Doylestown Daily Intelligencer - June 1, 1980

Green Contradicts 'Phillie Way'

 

by Mike Gibson

 

There are only six weeks gone in the baseball season and there is solid evidence that Dallas. Green is already managing like there are only six games left down the stretch.

 

That is if you are all too used to the questionable managerial wisdom of the late Danny Ozark.

 

A case-in-point happened during Saturday's game against the Cubs when Steve Carlton was breezing through seven innings of a shutout and Green pulled him for Dickie Noles.

 

That move had to raise a few eyebrows because Wrigley Field is the same park the Phillies came back from a 13-4 deficit to win, 18-15, in 1976 and the same field where the Cubs came back from a similar deficit to tie the Phils, 22-22, before losing, 23-22, last season.

 

It should be noted that it is much more likely the Cubs could have staged such a comeback against Noles than against Carlton, and a few hearts in Philadelphia fluttered when the youngster walked the first two batters he faced on Saturday.

 

Probably a few hundred thousand fans watching the game had to say or think in unison, 'Why did he take Steve Carlton out of the game?"

 

"I thought Steve had a very quick three innings," was the explanation Green stumbled through afterwards.

 

The move and the resultant reasoning would not have been greeted with such alacrity had not Green been the architect of some unusual substitutions over the past few days.

 

It would not have been so unusual had not this been the same Dallas Green who told anyone who cared to listen in the off-season that "this was the year we have to pull all the stops," or "this is the year we have to do it," or "we're not going to be playing some of the same games with people that we did in the past; we're going to go basically with our best lineup. That's going to be the Phillie philosophy.''

 

Over the past few days the Phillie philosophy has included a "day's rest" for two key performers, Garry Maddox and Bake McBride, in an absolutely vital game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. Instead, the Phillies went with a player (George Vukovich) who toiled in Reading last season and another (Greg Gross) who was going into the game with an 0-for-18 slump hanging around his neck.

 

Had the Phillies won that game, and taken three out of four games from the Pirates, it would mean a heckuva lot at the end of the season if they fall short by one game. (Given the way both teams are playing, it could be that close.) A win over the Pirates in May or June has the same value of a win over the Pirates in September. That's something, as Phillies fans know all too well from experience, much hard to accomplish after Labor Day when the Pirates finally go to work on the rest of the National League.

 

The Phillie philosophy was contradicted most blantantly in Saturday's game, not only with the removal of Carlton, but also with the early exits of Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose on a day when the former hit two home runs. In a hitters' park, if the Cubs had come back, a loss would have been a tough thing for Dallas Green to explain under those circumstances.

 

It would have also been even tougher to explain in light of the Phillie philosophy Green has so often spoke of this year. If the goal really is to win now, maybe a new slogan would help Green achieve those ends: PLAY THE GOOD GUYS.

Luzinski and Schmidt Are On a Rare Tear

 

by the Associated Press

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski have been carrying the Philadelphia Phillies on their bats.

 

It's no secret that the Phillies' pitching is in shambles, despite manager Dallas Green' insistence the pitching will be all right.

 

The Phillies posted a 16-8 record in May, won 11 of their last 16, but the only sign of consistent major league pitching has come from Steve Carlton (9-2).

 

What has kept the Phillies winning and enabled them to creep one game behind the world champion Pittsburgh Pirates has been their hitting. They lead the National league in doubles (79), home runs (38) and runs (205).

 

Schmidt and Luzinski, the third and fourth hitters in the lineup have been the key to this torrid attack. They have made the club's mediocre pitching standup.

 

Schmidt has hit in 23 of the last 27 games, boasts a .299 batting average. In May he hit .287 (25 for 87), including 10 home runs and 24 RBI.

 

Luzinski hit .308 in May (26-84), with eight home runs and 17 RBI. Four times, he and Schmidt cracked homers consecutively. They've had a lot of help from teammate Bake McBride, who has hit in 20 of his last 22 games, a .320 average, two home runs and 22 RBI.

 

Overall, Schmidt leads the league in runs (35), in RBIs (40), and tops with 16 homers. Luzinski is second in homers with 12.

 

How long, however, can the two power hitters, plus McBride, carry a pitching staff.

 

Dick Ruthven (5-4) still is on the comeback trail from off-season elbow surgery. Larry Christenson (3-0) is on the 60-day disabled list and underwent an elbow operation this week that makes it doubtful he'll pitch again this season, and Randy Lerch is 1-6. After that you have Dan Larson and Bob Walk, recently recalled from the minors.

 

If Luzinski, Schmidt and McBride slump, any or all, or get hurt, Green better hope he's prophetic about his pitching.

Schmidt's 2 Help Carlton Beat Chicago

 

by the Associated Press

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Mike Schmidt's home-run hitting in Wrigley Held has become legend, but the Philadelphia slugger insists it wasn't always so.

 

"I've had great success in the last four or five years here," said Schmidt, who blasted two homers Saturday to lead Steve Carlton and the Phillies to a 7-0 victory over Chicago.

 

"When I first came to this park I had a lot of trouble hitting," said1 Schmidt. "It took me awhile to learn that you don't have to pull everything to hit it out. All you have to do is sit back and wait and don't overreact."

 

Schmidt sat back and waited, "went with the pitch" and homerd onto the right field catwalk.

 

"It was a good pitch out and away," said Schmidt. "I got the meat part of the bat on it. I'll admit the wind took it out but even on a normal day it would at least have been a double. But I'll take the homer."

 

His homer in the seventh, and major league-leading No. 16, came off reliever Bill Caudill.

 

"It was a fastball, out," said Schmidt. "I know Caudill has a good fastball and when the count went to 2-2 I figured he'd challenge me."

 

Carlton didn't get a chance to complete his third shutout of the season and was lifted by Manager Dallas Green in the seventh.

 

"He pitched three very quick innings in a row," said Green, "and he struggled a little in the seventh, so I decided to give him a rest. Shutouts and complete games aren't important to me and I'm sure they're not to Lefty (Carlton)."

 

Carlton was asked the same question but refused to answer.