a 21-m.p.h. wind at Chicago to lead the Braves past the Cubs.

Murphy broke a 2-2 tie by hitting a fastball from Ed Lynch (3-3) just over the wire basket along the Wrigley Field wall in left field in the eighth inning. Omar Moreno scored in front of him and Atlanta had a 4-2 lead.

The ball bounced back onto the field after hitting the wall behind the wire, but the Wrigley Field ground rules say anything over the wire is a home run.

Cincinnati 9, St. Louis 4--Eric Davis paced a four-homer barrage at Cincinnati to help the Reds complete a three-game series sweep of the Cardinals. Davis hit a solo homer in the second inning and added three-run shot in the third.

Buddy Bell and Nick Esasky also hit home runs for the Reds.