Phillies beat Cubs, 7-2, tie for lead

By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – Sometime somewhere in the storied past of baseball, a left fielder has had a worse game than the one played by the Chicago Cubs' Jesus Figueroa last night.

The 23-year-old rookie butchered three catchable balls, costing the Cubs three runs and helping the Phillies to a 7-2 victory that put them in a tie with Montreal for first place in the National League East Division standings. It is the first time since May 28 that the Phils have held such a lofty position in the standings.

A season-high crowd of 58,151 (50,209 paid) fireworks aficionados watched in bemusement as the Phillies rallied around Figueroa's ineptitude to win, for the eighth time in the last 11 games and make righthander Bob Walk a 5-0 pitcher.

The only reason Figueroa had to spend the evening chasing runaway balls in the outer reaches of the Veterans Stadium outfield was because Dave Kingman, himself a suspect glove, was on the disabled list.

Despite Figueroa's fielding faux pas, the Phils managed to keep their heads, using some alert baserunning and a daring two-out squeeze bunt by Larry Bowa to take an early 2-0 lead off righthander Lynn McGlothen, who shut out the Phils the last time he pitched against them June 8.

Pete Rose twice picked on poor Figueroa, sending a sinking line drive that befuddled the left fielder and went for a double that scored catcher Bob Boone with the game's first run in the second. In the seventh, with the Phils nursing a 3-2 lead and Lonnie Smith on third by way of a single, a stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Mike O'Berry, Rose popped a ball to shallow left that Figueroa managed to avoid for the second of three Rose doubles and a 4-2 Phillies lead.

Just as important as that run was one manufactured in the fourth by the foot speed of Bowa and centerfielder Garry Maddox, who singled with one out and went all the way to third when Manny Trillo bounced a hit-and-run pitch to the left side of the mound. McGlothen threw Trillo out at first for the inning's second out, but Bowa beat out a perfectly-placed bunt to make it 2-0.

"We talked to Bowa about using that play," said Manager Dallas Green, "especially with Garry, or Lonnie Smith, or somebody fast on third. It utilizes two guys' speed – Bowa and Maddox. It's a good play."

Figueroa figured in the second of Mike Schmidt's two triples during a three-run seventh that broke the game open. Schmidt had opened the sixth by tripling over the head of right fielder Mike Vail and scoring to make it 3-2 on a line drive to center by Maddox.

The shock of Rose's double had hardly worn off when Schmidt hit a line drive to left. Figueroa went for the shoestring catch. He should have known better. The ball bounced well in front of him and rolled to the wall, producing another run and setting the stage for an RBI single by Maddox.

Walk's first stroll through the Chicago lineup was a study in stutter stepping. Walk opened the game with a firm backward pace, allowing leadoff man Ivan DeJesus a single to center and a rapid theft of second base. Walk recovered his faculties and stuck out Randle, then walked Buckner before fanning Vail and Jerry Martin in succession.

The hit-walk-strikeout pattern continued in the second before DeJesus gave the fielders something to do with a line drive to Trillo. Still, the Phils' infield could have passed for a LeRoy Neiman painting until, with one out in the fifth, Walk got his first ground ball, a bouncer by Randle that Schmidt turned into a double play.

The Cubs actually tied this game, 2-2, in the sixth on two hits, a walk, and a series of fielder's choice ground balls. It was then that Green first suspected Walk might be tiring. An inning later, Green's suspicion was confirmed when DeJesus, who went 4-for-5, bounced a one-out single off Walk's thigh.

"I could've taken him out then," said Green. "And I was going to, but he wanted to finish the game. I talked to Boone on the way to the mound and he said, 'Every now and then, he (Walk) pops one good one and every now and then he's got nothing."

Walk made Dillard his sixth and final strikeout, but balked Randle to second. Green then ordered his pitcher to intentionally walk Buckner, an unorthodox move considering Buckner represented the go-ahead run. Walk went 2-2 on the next hitter, Vail, before Green decided he had seen enough and called Ron Reed in from the bullpen.

Reed responded by inducing Vail into a routine fly ball to right with his second pitch. The rest of Reed's evening was made considerably easier by Figueroa's comedic efforts in left.

PHIL UPS – Attendance for two-game series with Cubs was 83,339, a major-league high this season... Schmidt joins McBride, St. Louis' Garry Templeton and Cincinnati's Ray Knight as only NL players to get two triples in one game this season... Rose, in turn, joined Templeton, Montreal's Andre Dawson and Trillo as only players to get three doubles in a game... Steve Carlton (14-4) opposes Jim Bibby (11-1) tonight in opener of three game series against Pirates.

This All-Star Break Was No Vacation for Phillies

PHILADELPHIA (UPI) — The All-Star break usually means that the Philadelphia Phillies family breathes a collective sigh of relief and hits the mountains, the Jersey shore or amusement parks. 

All they were hitting over this year's vacation, however, was their heads. 

There was plenty of disbelief this week after the Trenton Times broke a story Tuesday about a state investigation of the illegal prescribing of amphetamines and the possible questioning of eight Phillies’ players in the probe. 

The next day, the Reading Times followed with a report quoting a pharmacist as saying that prescriptions were illegally written by a doctor for certain members of the team without prior examination. 

Those stories hit like a sledgehammer. Players named in both stories reacted with outrage. Larry Bowa, one of those named in the Trenton report sneered, "No more interviews now or ever." 

The reports did nothing to enhance some players' attitudes toward the press, attitudes in which writers are cast in the same light as Legionnaires Disease. While the stories’ impact on those of us who cover the team was not as shattering as on the players, it was pretty close. 

A writer commented before Thursday night’s game, “I’ve been on vacation for the last four days and I’ve got less guys talking to me now than before.” 

It’s a problem that’s not going to go away soon. With some exceptions, the Phillies have been uncooperative or tough to talk with in interview situations even in times of joy. This is definitely not a time of joy. 

Besides Bowa's vow of silence, Mike Schmidt says he's considering “pulling a Steve Carlton” and leaving us in the lurch when we try to question him about his latest hot streak. 

As the initial shock wears off among those associated and not associated with baseball, the evil eye of all has turned on the press. The question to be examined is whether publishing the stories on the drug investigations and naming famous names were the-right things to do. 

After plenty of debates over the last couple of days, some points have been raised, and they are shared with you here: 

No 1 — The Players Are Suffering Because They Are Famous. 

Like movie stars and politicians, baseball players and other athletes are constantly in the public eye. Anything remotely out of kilter is reported because the public is interested in its heroes. 

Phillies President Ruly Carpenter was right when he said the Trenton report would never have been printed if the newspaper’s source on the investigation fingered persons who were not named Schmidt, Bowa and Rose. With the investigation at its most preliminary stage, it's a wonder the newspaper didn't sit on the story awhile to see how it developed. 

But the newspaper report said the players were going to be questioned in an investigation. An investigation begins when law enforcement officials have reason to believe a wrong has been committed. It does not necessarily mean the wrong has been committed, or that the players undergoing questioning were guilty of one thing or another. 

It is understandable that people would read between the lines in a case such as this and let their imaginations run wild. But the fact is, no one has been charged with anything, and the newspaper never charged anyone. 

No 2 — So What If They Are Into Drugs? That’s Not News. Everyone Does It. 

The reasoning there is ridiculous. It compares with, “Well, all businessmen who have to travel cheat on their wives” or “All colleges tamper with transcripts so some kid will have a chance to get an education.”

Because everyone does it, does that make it right? Writing prescriptions for amphetamines without an examination is against the law, whether they be written for baseball players, football players, housewives or night-shift workers. 

Investigators are trying to determine if the prescriptions were written without a prior examination. If they find the law has been broken and their probe is upheld in court, then the violators have to be punished. 

This is not to say anything has been proven. It's just the reasoning… phew! 

No 3 — Look at How the Newspapers Are Displaying This.

Well, that's not something to be proud of. Frontpage pictures, headlines, etc. ring out the story in the minds of the readers like a fire alarm. And the players, naturally, get upset at seeing their names in the same headline with the word “Drug.” Some of the newspapers are milking this for all its worth for the extra readers and, frankly, the smell isn’t top good even from here. 

*     *     *

Maybe it was a little early for something of low magnitude such as the Trenton report to be published. It touched off a variety of problems we and the players are going to have to live with the rest of the season, and perhaps beyond. 

Despite all implications, however, the reaction of the players might be a little too drastic. They haven't been charged with anything. And blaming two reports on the media masses shows that some can't quite handle adversity yet. 

Still, it’s made a long, hot summer even longer and hotter.