National League Roundup : Clark’s Homer Helps Giants Beat Ryan, 4-1

Will Clark continued his success against Nolan Ryan, and Atlee Hammaker pitched a five-hitter Monday night at Candlestick Park to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Clark doubled twice and homered off Ryan and is 5 for 7 against him this season. Clark homered off Ryan in his first major league at-bat, April 8, 1986.

The Giants, who have won 6 straight and 9 of their last 11 games, moved 1 game ahead of Houston in the West, 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Dodgers.

Hammaker (5-3) hadn’t pitched a complete game since last Aug. 8. It was his first win as a starter since Sept. 15.

Ryan (8-8) struck out Jose Uribe in the sixth inning to record his 4,700th career strikeout. In all, he struck out 11 in 7 innings, giving him 4,703, the all-time high. The 41-year-old right-hander has struck out at least 10 in a game five times this season and 179 times in his career.

In the first inning, Clark doubled to right-center, scoring Brett Butler, who walked. In the third, Clark homered deep to right, his 23rd. Clark’s 81 runs batted in lead the league.

Pittsburgh 7, New York 2--Doug Drabek pitched six shutout innings, and Mike LaValliere hit a two-run homer as the Pirates beat Dwight Gooden at Shea Stadium to pull within 4 games of the Mets in the East.

The Pirates, held to 1 run on 13 singles in losing the first three games of the series, had 16 hits, the most against New York this season. The win snapped the Mets’ five-game winning streak.

Drabek (10-5) allowed six hits and won his fifth consecutive start. Jeff Robinson allowed Darryl Strawberry’s league-leading 28th homer, a two-run shot in the eighth.

R.J. Reynolds singled with one out in the sixth and stole second. LaValliere, who was only 3 for 18 in his career against Gooden, then hit a 2-and-2 pitch over the right-field fence to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

Pittsburgh knocked out Gooden (13-6) in the seventh on consecutive one-out singles by Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla, Sid Bream and Reynolds. Bream and Reynolds each drove home a run.

San Diego 6, Atlanta 3--Pinch-hitter John Kruk’s two-run double highlighted a five-run sixth inning at San Diego as the Padres won their third straight and extended the Braves’ losing streak to seven games.