National League Roundup : Davis Produces More Fireworks on Birthday

Eric Davis insists he’s not Superman, but you couldn’t prove it by the National League’s pitchers.

The Cincinnati Reds’ slugger has two more days in which to break the league record for most home runs in the first two months of the season.

By way of celebrating his 25th birthday, Davis tied the record held by three others, including ex-Red Tony Perez, when he hit his 18th homer Friday night at Pittsburgh to lead the Reds in a 13-6 rout of the Pirates.

In addition to a solo home run in the first inning, Davis, the No. 2 hitter in the league, had a double and a single and drove in four runs to give him 48 in 40 games.

“I’m not a Superman,” Davis told Irv Moss of the Denver Post. “I don’t abide by what anybody else says. I just go out and do the best job I can do and hopefully help us win the Western Division title.

“I don’t think it’s right to compare me to people who are already in the Hall of Fame. If they leave me in my own bracket and compare me to players who are playing today, everything will work out. I just want to be me. I don’t want to be compared to Henry Aaron or anybody else.

“When I’m all through, that will be time enough to evaluate my place in the game. Right now, I still have things to learn.”

Whether he likes it or not, the fleet center fielder is going to be compared to the greats of the past if he keeps going the way he has this season, which is nearing the one-third mark.

Davis, who has scored 42 runs, raised his average to .358.

“I don’t use the word great very often,” Manager Jim Leyland of the Pirates said. “But you have to use it to describe Davis. He’s a great player right now. The only thing you hope is that when he comes up there’s nobody on base.”

It was a big night for other Reds, too. Tracy Jones had four hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs, and Davey Concepcion also had four hits in an 18-hit attack.

Despite all the heavy hitting, the Reds still had to dig into their bullpen for three more pitchers. Guy Hoffman, the first replacement for starter Pat Pacillo, pitched 2 scoreless innings to improve his record to 2-1.

Montreal 10, San Francisco 4--Tim Raines went 3 for 4, including a two-run home run, and scored 4 runs at San Francisco to lead a 17-hit attack for the Expos.

Neal Heaton (6-2) gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings. Tim Burke worked the last three innings for his fifth save.

With the Giants losing, the Dodgers, although they are below .500, moved within three games of first place in the West.

St. Louis 8, Houston 2--The Cardinals won another game and lost another pitcher. The leaders of the East, already without their best pitcher, John Tudor, lost rookie sensation Joe Magrane in this game at St. Louis.

Magrane gave up two runs and three hits in four innings, complained of a sore elbow and was immediately placed on the disabled list.

A freak accident deprived the Cardinals of Tudor in April, possibly for the season.

Catcher Tony Pena, who recently returned after missing 35 games with a broken thumb, hit a bases-loaded triple and Willie McGee hit a two-run single to highlight a five-run seventh that broke the game open. Those were the only hits in the inning.

The Astros’ ace, Mike Scott, last year’s Cy Young Award winner, gave up only four hits in five innings, but had to leave because of back spasms. He isn’t expected to miss a turn.

Atlanta 6, Chicago 5--Albert Hall tripled to open the bottom of the 12th at Atlanta and pinch-hitter Gary Roenicke hit a drive off the left-field fence to bring him home with the winning run.

In the four-hour battle, the Cubs went ahead, 5-4, in the 11th when Atlanta reliever Gene Garber walked Manny Trillo with the bases loaded. In the bottom of the 11th, Ozzie Virgil hit his 16th home run to keep the Braves alive.

Two Cub errors enabled the Braves to score a run in the eighth to tie it, 4-4.

New York 5, San Diego 4--Keith Hernandez hit the right-field foul pole for a home run to break a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning at San Diego and give the Mets their fourth straight win. It was the Padres’ sixth loss in a row.

Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry and Rafael Santana also hit homers for the Mets. The San Diego pitchers have given up 67 home runs in 48 games. The Padres are 11-38.

John Kruk hit a two-run home run in the fifth to give the Padres a short-lived 4-3 lead. It was only the 24th home run for the Padres this season.