Pirates Close to Within Two As Mets Blank Phillies, 2-0

As the Yankees, Sox and Brewers waged war in the American League East yesterday, teams around the league scrambled up the pennant races in the other divisions as the baseball season entered its final two weeks.

Mike Bruhert twirled a four-hit shutout for the New York Mets as they sacked the front-running Phillies, 2-0, in Philadelphia. The loss engineered by the bat of ex-Yankee Elliott Maddox, cut the Phillies' National League East lead to a tenuous two games as the surging Pirates commandeered a 5-3 win over the Montreal Expos.

Kansas City upped its lead over the Angels to four and one half games as Dennis Leonard tossed a five-hit shutout, the Royald taking a 5-0 victory. Back-to-back homers from Frank White and George Brett lifted the Royals over California.

And in the NL West, those streaking Dodgers ran into Phil Niekro's knuckler as the Atlanta Braves eked out a 3-2 win. Shortstop Bill Russel's costly error allowed the Braves to score the decisive unearned game-winner in the fourth inning.

The loss left the Dodgers eight games ahead of Cincinnati and nine and one half in front of San Francisco as the Reds crushed the Giants, 7-1, yesterday.