Detroit Rolls to 2-Game Sweep of Halos

Game 1: Cal (Brett) vs Det (Wilcox)
Detroit starter Milt Wilcox went the distance to pick up his second win. Tigers scored 2 in top of eighth to break a 3-3 tie. Angels sent ace reliever Dave LaRoche to the hill, but Tigers Lane Parrish doubled home 2 runners with 2 outs to give Wilcox all the support he needed as Detroit won 5-3. Rusty Staub and Parrish both had 3 hits for the Tigers.

Game 2: Cal (Tanana) vs Det (Slaton)
The Tigers scored in 3 of first 4 innings off Angels starter Tanana to take 4-0 lead. Lance Parrish powered the Tigers attack with his 4th homer of season. Meanwhile Tigers starter Jim Slaton, who has struggled mightily this young season, held the Angels scoreless through 8. In the bottom of the 9th, the Angels bats came alive as they scored 3 and had runners on first and third with 2 out. Slaton induced a grounder from Dave Chalk and held on for the CG victory, lowering (!) his season ERA to 6.34.

White Sox Battle Brewers to a Draw

Game 1: Chicago WSox 5 Milwaukee 4
WP Wilbur Wood (2-2, 6.27 ERA)
LP   Larry Sorenson (2-4, 2.52 ERA)
S  Jim Willoughby (3rd)
GWRBI: Lamar Johnson

The Brewers struggled early as Chicago tagged Milwaukee pitcher Larry Sorenson early for 4 runs.  But skipper George Bamberger was patient with his young star, allowing him to work back into the game.  Behind a 3 run shot by Ben Oglivie, the Brewers had the score tied back up by the 6th inning at 4-4.  But it was WSox Lamar Johnson who would respond with his 3rd homer of the season to put Chicago ahead for good as the WSox win 5-4.  Pitcher Wilbur Wood (2-2, 6.27 ERA), who had been tagged all season long, responded with a nice outing pitching 6 innings and striking out 4.

Game 2: Chicago WSox 0 Milwaukee 1
WP Jerry Augustine (6-1, 3.06 ERA)
LP   Rich Wortham (0-1, 1.29 ERA)
GWRBI: Paul Molitor

A pitchers battle broke out in County Stadium but it was Milwaukee who hung on to win a close one this time.  Lefty Rich Wortham took the mound for the first time as a starter for Chicago and delivered a gem of a game.  Striking out 4 batters and going 7 innings strong before being pulled for another lefty Rich Hinton.  It was a 5th inning, 1 out, double by Paul Molitor driving in Buck Martinez that gave the Brewers the edge and eventual game winning score.  Jerry Augustine continues his dominance for the Brewers earning his league leading 6th win of the season.

They weren't even close

GAME 1: “El Presidente” Dennis Martinez (3-2) was in dictatorial control with a 4-hitter as the Orioles blanked the White Sox 9-0. Al Bumbry, Billy Smith, Ken Singleton and Lee May all had 2 hits and 2 RBI.

GAME 2: South-siders put crooked numbers on the board in the 1^st (4), 5^th (4) and 8^th (3) and cruised to an 11-5 victory. Jorge Orta, Bobby Bonds, Lamar Johnson and Eric Soderholm each contributed 3 hits in a 17-hit Sox attack. Chet Lemon’s 3-run shot off Jim Palmer traveled 462 feet and bounced off the facade at the top of Comiskey Park. It seemed to take the air from under the Orioles wings.

GAME 3: Francisco Barrios (2-2) made his bid to be president of Mexico with a 2-hit shutout in a 12-0 Chicago win in the finale. Lemon added 3 more hits for the ChiSox. Wayne Nordhagen clocked a 3-run HR.

Atlanta Continues Winning Ways

April 28, 1978
Burris vs Easterly
Atlanta 8 Chicago 7

Chicago ruffed up Eddie Solomon for 7 runs in the 4th inning who had come on in relief of Jamie Easterly who was pitching on short rest.  Staked to a 7-1 lead, Cubby starter, Ray Burris failed to hold the lead as he coughed up 5 more runs over the next 3.2 innings and left with a 7-6 lead in the 7th.  In the bottom of the 8th Dale Murphy lead off with his 4th HR of the year to tie the game and with 2 outs, CF'er Rowland Office got the game winning hit on a single to left center.  Jeff Burroughs, who has been red hot of late went, 3-3 with a double and a triple (5th on the year) and plated 4 runs on the day.  Shortstop Ivan DeJesus lead Chicago with 3 hits and 3B Steve Ontiveros had 2 RBI on the day.

April 29, 1978
Fryman vs Niekro
Atlanta 9 Chicago 3

To the delight of the hometown fans, the Braves jumped all over Chicago's Woody Fryman for 6 consecutive singles to lead off the 2nd inning and managed to turn them into 4 runs to take an early 4-0 lead.  The Cubs fought back in the 3rd to close the gap to 1 as they managed 4 hits and a walk of their own to plate 3.  Atlanta added single runs in the 3rd and 4th innings for a 6-3 lead but with 5 innings left to play the Cubs were still in the game.  That all changed in the 6th inning when young Dale Murphy stepped to the plate with 2 on and one out. Chicago reliever, Willie Hernandez, left a 3-1 fastball over the plate and Murphy turned on the pitch for a 3 run homer (5) into the left field bleachers effectively killing any realistic chance of Chicago coming back in the game.  Atlanta wins game two 9-3.

April 30, 1978
Lamp vs Boggs
Chicago 8 Atlanta 3

After dropping a heart breaker in the opening game of the series and getting thumped in game 2 Chicago was looking for a good game from their starting pitching, Dennis Lamp.  He didn't let them down.  With all 9 players in the Chicago opening lineup getting at least one hit, Lamp scattered 8 hits and 3 runs in route to a complete game victory.  The Cub bats finally got hot as 4 players had 2 or more hits and the team totaled 15 for the game.  Bill Buckner had the lone homerun of the game when he unloaded into the right field bleachers with a man on to give the Cubs an early 3-1 lead in the second inning.  With the score 4-2 in favor of Chicago after 7, they broke the game open with 2 runs in the top of the 8th when CF'er Joe Wallis connected on one of his 3 hits to double in Dave Rader and then scored on a single by Ivan DeJesus.  They then added 2 more in the 9th to salt the game and leave town with at least one victory.

Les Expos Level Les Astros

The Astros, overmatched offensively against the powerful Montreal team, manage to take one of three in a series marked by two well-pitched games. Houston drops  again to .500 at 11-11, while Les Grand Expos continue to make their opponents look like "Les Miserables," moving to 12-7 for April while vying for first place.

Game 1: Mon 2, Hou 1
W: Grimsley (3-1)
L: Niekro (1-3).

Ross Grimsley's hair alone would stun the opposition.

The hirsute Ross Grimsley ends the month with a 2.06 ERA with a CG three-hitter over an equally sharp Joe Niekro. Warren Cromartie's eighth inning base hit breaks the 1-1 tie. Andre Dawson finds the Astrodome centerfield seats with a 413-foot homer (3).

Game 2: Hou 3, Mon 1
W: Andujar (4-0)
L: Rogers (3-1)

Two hot pitchers go at it, and the eccentric Joaquin Andujar comes out the winner over Steve Rogers, with a quiet five-hitter, only one walk to go with six Ks, and a great 82 GameScore.

Game 3: Mon 6, Hou 3
W: May (4-1)
L: Lemongello (2-3)

Aging vet Rudy May continues his sharp season, holding the 'Stros to one run until the ninth. A three-run blast from Ellis Valentine (3) to go with five RBIs stings the erratic Mark Lemongello. 

Angels Take 3 of 4 from Mariners

It wasn't always pretty, but California held serve at home to take 3 of 4 from the Mariners and remain  in second place in the AL West.

Nolan Ryan took the hill in Game 1 for the Halos, but really struggled. He walked 6 and yielded 9 hits in only 6 innings, surrendering 8 runs in the process. Seattle took a 8-4 lead into the bottom of the 8th, the Angels scored 3 off reliever Steve Burke, paced by a 2-run triple from the bat of backup catcher Ike Hampton. Angels reliever Dave LaRoche held the Mariners scoreless in the 9th, and then the fun started. With Burke still on the mound, Lyman Bostock walked. He was singled to 2nd by Brian Downing. In came Mariners close Shane Rawley to face Don Baylor. On a full count, Baylor blasted a walk off 3-run homer to Left and the Angels took home the 10-8 win.

Game 2 was not close, as the Mariners took advantage of 11 walks (!) from Angels pitchers to win 8-2. Seattle starter Byron McLaughlin went 7 2/3 to pick up the 8-2 win.

Game  3 was another tense affair.  Mariners starter Dick Pole was pitching a shutout entering the 7 th, but the Angels bats came alive. Ron Jackson hit a solo homer to kick off the 7th, followed a few at bats later by a bases-clearing double from the bat of PH Joe Rudi, and the Angels took a 5-4 lead. Tom Griffin and Dave LaRoche held the M's scoreless in the 8th and 9th, as LaRoche picked up save number 3.

Frank Tanana pitched a gem in Game 4, holding the Mariners to 1 run on 8 hits as the Angels soared to a 7-1 victory.

Tigers Sweep ChiSox with three 1-run games

Game 1: Detroit won 6-5, but not without some dramatics at the end. Chicago rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the 9^th and had the tying run at 2^nd before Jack Billingham (2-1) recorded the 27^th out on a Jorge Orta fly to LF. DH Rusty Staub led the offense with 2 hits and a pair of RBI.

GAME 2: Jason Thompson swatted a pair of homers including a solo shot in the 9^th to lift the Tigers to a 4-3 win. Thompson had 3 hits and 3 RBI. Milt Wilcox (1-0) went the distance on the hill.

GAME 3: Jack Kemp’s 3-run shot and Lance Parrish’s 2-run blast put up a 5 spot in the 1^st before the fans were in their seats. Jack Morris (2-0) and John Hiller (2) took it the rest of the way for a 5-4 Tigers win and the sweep. Hiller stranded the tying run on 3^rd base in the 9^th when he fanned Bob Molinaro and got Orta to fly out.

Houston Moves Over .500 with Series Win

The Astros go to 10-9 on the young season with 2-1 series win over the Padres, now at 7-9. The gutty Pads score seven runs in the ninth inning of Game 3, off seven AstroTurf hits, to avoid a Houston series sweep.

Game 1: Hou 6, SD 4
W:  Andujar (3-0)

Houston's Joaquin Andujar survives a wild outing.

 

L: Freisleben (0-3)
S: Dixon (3)

A wild Joaquin Andujar gave up four walks, a wild pitch, a balk, and a passed ball but still managed a victory. All-Star-caliber Cesar Cedeno was again the hero, not only pounding a three-run homer (5) but making a game-saving, diving catch in center with the bases loaded in the eighth. Cedeno is among the league leaders at .347 with 18 RBI.

Game 2: Hou 2, SD 0
W: Lemongello (2-2)
L: Jones (1-2)

For those who love good pitching, this was a gem. Randy Jones and Mark Lemongello was throwing bullets, and the only runs were scored on a two-run throwing error in the fifth by Ozzie Smith, the not-so-great-and-powerful Wizard in this game. The Padres had three errors in the game and five in the series. Lemongello pitched the game of his life, throwing a no-hitter until a single by Ozzie dashed his bid with one out in the eighth. It was the Padres only hit on the day. Jones and reliever Dan Spillner only gave up four Houston hits.

Game 3: SD 7, Hou 5
W: Perry (2-1)
L: Sambito (3-3), BS (2)

Houston's J.R. Richard was firmly in command. The ML strikeout leader had 10 Ks on the day and a 5-0 lead going into the top of the ninth, courtesy of a 3-for-4 day and three runs scored from leadoff man Terry Puhl. But the Friar bats awoke in the ninth with seven runs off Richard and Joe Sambito. Ozzie Smith drove in two in the inning  (he now sports a .302 average) and pitch-hitter Don Reynolds has a key two-out, two-run single to score the winning runs for starter Gaylord Perry, who went all the way for the win.

Burroughs Leads Braves Over Giants

The San Francisco Giants came into Atlanta for a 3 game series but it was Jeff Burroughs who proved to be the giant of the series.  The Braves left fielder put on a hitting clinic for the home town fans as he proved to be a one man wrecking crew.  For the 3 game series Burroughs batted .615 (8-13) with a double, 2 triples, a homerun, 3 runs scored and 10 RBI!

Game 1   Atlanta 10   San Francisco 2
Jim Barr and Phil Niekro pitched well for 6 innings before a one hour rain delay forced them both to leave the game with the Giants leading 2-1.  The Braves benefited from the change of pitchers as Charlie Williams came on in the 7th and gave up 9 runs (2 earned) in the 2 innings he worked as Atlanta took the opener. Burroughs goes 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI.  Dale Murphy homered and also drove in 3 runs.

Game 2  San Francisco 8  Atlanta 6
Atlanta miscues cost them this game.  Bob Knepper and Preston Hanna were both pitching well and the game was knotted 1-1 after 4 innings and then the wheels came off for Atlanta.  San Francisco put up 5 unearned runs in the 5th on 2 of the Brave's 5 errors to take a 6-1 lead.  Hanna was removed after the 5th for a PH and all 6 runs against him were unearned.  Atlanta scored 3 in the bottom of the 5th on a 3 run shot by Burroughs to make the game interesting but they came up short in the end losing 8-6.  Burroughs again went 3 for 4 with a long ball and 4 RBI.

Game 3  Atlanta 7  San Francisco 2
Vida Blue for the Giants and Dick Ruthven for the Braves threw up goose eggs for 5 innings before the home team touched Blue for 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th when Burroughs tripled in the first run and scored the second on a Giant fielding error.  Ruthven sailed into the 8th with a shutout before he gave up a lead off homerun by Terry Whitfield.  He was replaced by Jamie Easterly who struck out the next 2 batters before Jack Clark tied it up with a solo shot to the right field bleachers. Lynn McGlothen, however, could not keep the Braves off the board in the bottom of the inning as Atlanta batted around scoring 5 times on their way to a 7-2 win.  Once again Jeff Burroughs was the hitting star going 2 for 5 (2 triples) and another 3 RBI.

Brewers Find Lefty Domination

5-0, 3.71 ERA

Game 1: Milwaukee 4 Boston 0: Jerry Augustine (5-0, 3.71 ERA)  picks up win number 5 on the season by shutting down the Red Sox in a well pitched 6 innings of play.  Randy Stein and Bob McClure chipped in to hold the Red Sox to no runs on the day.  Larry Hisle went 2 for 3 with a home run (6th)  and a double.  Gorman Thomas spanked his 4th homer of the season.

Game 2: Milwaukee 2  Boston 1:  Gorman Thomas went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and drove in the eventual winning run in the second inning, as Milwaukee snuck by Boston 2-1.  Dwight Evans (5th) homered in the 7th inning to make it close.  The Brewers throw back to back lefties and this time it was Jim Caldwell who performed well.  Striking out 6 and getting his 2nd win of the season.  Milwaukee improves to 10-7.  Boston drops to 6-11.

Tribe sweep Jays - homestand woes continue

After three straight losses to the ChiSox, the Jays hoped their fate would turn around against the Indians - it was not to be.

Johnny Grubb lead the first game off with a home run and things just got worse for the Jays.  The Indians pounded the Jays 16-0.  Grubb went 5 for 6, with a stolen base and was easily the MVP of the game.

The second game of the short series again went to the Indians.  A much closer 3-1 affair.  Bob Bailor went 4 for 5 in the game, and was the lone bright spot on the losing side.

The Jays are hoping getting out of Dodge will help them break their losing streak.

Birds Get Wings Clipped Royally

BIRDS GET WINGS CLIPPED ROYALLY

It was supposed to be a bright and sunny weekend in Baltimore but after Friday night's game, the clouds moved in quickly and rather harshly.  
Baltimore's fans were excited to see the Royals come to town. The Royals were struggling after having won their division the last two years. Although it was still early, there didn't seem to be that cohesiveness that normally surrounded their team. And the Orioles, although off to a slow start were still hoping to improve upon their three straight years of second place finishes. Indeed the fans were excited, especially after the opening game of the series.... 

Game 1 - Jim Palmer was still getting knocked around giving up 11 hits to KC.  It was only the base running blunders that kept the game in check for Baltimore. Dempsey threw out 3 would be base stealers and Harlow gunned down Brett as he attempted to score on a shallow flyball.  Dennis Leonard for the Royals didn't bring his "A" game to the park either as Baltimore struck in the 2nd inning for 2 runs behind back to back doubles  by DeCinces and Smith, followed by a single by Dempsey.  The O's scored 3 more times in the 7th inning with DeCinces and another double by him involved.  Both pitchers completed what they started, but it really wasn't pretty for either one of them.

There was joy in Baltimore and the fans went home with their guys being the winners.  The sky was clear, the stars were bright and although the weather forecast was for a sunny weekend there appeared to be a cloudy haze moving in.


Game 2 - The sun was shinning brightly right up until game time and then the clouds came in.  Top of the 2nd inning, Cowens doubles down the right field line, Flannagan coaxes Otis and Wathan into ground outs, although Cowens moved to third. Porter then greeted Flannagan with a first pitch line drive single into right field. KC 1-0. Flannagan and Splitorff exchanged pitches yielding goose eggs until the top of the 7th when Cowens struck again, this time with a single into right field. Otis popped out, Wathan forced Cowens at 2nd. Porter singled to right, Wathan stopped at 2nd but Patek drove him home with a sizzler into leftfield. KC 2-0. It was calm until the 9th when Porter barely put one over the right field wall. KC 3-0. Splittorff completed his shutout and it seemed it was just a bit darker over head.

Fans are fickle people and the amazing amount of joy just the night before had turned to, "the bums just can't hit, even if we get a decent pitched game....they just can't hit". It was heard everywhere as the fans filed out of the stadium. The good news was, tomorrow is another day, perhaps redemption was near.

Game 3 - Dennis Martinez was on the mound today, 2-1 with a sub 3.00 ERA and the day appeared to be bright. The sun was turned off quickly though, as the Royals put 4 on the board in just the top of the 2nd inning. Frank White put the finishing touch on the inning with a two run homer to left center. Porter singled home a run in the top of 5th for KC making it 5-0, but the O's put one back on the board in their half of the inning Dempsey doubled, advanced to 3rd on a single and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Bumbry. KC 5-1.  Martinez entered the 7th inning but never was able to get the first out before being relieved by Kerrigan. Although the Royals only managed two hits in the inning, one a triple by Cowens, they scored two runs and KC now led 7-1. Busby tired in the 7th inning but nothing came of it for the O's and the Royals brought in the Bird(man) to pitch the 8th and 9th. The O's did nothing against him, but the Royals continued their run scoring ways by putting 3 more runs on the board. Kerrigan, again looked bad, and the Royals easily took advantage of the situation.  KC 10-1.

There was no reason to believe the O's were going to do anything this year but struggle, heck they can't hit, the pitchers can't pitch and why in the heck is this Weaver guy still running the show?? He can't produce a winner....the fans just shook their heads.. Indeed it was a cloudy and dreary weekend, even though the sun was shinning bright. The O's had become a .500 ballclub and the fans weren't happy.

Double Trouble

Bloomington – April 16.  The Mariners and the Twins battled it out in a double header today with the Twins being on the short end of both games.  After taking the first two games of the series the Twins were poised to take the series and stay above .500.  Lack of a bullpen and no timely hitting sunk the Twins to a 6-7 record.

Game 1 had Pole facing the rookie Roger Erickson (1-1), which was a rematch of Erickson’s debut, in which he loss.  Erickson was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the 1977 amateur draft.  Roger gave up 5 runs in the fourth and the sixth innings while only giving up one homerun.  Mauch was thinking about pulling Erickson in the fourth, but since this was a double header and the pullpen was tired from the last two games he decided to keep him in.  Meyer hit a 384 foot 3 run homer to right center that cleared the 370 foot fence, which made it 5-0.  Erickson finally got to 148 pitch count and he had to be shut down.  Pole pitched a complete game and gave up some inconsequential runs in the 8^th and 9^th innings for a 10-2 victory.

Game 2 was House and Johnson and it took 12 innings to complete this one.  Johnson pitched well but on short rest could not get through the 4^th inning. The Mariners racked up 14 hits to the Twins 6 hits and both teams ended up with a pair of errors.  In the top of the 12^th, Cruz got on base when Randall mishandled the ball.  Bochte struckout and Cruz stole second. Stanton followed with a double off the wall that scored Cruz.  Jones then popped up to Carew for the second out.  Roberts put the game out of reach when he hit a 366 foot homer that just barely cleared the 365 foot wall.  Meyer popped out but the Mariners were up 7-4.  House was Ace material giving up 3 earned runs in 11 innings while only walking 2.

Despite the great home stand start the best the Twins could do was finish .500 against the Mariners.  The bullpen is depleted and the offense is not hitting – looks like a recipe for failure.  Hopefully the Twins will get this all figured out before the A’s come to town.

Jays home opener weekend - a historic first!

The Jays opened their first homestand of the season with a 8 to 2 blasting of the Tigers.  A bat-around 5 run 4th inning caused the majority of the damage.  Jerry Garvin pitched 7 strong innings.  Tom Murphy came in for relief and almost held down the shutout - until Rusty Staub and Jason Thompson hit back-to-back home runs with 2 outs in the 9th.

Coming recently off my 8th birthday, my dad got me tickets for the Saturday contest.  This was the first ever baseball game I attended in my life and what a thrill it was!  However, much like in the real world, this game mirrored the end result of what I saw.  The Tigers pounded out 16 hits en route to a 6-2 victory (When I went, the score was 6-3).  Rodriquez went 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs.

The series concluded with the closest game of the three.  Jays led the game 2-0 heading into the 8th. Jim Clancy pitched effectively, but gave the ball to Willis after surrendering a couple of hits.  Willis proved ineffective and the Tigers capitalized on this and score 3 runs.  Dave Rozema went the distance.

Why do Mariners Wear Gloves?

Error Prone Mariners drop Second in 11 

Bloomington – April 15.  The Mariners let this one slip away by committing 4 errors and two very crucial ones in the bottom of the 11^th.  In the bottom of the 11^th with the score tied at 2 a piece Smalley lined a single into right field.  Carew grounded to second but was safe when Baez bobbled the ball.  With runners on first and second Adams struck out on a 1-2 count.  Ford then grounded into what looked like an easy inning ending 5-4-3 double play until Stein muffed the ball and everyone was safe.  With bases loaded, Manager Darrell Johnson’s heart skipped a beat when Rawley gave Powell a free pass to send the winning run across the plate.  So the Twins one this one in the bottom of the 11^th while getting only 1 hit.  Two errors and a bases loaded walk sealed the fate for the Mariners. 

Dave Goltz was definitely not on his A-game but he pitched well enough to get out of jams.  6 hits and 6 walks in 6 1/3 innings were scattered around while only giving up 2 runs.  The Johnson relievers helped seal the deal by going a combined 4 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts without giving up a run.  (Gene) Mauch was trying to get more out of Goltz, but Geoff was too tired after throwing 136 pitches.   

The Twins were definitely helped by the errors since three of the four errors led to all of the Twins runs.  It was ugly, but at this point the Twins will take even the ugly ones since this has brought the Twins finally over .500 with a 6-5 record.  The 23 year old Powell is showing some good plate discipline by getting 3 walks.  His average sits at .318 and his 6 game hitting streak came to end, but when you can win a game by taking a walk, Powell and the Twins will take that over a hit streak any day.

 

 

Twins Win

Geoff is Zahnderful in home opener

Bloomington - April 14.  After a tough West Coast trip (4-5) and no days off, the Twins have returned to the Met to face the West Coast teams again in hopes of getting over .500.  Of course the Griffith family has not made this too easy by letting Larry Hisle and Lyman Bostock go, but at least Carew is still with the team.  The Twins are putting their faith in a 23 year old rookie Hosken “The Face” Powell to replace Hisle and Bostock.  In Tacoma he batted .326 with a .427 OBP so there are hopes he can help the team out immediately.

The Mariners' House (0-1) versus Zahn (1-0) started game 1.  Both House and Zahn pitched complete games to give the much beleaguered bullpens some rest.  Zahn gave up 1 run, 3 hits, walked 4 and struck out 4 in an efficient 112 pitches.  House was nearly as efficient giving up 5 hits, 1 Walk and striking out 2 in 8 innings of work. 

In the bottom of the 3^rd, the Twins gained the lead when Rivera scored on a double by Ford.  Rivera started the inning with a triple to right center and could not advance when Carew grounded out to the pitcher for the first out.  Ford advanced to 3^rd when Kusick grounded to second.  Smalley popped out to Baez to end the inning and the threat.  

The Mariners scored in the top of the first when Cruz scored on a Botche fielder’s choice to Smalley, who was playing short.  Cruz started the game with a blistering single to right field and moved to second on a passed ball.  Baez sacrificed Cruz to third when Bochte batted him in.  Stanton grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. 

The Twins tied the game in their half of the inning when Rivera scored on a RBI single by Smalley that also sent Ford to third.  Rivera started the Twins’ half with a walk and moved to second on a Carew 4-3 grounder.  Ford was hit by a pitch and Kusick lined to center. 

The game brought the Twins back to .500 and hopefully this translates to a Winning attitude in Bloomington. 

What's the story, Jerry ???

4/16/1978

Koosman vs Grimsley

Mets 3, Expos 0

8 shutout innings for 1st win of season

Chalk one up for New York's veteran lefthander Jerry Koosman, who pitched 8 shutout innings vs the young Expos, then handed the ball over to Skip Lockwood who closed it out with some anxious moments in the 9th.  New York carried a 1-0 lead into the 7th when "the Dude", John Stearns hit a 2 run shot to make it 3-0.  Montreal had plenty of opportunities to score in this game, but Koosman came up big every time he had to.  Kooz fanned 7 and gave up 5 hits to notch his first win of the season.  Lockwood, who got out of a self created jam in the 9th, recorded his 3rd save.  New York takes this weekend series to even their record at 5-5.  Montreal's is also sitting at .500 (4-4).

Swan Lake

4/15/1978

Swan vs Twitchell

Mets 8, Expos 1

Lost No-Hit Bid in 7th

Craig Swan carried a no hitter into the 7th, then lost it and his shutout bid all in one mammoth swing by "the Kid", Gary Carter.  With the outcome not much in doubt Swan cruised to a complete game victory allowing just 2 hits.  New York battered a trio of horrible Expos hurlers into submission in this Saturday afternoon laugher as the fans watching back home on WOR-TV 9 got to hear Bob Murphy do the "Happy Recap".  If this were a home game there is no doubt that Mr. Swan would have been invited onto Kiner's Korner.

Ruuuuuu-dy !

4/14/1978 - Stadie Olympique'

Zachry vs May

Expos 3, Mets 2

Rudy May cruised for 8 innings allowing just 1 run on a Tim Foli RBI single in the 7th.  Montreal staked May to a 3-0 lead with 2 runs in the first off of an Andre Dawson Triple and a Gary Carter Sac fly.  Carter added his 2nd RBI of the day in the 5th when he doubled home Dave Cash, who led off the inning with a walk.  After completing a scoreless 8th, May was replaced by Hal Dues in the 9th.  After getting Doug Flynn to ground into a 3-6-3 DP, Dues looked home free.  Pinch hitter Bruce Boisclair would have nothing of that and launched a 386 foot home to right center to make it a one run game.  Lenny Randle followed with a one hoppper off the wall for a two bagger.  That would be it for Dues, who was replaced by Stan Bahnsen.  Tim Foli strolled to the plate and was looking at a 1-2 count after 3 pitches.  The bespecled shortstop choked up on the bat to avoid the strikeout and hit a hard smash to Tony Perez at first, which turned into the final out of the game as "Doggie" scooped it up off the carpet with ease.

Reds Snap Losing Streak Vs. Astros

Cincinnati snapped a seven-game losing streak by taking two straight from the struggling 'Stros.

Game 1: Hou 3, Cin 1
W: Sambito (3-0)
L: Hume (1-1)

Bob Watson ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to snap a 1-1 tie and give reliever Joe Sambito his third win of the young season. Cesar Cedeno continues to ignite the offense for Houston, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. He'll go six-for-12 in the series and make some defensive gems in CF.

Game 2: Cin 12, Hou 4
W: Capilla (1-0)
L: Lemongello (0-2)

The Reds' George Foster slams three homers

What a day for fence-busting George Foster, who pounded three home runs and drove in six, two of them off the fiery Mark Lemongello, known for slapping the side of his head after a bad pitch. The Big Red Machine finally breaks its early-season losing streak.

Game 3: Cin 4, Hou 1
W:  Seaver (1-1)
L: Sambito (3-1)
S: Bair (1)

Lots of missed bats in this one, as Tom Seaver strikes out 10 and Houston's J.R. Richard fans 11 (in 6 innings). The Reds break through off Joe Sambito with three in the top of the eighth, fueled by a two-run single by Joe Morgan with the bases juiced. Ken Griffey goes 5-for-5. Houston drops to 5-5, while Cincinnati is now 3-7.

Angels Squared Off against the Twins

Game 1: K. Brett vs D. Goltz
Angels scored early and often to take first game of the series 10-1. Joe Rudi homered in the 1st, and proceeded to go 3 for 5 with the homer, a double, and 4 RBI. Angels DH Don Baylor would also homer, as would Twins SS Roy Smalley. Ken Brett tried to go the distance, but he tired after 8 and yielded to mop up man Tom Griffin.

Game 2: D. Aase vs. R. Erickson
The two teams combined for 7 errors, Angels starter Aase walked 6 in a little over 4 innings, and the Twins scored early and often to win 7-2. Rod Carew went 4 for 4 to pace the Angels.

Game 3: F. Tanana vs. P. Redfern
You won't see it reported often, but replacement level (at best) pitcher Pete Redfern out dueled one time All Star Tanana to give the Twins a victory. The Twins manager pulled Redfern after only 4 2/3, so he didn't get the win, but he only surrendered 2 hits as the Angels attack stalled. The Angels were held scoreless until the 9th, as the Twins strung 3 singles together in the first to score 1 and added 2 more off a Dan Ford double in the 5th to take a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish. Angels loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th, but Brian Downing hit into a double play off reliever Serum to end the game.

Game 4: N. Ryan vs. P. Thormodsgard
The Angels needed a win, and Nolan Ryan was up to the task. Despite allowing 10 hits, he held the Twins to 1 run to earn the victory. Twins of Glenn Adams went 3 for 4, and batted in the lone Twins run.  Angels ss Rance Mulliniks singled in the 3rd to raise his average to .176; nice job Rance!!

Dodgers Take Two of Three From Astros

Dodgers' starting pitching dominated the first two games of this series at Houston, but the Astros came back in Game 3 to win a 14-inning nailbiter.

Game 1: LAD 7, HOU 0

Eight and a third scoreless innings from the Dodgers' Doug Rau (1-0) left Houston wilting in the Texas heat, while Davey Lopes powered the offense by going 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored. Between leadoff man Lopes and #2 hitter Bill Russell, the Dodgers scored five of their seven runs, all off shelled starter Floyd Bannister (0-1).

Game 2: LAD 6, HOU 3

A game not as close as the score suggested. Dodgers were winning 6-1 into the top of the ninth, thanks to eight innings of great pitching from Burt Hooton (1-0), who couldn't strike out anyone with his patented knuckle-curve but only allowed three hits through eight. J.R. Richard (0-1) struck out six for Houston, but could only go seven, giving up four runs. Bill Russell has four errors at short but atoned by driving in a run and making a few sparkling plays in the field.  Terry Forster picked up his first save after Hooton faltered in the ninth.

Game 3: HOU 5, LAD 4 (14 innings)

The best game of the series, with three lead changes and plenty of opportunities to win it. Homers from Steve Garvey (1) and Joe Ferguson (3) brought each team back, while a Ron Cey single in the eighth tied it at three and led to extra frames. Cey went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, two doubles and even a stolen base. But after another Cey single brought home a lead run in the 12th, the Astros answered back off Forster in the bottom of the inning with a Cesar Cedeno single and stolen base (he had three hits on the day) and a dramatic, two-out RBI hit from Jose Cruz. Houston won the game in the bottom of the 14th off Bobby Castillo (0-1), after pinch hitter Jimmy Sexton singled, stole second, went to third on well-executed hit and run, and came home on another Cedeno hit. The Astros' Joe Sambito (2-0) was good enough in relief, pitching three innings for the win.

Braves Take Two From Padres

Braves  6   Padres  0
It will be difficult for Preston Hannah to match today's performance against the San Diego Padres.  Hannah tossed 8.1 innings of 1 hit baseball before running out of gas and got the GWRBI when he smacked a 407 foot shot to dead center field to give Atlanta all the runs they would need.  Although Hannah walked 4 the only hit he allowed was a bunt single by the speedy Padres shortstop, Ozzie Smith, in the second inning.  Both Gary Matthews and Jeff Burroughs went long for the Braves as they even their record in the early season at 2.

Braves  5   Padres  1
After coming off an opening day win against Los Angeles Phil Niekro made his second start of the season and it didn't look very different from his first start except for his opposition.  Once again, the ageless Atlanta righthander threw a complete game giving up one earned run while striking out 6.  Jeff Burroughs provided the offense with a double, triple and 2 RBI.  Burroughs, for the short two games series, hit for the cycle and drove in 4 runs.  After getting the next two days off, Atlanta heads west for a nine game road trip against the Dodgers, Giants and Padres.

Brewers Take Two From Yanks

Gorman Thomas hits 2 of
Milwaukee's 6 homers in
the series.

Milwaukee 9  New York 2
GAME 1:  Bambi's Bombers lit up the scoreboard slashing out 14 hits including 3 HRs and 3 doubles to knock off the Yankee invaders 9-2.  Pitcher Jerry Augustine, gassed after just 5 IP, still hung on for his second win of the season.  Eduardo Rodriguez did 4 innings in relief to get the save.  The Bronx Bombers managed 11 hits of their own, but none for extra bases.
Milwaukee 7  New York 4
GAME 2:  Milwaukee built a 7 run lead off of 2 home runs by Gorman Thomas (3) and 1 by Larry Hisle (3) but hung on for dear life to fend off New York, 7-4, by games end.  The Yankees out hit the Brewers for the game 10 to 9 but it was the long ball that saved the Crew in the end.  Bucky Dent, Chris Chambliss and Roy White all hit their first homers of the season for the Yanks.  Moos Haas picks up win number 1 of the season and Bill Castro gets his first save.  Milwaukee improves to 3-2 on the season while New York drops to 1-4.

White Sox and Jays Split Pair

Otto Velez took care of the offense in game one as the Blue Jays handed the White Sox their first loss in 1978, 3-2. Velez swatted a 2-run homer in the 2^nd, then broke a 2-2 tie in the 4^th with a titanic 452-foot shot to center. Jesse Jefferson went the distance on the mound.

Bobby Bonds keyed a 5-run 3^rd inning for Chicago with a 2-run double. The Sox held on for a 6-5 win in the 2^nd and final game of this series. Steve Stone (2-0) tossed 8 innings for the W. Jim Willoughby hurled a perfect 9^th for the save.

Pale Hose Sweep Carmines

In a shocking opening series result, the White Sox pitchers put the Red Sox hitters on ice as they sweep the “laundry” series. The ChiSox hurlers limited the Carmines to just 7 runs and a .155 batting average. Steve Stone went 6 1/3 innings for a season opening 6-3 win. Ron Schueler did not allow a hit in 2 2/3 as he earned the save.

Chet Lemon’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9^th plated Bobby Bonds as Chicago grabbed game two 3-2. Jim Willoughby took the win in relief. Bonds would hit .417 for the series.

Butch Hobson’s error in the bottom of the 8^th allowed the lead run to score. Junior Moore followed with a 2-run single as the White Sox took the finale 5-2. Larrin LaGrow tossed 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief or veteran Wilbur Wood and earned the win.

Oakland 2 of 3 from California in Opening Series

In Game 1 from Angels Stadium, A's starter Rick Langford was masterful. He held the Angels to 5 hits across 7 innings, allowing 1 run and walking no one. Tony Armas hit a homer in the 4th off Angels starter Frank Tanana, the A's scratched out a run in the 6th, and DH Gary Alexander hit a homer in the 7th to ice the game. Tanana was good, striking out 8 and yielding only 4 hits in a complete game effort, but Langford was better.

In Game 2, the Angels sent start hurler Nolan Ryan to the mound opposite Matt Keough. Ryan's had the express working, striking out 14 in 8 innings. The Angels used 12 hits to generate 5 runs, providing more than enough for the dealing Ryan. Angels rf Rick Miller had 3 hits to lead the Angels charge. In a foreshadowing, A's lf Miguel Dilone went 2 for 4 and stole 2 bases, as Angels catcher Terry Humphrey had no chance to throw him out.

In Game 3, Alan Wirth went for the A's opposite right hander Chris Knapp. Knapp gave up 3 walks in the 1st, and the A's stole 2 bases in the inning (Dilone again!) as the A's led off with 2 runs. The Angels came right back in the bottom of the inning, as Wirth walked 3 of what would eventually be 10 walks  yielded to the Angels. The Angels got to Wirth for another 4 runs in the 5th, and things looked bright for a series winning effort. However, Dyar Miller and Paul Hartzell couldn't hold the lead, and the A's tied the game in the top of the 8th. The game went into extras, and Oakland promptly got to Hartzell again as Adams walked, was sacrificed to 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a right side grounder, and scored on Miguel Dilone's single. The Angels failed to threaten in the bottom of the 10th, and Elias Sosa picked up his 2nd save of the young season.

Niekro Pitches Gem in Atlanta's Opener

Opening day in Atlanta and 39 year old knuckleballer, Phil Niekro, got the honor of opening the Braves 1978 season against Don Sutton and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  LA jumped off to a quick start in first on a Bill Russell double and a two out single by Ron Cey.  As it turned out, that was all the offense they could muster against Niekro as he scattered 7 hits in a 6-1 complete game victory.  A 3 run first by the Braves was all the offense Niekro needed.  Young Dale Murphy drove in 3 runs with a SF and a two run home run.  Game 2 saw the Dodger's Tommy John pitch a gem of his own as he shutdown the Braves in a 5-0 win. Dick Ruthven retired the first 7 batters before LA nicked him for a run in the 3rd and 3 more in the 4th.  Reggie Smith added a solo HR in the 7th for good measure.  Game 3 saw Atlanta's Tommy Boggs face off against LA's Rick Rhoden and once again it was pitching that dominated the game.  The Dodgers got all their offense in the first inning on Reggie Smith"s 2nd homerun in as many days and Rick Rhoden allowed a single run in the 6th inning on a ground out by Gary Matthews.  Charlie Hough pitched the 9th inning to get his first save of the 1978 season as Los Angeles wins game 3, and the series, 2-1.