Escondido Times-Advocate - August 20, 1980

Padres slide a bit further into last place by blowing a lead

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Fortunately for the Philadelphia Phillies, shortstop Larry Bowa’s bat has been larger than his mouth in the last five games.

Bowa is another in that growing legion of athletes who refuses to discuss his performances with the media. He is angry about a story about drug use by the Reading team in the minor leagues that exposed him to some national attention he felt was unwarranted.

However, the infielder drove in two runs last night, including the winner, in a 7-4 triumph over the San Diego Padres.

The Padres had jumped to 3-0 lead in the first inning off Phillies righthander Dick Ruthven. Gene Richards singled, and on a pickoff attempt continued to third on a throwing error. He later scored on an infield out.

Then Dave Winfield singled, took second on an infield out and scored on Jerry Mumphrey’s single. Mumphrey, who stole his 26th and 27th bases since June 2 to give him 34 for the year, scored on Luis Salazar’s single after that first steal.

“Sure I was concerned,” said Phillies manager Dallas Green. “I didn’t know if Dick would get his act together. He was struggling with everything. Fortunately we came back and he (Ruthven) kept us tight.”

Ruthven actually went seven innings, gave up six hits and earned his 11th victory against eight losses, with help from reliever Tug McGraw, who was credited with his 13th save.

The Phillies picked up a run in the second on Bake McBride’s double and a Bowa single. They got another in the third on a pair of singles around an infield out, and a third in the fourth as Bob Boone doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Padres went ahead, 4-2, in the top of the fourth on Salazar’s triple and a sacrifice fly.

Then came the fifth. With two out and none on, Manny Trillo blasted his third home run in five games, a first for him. Garry Maddox doubled, and Bowa followed with another two bagger to score the winning run.

All that was left was a two run pinch double in the seventh by George Vukovich.

San Diego manager Jerry Coleman was asked how he felt as the Padres, coming off a homestand in which the club batted .181 while the pitching staff’s ERA was 3.04, went down for the eighth straight time, 12 in the last 13 and 17th of 24 since the All-Star break.

“On a scale of one to 10, I feel minus 10,” Coleman replied.

“If we have pitching we can play,” said the Padres manager. “We can’t get enough runs to stay in most games. If we hold them to two or three we have a shot. If not, we don’t.”