5/4/75 DET @ BOX

As proof that I despise Boston more than I do Detroit, I actually took the Tigers, the god-awful Tigers, against the Red Sux.  The last place Tigers were the team I actually elected to manage in this game.  That wasn’t enough, as Boston would win this one 6-4.

Things didn’t start off too badly.  Gary Sutherland drew a walk in the top of the first, went to second on Willie Horton’s single, and scored on a single by Ben Oglivie for an early 1-0 lead.

Things went south pretty quickly after that.  Ray Bare, the Tigers starter, walked Bernie Carbo, then hit Dwight Evans.  Fred Lynn then hits one to deep right center.  Not over the wall deep, but deep enough so that Ron LeFlore and Dave Roberts collided when chasing the ball, injuring both of them.  Lynn ended up with a triple on the play (don’t ask me who actually retrieved the ball), with both runners scoring.  He’d eventually score on Carl Yastrzemski’s fly to center (which would be the only time he wouldn’t reach base in the game).

The Sux added 2 more in the 3rd after Lynn tripled (again) home Carbo, and would score on Yaz’s single, putting Boston up 5-1.  Another run in the 5th made it 6-1.

Surprisingly, the Tigers didn’t lay down and die (the prior injuries notwithstanding).  Bill Freehan started to awaken from his 2 week slump with a 2 run home run in the 6th.  They managed to chase Boston starter Dick Pole (yep, that’s his name) and put up another run in the 8th to draw within 6-4.  But that’s as close as they’d get.

Pole got the win, with Dick Drago picking up his 4th save.  Yaz went 3-3 with 3 RBI, while Lynn ended up 3-4, 2 triples, and 3 RBI.  For Detroit, Bare took the loss, dropping him to 0-4.  Dave Lemanczyk did pitch 4 innings of scoreless relief, but Roberts will be spending the next couple of weeks on the DL.  His replacement has not yet been decided.

5/3/75 HOU @ SF

Bob Watson led the Astros in this one, going 3-4 with a 2B, HR (his 3rd) and 4 RBI.  Dave Roberts went the distance for Houston, giving up only 4 hits and 2 walks in his first shutout of the year as the Astros knocked of the Giants 5-0.  Only three runners for San Francisco made it as far as second base.

Watson’s home run came in the top of the first, giving Houston an early 1-0 lead.  Cliff Johnson’s sac fly scored Greg Gross from third to make the score 2-0.  Watson’s sac fly in the 8th added another run, and his single in the 9th scored the last 2.

John Montefusco took the loss for the Giants, dropping his record to 4-1.  He gave up only 2 earned runs in 6-1/3 innings before leaving with pain in his right (throwing) wrist.  It looks like he’ll be out for the next 10 days or so.  This bumped his ERA up to 1.77.

As if throwing a shutout wasn’t enough, Roberts also hit his first triple of the season.

5/3/75 CAL @ TEX

This was a big time frustration game for me.  I managed the Rangers, who lost this one 6-3.  I got a decent outing from Jackie Brown, who went 8 innings and gave up 8 hits and 3 walks.  The problem is that they all seemed to be grouped together, as witnessed by his 6 earned runs allowed.

Problems started in the top of the first.  After getting Mickey Rivers and Denny Doyle to fly out, Brown proceeds to issue a walk to Tommy Harper, who stole 2nd and scored on Leroy Stanton single.  Another walk was issued, and Ellie Rodriguez removed that problem by hitting a 3-run home run, his 2nd homer of the season.

Brown worked out of a little bit of trouble in the 2nd, after Jerry Remy & Rudy Meoli (the 8 & 9 hitters) reached, he would retire the next 9 hitters in a row.  But 4 more singles led to 2 more runs in the 5th inning.

Meanwhile, the offense was squandering one opportunity after another.  Mike Hargrove was thrown out at the plate in the first.  Two other runners were left on that inning.  Two more were stranded in the 2nd.  The 4th and 5th innings were killed due to GDP’s.

Texas did manage to push across 1 run in the 6th (thanks to Dave Chalk’s throwing error) and 2 more in the 7th, which finally chased Angels starter Andy Hassler, who pitched 6-2/3 while giving up TWELVE hits and 2 walks.  The Rangers would leave 2 runners on in the 7th, 8th, and 9th as well.  All told, Texas amassed 16 hits, but only 3 runs while leaving 12 runners on and grounding into 3 double plays.

Despite going 2-5 with a double, Jeff Burroughs stranded 6 runners (3 in scoring position) while making the last out in both the 7th & 9th innings.  Hargrove lowered his batting average to .415 by “only” going 2-5, and Rivers is still on a record setting pace for stolen bases, despite not having any this game (he’s go 19 through 25 games).

5/3/75 SD @ LA

Twenty-two year old rookie Rick Rhoden, making his first start of the season, went the distance to lead the Dodgers to a 9-3 victory.  Willie Crawford went 2-5 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI, while Davey Lopes chipped in with a 2-3, 2 walk, 2 runs, 3 SB evening.

Joe McIntosh (no relation to the apple that I’m aware of) was pretty lousy, giving up 4 hits, 5 walks, and 4 ER in 4-2/3 innings of work.  Rich Folkers wasn’t any better pitching in relief of McIntosh, giving up a 2-run double followed by 3 straight singles before finally striking out Rhoden to end the 5th.  That five run burst put the Dodgers up 7-1, and they coasted the rest of the way.